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Incredible Cast Iron is a Garage Sale Treasure Just Waiting to Be Restored

When my son Dan moved to his first apartment recently, it seemed like my parental duty to provide some basic kitchen tools. These necessities included several good cookbooks, some sharp kitchen knives and a well-seasoned Dutch oven.

Dan’s is a cast-iron, 10-inch Lodge-brand oven that can be used both indoors and outside. It is the same brand, make, model and size of oven I have used at least weekly for nearly 30 years. When I bought my new oven, it seemed expensive.

But Dan’s oven was free because it was slightly rusty and dirty from being stored in an old garage for years. A little elbow grease restored the cast iron to like-new condition.

If you are a recycler and you frequent garage sales and thrift stores, keep an eye out for good, useful cast-iron cooking implements. Somebody’s rusty, dust-covered survivor of a failed camping trip may end up becoming a valuable addition to your cooking tools.

When properly seasoned, cast iron can be virtually nonstick. The even heating and heat-retaining ability make cast iron a good choice for frying, searing, baking and cooking stews, gumbos and soups.

But buy quality pieces, because your cast-iron cookware can be with you for generations. I still regularly use my grandmother’s 1918 skillet. My daughter, Mary, already has dibs on an 80-year old, 6-inch skillet she cooks eggs in. When it comes to quality, experts know that some experienced iron may be superior to what’s on the store shelves. But the buyer of used cast iron had better beware.

Start by looking the piece over carefully. Dirt, dust and light rust are generally not a problem, but deep rust pitting might be. If the piece has been painted, or has any cracks, pinholes, warps, scratches or signs of abuse, don’t buy it.

Then check the quality of the casting. Look for uniform thickness in the sides and lid, because variances in thickness could cause hot or cold spots. Make sure lids fit tightly, with no gaps or rocking. A properly fitted lid forms a seal that creates pressure while cooking and helps retain moisture.

Once you buy a used piece, it will probably need to be seasoned. Seasoning is the black patina that protects the metal and makes it nonstick. If the seasoning looks even, with no flaking or rust spots, then a good cleaning may be all that is needed before using.

But most likely, you’ll have to re-season, and there are different ways to accomplish that. My brother, Michael, salvaged a badly mistreated oven by soaking the cast iron overnight in a popular soft drink, then scrubbing it with a steel wool pad. When he was done, the cast iron looked brand new.

Avoid cooking any tomato or bean products in a newly seasoned cast iron for the first few times, because the acid will remove the seasoning. After that, use your new, experienced cast iron whenever possible. The more you use it, the more seasoned it gets and the better it will work.

The Central Oregon Dutch Oven Society, based in La Pine, Or., provides these guidelines for seasoning cast iron cookware.

Scrub off any dirt or dust. A stiff fiber or wire brush works well for this initial cleaning.

Remove the old seasoning so bare metal is visible. Start by rubbing the iron with steel wool. If necessary, use light sandpaper. In extreme cases, take a particularly challenging piece to an auto body shop and have it sandblasted.

Once you get to shiny metal, wash and dry the piece. Then, lightly coat the surface with vegetable oil so it is shiny but the oil doesn’t puddle. I prefer solid shortening for seasoning, but there are also commercial products available.

Place the cast iron in a pre-heated 350-degree oven and bake for about an hour. This is going to be smelly and smoky, so if you have a gas grill, do this outside. Put the piece upside down on the grill and lower the hood. Shut off the heat when the smoke stops, and let the grill and cast iron cool completely. This technique can be repeated until you get the preferred shade of black and level of nonstick.

Cooking Using a Dutch Oven

When it comes to outdoor cooking, Dutch ovens are the way to go. You’ll be surprised at the many types of food you’ll be able to make with one efficient tool. You’ll be able to make everything from crispy fried chicken to heartwarming soups and stews. These cast iron pots are very heavy, and are used for a variety of different cooking styles. Because of their versatility, and because it can take very high temperatures, most people opt to use them for outdoor cooking. Often, they come with a three-legged stand to help it sit on an open flame more steadily and it’s also comes with a heavy lid. This is lifted by using a hook, because it tends to get very hot. Sometimes, when you’re living in the city, there comes a time when it all just becomes too much. The traffic, the crowded streets, the polluted air – most of us just wants a getaway! Because most of us live in the city, camping is a great way to get away from it all and just enjoy nature at its finest. Of course, nothing can complete a camping trip without some Dutch oven cooking.

