Caring for your Dutch Oven

Whether you purchased a new dutch oven or inherited an ancient one, it should be still be making great food long after you and I are gone and forgotten. A dutch oven is nearly indestructible, so they should never wear out or need to be replaced. But, like every tool or utensil, dutch ovens require some preventive maintenance and care.

The main care for your dutch oven is discussed on the following pages:

• Seasoning - baking on a layer of oil to protect the metal and improve meal taste
• Cleaning - removing food bits, but leaving the seasoning layer
• Storing - protecting your oven when it won't be used for a few months
• Fixing - restoring life to an abused dutch oven

Some tips to keep in mind:

• Never allow your dutch oven to sit out in the rain or in water. It will corrode.
• Placing a dutch oven directly onto a very hot fire may warp or crack the metal. See cooking tips for advice on using your dutch oven.
• Pouring liquid into a hot oven will crack the metal.

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Comments:

Sep 22, 2015 - John David McClure

Hi Dutch Oven Dude,

I love your web site--all of it with the recipes and care tips.  My family of brothers and nephews and their families do a yearly campout and meals are a big part of the fun.  About four years ago, I used your cowboy stew recipe and cooked up two batches in two 12" DOs.  It was and is such a big hit that we have done it four years in a row, now.  I keep thinking I will try another recipe because of how good they all sound but not yet!

Dave

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Sep 22, 2015 - Dutch Oven Dude

@John - You have to branch out!  I pretty much guarantee that the Enchiladas would be a big hit too.  But, Cowboy Stew is easy, tasty, and filling.

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May 23, 2016 - Robbie

After a big flood, we found a dutch oven caked in mud by the river and a bit of rust on it. A couple of us Eagle Scouts were standing around the oven and thought, we're going to have desert tonight. After an hour of removing the mud and using up every steel scrubber we had plus three rolls of paper towels, we slathered the oven with oil and reseasoned it for a good 20 minutes to kill off any remaining bacteria. We took the oven out of the fire and laid down a layer of biscuits, followed by 2 cans of apple pie filling, then topped it off with a 2 cans of cinnamon rolls in a lattice pattern on top. Cooked it for about an hour. We served it up with some Blue Bell vanilla ice cream and it was a great campfire that night.

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