Dutch Oven Clean Up

Cooking with a dutch oven is one of my most favorite past times. There is nothing better than a dutch oven peach cobbler or dutch oven ribs. I know you're mouth must be watering already. However, this article isn't going to be focused on how to cook tasty meals, the main focus of this article is to let you know what to do with your dutch oven after the cooking. In other words, I'm going to give you a few ideas on what needs to be done in order to ensure that your cast iron dutch oven can be used for many more times without becoming rusted and useless.

Depending on your background, you may have a different manner of cleaning up your dutch oven. Some people use fire to burn them out. others like to try salt on them. Others use the classic soap and water method. I always use the soap and water method to clean mine.

"What!?" You might be thinking. Of course you have probably heard that water will cause the dutch oven to rust and soap will cause it to lose the seasoning. Allow me to share with you this: There once was an old cowboy that spent a lot of his time out herding cattle. He told about sheepherders who carried a dutch oven on their trip to prepare their meals. He said that they had 2 reasons to bring along a dutch oven; for both cooking and cleaning. They would leave it on the fire to heat up the water. After that, they would do their dishes right in the dutch oven and they used soap. By taking some grease and putting it on the dutch oven, they made it possible for the dutch oven to be ready for use any time they needed it again.

Now, let's say you don't have any water and still are certain you are going to clean the dutch oven. What do you do? If it was me, I would probably try to burn it out, if not, you can always try to rub salt in it.

Now, if you ever let someone borrow your dutch oven, make sure you tell them how you want it cleaned! I learned the hard way with this one. In fact, my dutch oven was nearly ruined by the people I let borrow it. They tried to burn it out because they weren't sure if I would be okay with them using soap and water. What a horrible consequence! I nearly had to bury my dutch oven and never see it again. Nevertheless, I worked long and hard to get the yucky black charcoaled mess out of it. After a few hours of endless torment I was able to get it back to a fairly good condition. Well, at least it was good enough to cook in again.

Another person I know only uses salt to clean.. His Dutch ovens are terrible looking and he spends lots of time burning out the rust before he can use them.

When I am finished cleaning my dutch ovens they are charming to look at and store free of rust, ready for our next family reunion or any other type of get together. I enjoy using the old cowboy technique. I heat up the Dutch oven with some water in it. After you have completed heating the water into your dutch oven, add a little soap. Scrubbing out the food should be very easy. Rinse it and turn it over to allow for faster drying. When you're dutch oven is dry, take some oil and rub it into the oven and lid. This is vital to the condition of your dutch ovens.

Here is perhaps the most important step.

Remember that in order for the moisture to be absorbed, you should place a paper towel inside the dutch oven.

This technique has worked awesome for me. The cast iron Dutch ovens stay rust free and ready for use. It doesn't matter what you are cooking your dutch oven over, this method will always work. I've used a charcoal grill, briquettes, and even a camping stove to cook my food with.

So there you have it. Whether you knew it already or not, soap and water is the only right way for cleaning a dutch oven. The only thing you have to worry about when using this method is that the oven is always dry and oiled when it is stored away. That is the biggest secret. If you forget to oil it, well, good luck and don't come asking me to help clean it.

M.A. Luke is and independent writer for ioVentures, Inc. If your dutch oven was ruined by improper cleaning, go now to dutchovenpro.com. You will also find camping stoves and cast iron cookware.