You’ll also be able to find indoor Dutch ovens. They have a flatter bottom, and come with no legs at all because they are designed to stand on their own. They are ideal for stove-top or oven cooking. However, they can also be used for outdoor cooking because of the high quality material which they are made of. The lid can be used to fry or “bake” food outdoors, while rocks, sticks and stones serve as the base.

These Dutch ovens should be seasoned right before the first usage. This ensures that the pot retains its natural oils which make it non-stick even without the help of other additives like oil. All you have to do is brush or coat the Dutch oven with a very thin layer of oil and bake it for around an hour. Take good care of the seasoning because this is what protects the whole pot from rust and damage.

When cooking with Dutch ovens, it’s best to use hot charcoal briquettes or coals. Open flame are okay, but they are harder to control. You might have a problem with controlling the temperature of your food. You don’t want your oven to be too hot. Usually, you can tell it’s too hot when the oil in the pot starts to smoke. If you want to fry or sear meat with your pot, you can certainly do so. You can use a small amount of oil and fry the meat. You can also put the lid on so that it roasts. Make sure that you use a very low temperature for this. If you want to bake, you can certainly do so by building a pit. You also need to place a few pieces of coal on the top part or lid of the Dutch oven so that the heat can spread very evenly.

Simple Italian Mushroom Penne Pasta – Recipe

Using your imagination

It is common for Italians to sit down to a large bowl of pasta for lunch or as a starter. For quick dinners or lunch, I enjoy mixing up various types of pasta dishes (I cannot make it long without a pasta fix). The recipe below has endless varieties. First try the recipe and then the next time you make it, add any number of other delights including sun dried tomatoes, artichokes, fresh mozzarella, meatballs or Italian sausage, etc.

Ingredients (4 to 5 servings):

• 1 pound fresh button mushrooms sliced (could use portabella mushrooms)
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound penne (fresh if you can make or find it)
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound grated parmesan cheese
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon fresh basil (you can substitute an equal amount of dry if you don’t have fresh)
• 1 teaspoon fresh oregano (you can substitute an equal amount of dry if you don’t have fresh)
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Rinse the mushrooms and place them in a frying pan. Add the wine and butter and cook on high until all the liquid is gone – about 20 minutes. Set them aside. Meanwhile, cook the penne in a Dutch oven containing a few quarts of boiling salt water for about 10 minutes. Drain through a colander once the penne has cooked and make sure most of the water is gone but the pasta is still hot. Put the pasta back in the Dutch oven along with the olive oil, parmesan, garlic, basil, oregano, pepper flakes, salt, and pepper and mix. Now if you would like, try some of the other ingredients I mention in the introductory paragraph. My family and I will eat this as a main course for dinner sometimes we like it so much.

Enjoy.

Jack Botticelli

Fabulous Tips For Marinating Chicken

Chicken is a wonderful recipe that will be providing you with different variants of tastes. Marinating chicken will especially be of great use if the meat that is being used is of boneless or skinless type. The taste and texture of the chicken that is marinated improves to a great extent.

There are many people who are looking for some tips that will be providing them with useful suggestion to enrich their marinating mixture. For all those people these tips that are mentioned below will be of great use. You can learn various things regarding how to marinate chicken.

Marinating mixture

Marinating mixture basically consists of an acid like item such as yogurt, lime juice and vinegar, any kind of edible oil and flavoring agents such as the pepper, salt, fruits, nuts, mustard, thyme, cream and many more. The killer tip that will be of best use to produce greatly tasting marinating mixture is to use half oil and half acid mixture.

Also if the marinating time is more than one hour then it will be a good option to place it in the refrigerator for the process to take place in an effective manner and quality of cuts will remain without deteriorating. If the chicken is marinated for a longer period of time than it is actually subjected then there is a great chance that the cut will get clumsy since the flesh of the meat will be eroded due to the acidic action of the items such as lime juice, vinegar.

Usage of herbs and storage of mixture

Usage of herbs can greatly enrich the flavor of chicken recipe. Best results can be obtained only if fresh herbs are being used because the oil from herbs will be released readily. But oil will not be released easily, thus it is essential to rub those old herbs with your hands to release oil from herbs.

The marinating mixture and chicken shall be placed in zip lock storage bag for food stocking for preserving the freshness of the mixture. Whenever necessary it can be cooked by placing it over the pan. Does not rinse the chicken instead brush some of the additional marinating mixture for about 5 minutes when the chicken is being cooked.

Thus the above tips will be of great help to produce marinade that will be offering you best possible taste. Depending upon the type of flavor that you are using there will be various kinds of taste that can be obtained ranging from hot and spicy to fruity taste.

