Cleaning Cast Iron Cookware

One of the biggest areas of discussion amongst Dutch Oven cooks is how to clean their oven, and for that matter any other cast iron cookware. The number one item to remember is not use liquid dish soap on any iron cookware! However with that said, here are some of my recomended methods for both cleaning and sanitizing your cast iron cookware:

• Remove any food using a paper towl and if needed a plastic scaper. (Note only use the plastic scaper is the iron cookware is not hot!)
• In frying pans and dutch ovens, place some clean warm water and the heat to a light boil. Allow to boil for a few minutes. If you are using some cast iron flat ware, then place the flatware into a pot of warm water and bring to a boil.
• Drain the water, then wipe with a clean paper towel.
• Heat the ironware to dry it completely. Do not let it get too hot, just warm to the touch!
• Lightly coat the cast iron with some vegetable oil. Never use mineral oil or any other oil other than vegetable oil!
• Allow to cool before placing into storeage. If the oven or pan has a lid, place a folded paper towel between the lid and the pot before storing.

All Cast Iron Cookware

A small point of clarification. Even though most of my ramblings are about Dutch Ovens, I also prefer and often use when cooking outdoors other cast iron pots and pans. I think that the Dutch Oven is probably the most versatile outdoor cookware, but I will tell you that the cast iron frying pan comes in a close second.

Dr. Mike

Oven Selection Criteria

The Scouts in my Troop just got back from another weekend camp out. This one is labeled the "freeze out". Supposed to be in the snow, but lows of 28 at night still qualify. High point for these boys was having fun in the cold, and cooking for themselves. One scout actually made my day when he insisted he was going to cook a meal for himself based on a recipe I had taught him.

I also have been asked about a direct link to the troop's recipe page. The link is: http://www.bsatroop680.org/documents/Cooking/default.htm

Well back to Dutch Ovens. The first thing to "know" when you are going to use Dutch Ovens in outdoor cooking, is don't "cheap out". The old saying about "you get what you pay for" applies more to Dutch Ovens than anything else. A couple of important items to look for in a good Dutch Oven:

• That it has three legs
• Wire handle is well built and stays out of the way
• Lid seals well to the body of the Dutch Oven
• Size matches your cooking need (how large a group are you feeding)

I will round up a few photos of some good and bad Dutch Ovens and try to post them next time around.

Dr. Mike

Getting Started

Hello. I'm Dr. Mike Stachiw a leader with Boy Scout Troop 680 located in Valley Park Missouri and a "hard core" Dutch Oven cook. After attending this years 'Computers on the Farm" conference conducted by The University of Missouri, Columbia, where BLOGS were discussed, I thought it might be a good idea to create a blog about using Dutch Ovens for outdoor and camping cooking.

One area to check for Dutch Oven recipes and related topics would be my Troop's website which is: http://www.bsatroop680.org/

I'm new to this, so please cut me some slack, and hopefully I do not disapoint you.

Dr. Mike