Campfire Cooking Recipes – Fish

Cooking over a fire is rewarding, fun, and probably isn’t as hard as you think. If you are looking for something different than the traditional grilled chicken or steak items you might want to consider fish. Whether you buy it ahead of time or catch your own fresh for dinner while on your trip there are several ways to prepare it. Here are some good campfire cooking recipes to get you started. Remember, as with many campfire cooking recipes, cooking times may need to be adjusted depending on how hot the coals are.

FOIL FISH

Pairs perfectly with foil grilled corn on the cob.

4 fish fillets (white fish works well)

2 tablespoons butter

2 celery stalks, quartered

2 carrots, quartered

1 whole lemon, cut in half

Salt and Pepper

On two separate pieces of aluminum foil, place two each of the fish fillets in the center. Put half a tablespoon of butter on each fillet. Squeeze half of the lemon over one pair and the other half over another. Salt and pepper to taste and add half of the celery and carrots to each, then loosely wrap the foil around the fish. Place on hot coals or, depending on how hot the coals are, use a grill grate. Cook for 15-20 minutes, until the fish is flaky.

GRILLED CEDAR SALMON

Adding the cedar plank not only gives it some extra smokey flavor.

1 cedar plank long enough to fit your salmon fillet

1 large salmon fillet, scaled but with skin on

¾ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon rosemary

1 tablespoon thyme

Juice from ½ lemon

Salt and Pepper

Bring up a fire to medium heat and while the fire gets cooking, soak the cedar plank in water for 30 minutes. Brush the salmon with the olive oil and then gently rub in the rosemary and thyme. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Place the plank on a grill grate that is almost touching the coals. Turn the plank over after 2 minutes to get both sides smoking. Place the salmon fillet skin-side down on the plank and cover loosely with a foil tent to allow the fish to steam cook for 20 minutes. Remove the salmon from the plank or serve it from the cedar. Squeeze the lemon over it just prior to serving.

SNAPPER SOUP

Break out the Dutch oven! Cast iron cooking is a staple of campfire cooking recipes.

1 pound of red snapper, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 cups of chicken broth

¾ cup coarsely chopped carrots

½ cup coarsely chopped celery

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon paprika

¼ teaspoon of pepper

½ teaspoon of salt

1 cup of frozen peas

Place the Dutch oven over the hot coals. Bring the chicken broth, celery and carrots, garlic and onions, paprika, salt and pepper, and peas to a boil for 5 minutes. Add the snapper and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Cooking New Mexican Food With Cast Iron

A picture that comes to mind when one thinks of the old west is cowboys lying out on the open range under the stars. The men huddle around an open fire watching a kettle, which holds dinner. The kettle was most likely a Dutch oven, a thick-walled bowl made from cast iron with feet on its bottom, a handle, and some even with a riveted top for removing the hot lid. Dutch ovens were a mainstay of wagon trains heading west and chuck wagons driving cattle across the open plains. Dutch ovens can be used to cook almost anything possible ranging from cornbread, steaks, green chile, red chile, and about anything else that one can dream up. As wagon trains and cattle drives began to fall by the wayside, the Dutch oven slowly became a symbol of the past for some although those in New Mexico embraced this icon of open air cooking. Each year, a number of towns in the state of New Mexico hold Dutch oven cook-offs where participants offer their recipes for red chili, green chili, chipotle barbecues, and other foods up for judgment.

Dutch Oven History

The Dutch oven began its debut in colonial America due to its adaptability and durability. Shortly after the colonists began using the tool, legs were added to the bottom of the pot to keep it off of the coals. Lids were also cast into a more concave style so coals could sit atop the lid without falling off. Dutch ovens were cast so well that many would last for years. Along with being popular with colonists, those seeking fame and fortune traveling west would sometimes have no cookware other than a Dutch oven. The oven was great for cooking game birds found along the wagon trails in a stew, corn bread or bread pudding when meat was scarce, and for those lucky enough to find fresh fruit, the occasional pie or cobbler.

Regional Cooking: New Mexico

While the East Coast became more stable, the western states were still pioneer country, and life under the open sky was normal. Cooking over an open flame was almost always necessary and quite comforting on cold nights. Southwestern states such as New Mexico experience very hot daytime temperatures but nighttime temperatures could fall drastically. This made Dutch oven cooking an everyday affair. Over the years, New Mexicans perfected fare otherwise cooked on woodstoves in their Dutch ovens and other cast iron cookware. Iron skillets also became a cooking utensil that was used as much as the Dutch oven. A great attribute about the iron skillet is that the more one cooked in it, the better the food tasted. Seasonings seemed to stick in the iron and release when meats were cooked in it.

New Mexican Fare

One of the staples of New Mexico is its green and red chile peppers. These peppers can be hot, mild, and sometimes even sweet. Combined with a red meat, pork, poultry chipotle powder, and other vegetables, these chiles can create some of the best red chili or green chili in the world. When cooked in a Dutch oven, seasonings from prior meals accentuate the flavor of this popular food. Coupled with corn bread cooked in a Dutch oven, many say there are no two foods that go better together. In contemporary times, people will cook almost anything that can be cooked in a regular oven. For instance, pizzas, casseroles, even lasagna can be great when cooked out of a Dutch oven. However, New Mexicans add their own flare to almost every dish to give it that taste of the Southwest.

Cast Iron Cooking

Although cast iron cooking may seem relatively simple, there are a few things one should know before giving it a go. For instance, most foods, such as red chili, green chili, stews, and other soup mixtures are slow cooked over coals. The fire should not be flaming when the Dutch oven cooking begins. Coals of hardwoods such as oak, hickory, or maple are commonly used for cooking over open flames. These woods will burn until they became hot coals. Once the wood has turned to coals, the cooker should be placed in the middle of the coals, which are mounded up around the sides of the cooker and the lid. A note to anyone new to Dutch oven cooking is that the coals need to be hot although they must be watched constantly to avoid overcooking or burning the food. Prior to cooking, the oven should be oiled or greased. Many people debate the type of oil that should be used although many people will simply use a sprayed-on vegetable oil. When cooking lean meats, many people will fry a slab of bacon prior to placing the meat in the oven. This gives the meat a natural grease to cook in.

Chile

One of the most favored Dutch oven dishes is the red chile. Red chile can be made a number of ways with a variety of ingredients. Some people debate for hours what should or should not be used in red chile. However, many food services take the headache out of the red chile by packaging the ingredients beforehand. This makes it easy for the average person to make award winning red chile without years of experience. When making red chile for the first time in a Dutch oven, it may be easiest to use ground chuck with a fat content of at least 85 percent. The higher fat content allows for the beef to produce its own oil, which greases the bottom and sides of the oven. When making stews that don’t use fatty meats, it may be best to use a vegetable oil or lard rub on the bottom or sides of the oven to protect the oven before and after use. Many stews also come in prepackaged packets taking the guesswork out of the cooking. There are many ways to enjoy cooking with cast iron. After a bit of experience, one can easily begin creating their own recipes for hours of open flame favorites for the entire family.

The Many Ways to Cook Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

Boneless skinless chicken breast is the most popular cut of poultry in the United States and with good reason: they are low in fat, quick and easy to prepare and extremely versatile. This wonderful cut of poultry can be grilled, sauteed, broiled, poached, fried and baked. There is a downside however to this cut of meat: they are rather low in fat. You may be asking: “What is wrong with that? That makes them healthy right?” Yes, they are a healthier way to eat, but because they are low in fat, they are also low in moisture and that makes them very susceptible to over cooking. Nothing is less appetizing than a dry and overcooked piece of meat.

There are two ways to make certain your chicken is not overcooked. The first way, and the most accurate in my opinion, is to use an instant read thermometer. I own a handy little electronic thermometer with a voice alert feature. It is extremely accurate and has never let me down. The other method for checking doneness is by pricking the meat with a fork. If the juices run clear, then it is done. I think the first option is much safer, but you can be the judge.

There are literally hundreds of combined recipes and methods for cooking chicken breast, far too many to cover in this article, so I will talk about two very popular methods.

One of the easiest and tastiest ways is to marinate and grill them.

Below is a great marinade recipe:

GRILLED CHICKEN BREAST WITH CITRUS HERB MARINADE

INGREDIENTS:

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons of Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

2 Tablespoons of Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice

1/3 Cup of Freshly Chopped Parsley

1/3 Cup of Freshly Chopped Basil

1 Clove of Garlic Minced

1 Teaspoon of Salt

1/4 Teaspoon of Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Step 1: Mix together everything, accept the chicken breasts, in a large bowl. Step 2: Add chicken to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for several hours. Step 3: Get you grill nice and hot and oil the grates to prevent the chicken from sticking. Step 4: Grill chicken about 4 minutes per side or until done.

Another fantastic way to cook chicken breasts is by baking them in foil in the oven. The foil helps keep the meat nice and moist while cooking. What you put inside the foil is only limited by your imagination, but to make things easier, I have included a great recipe below.

CHICKEN WITH SUN DRIED TOMATOES AND KALAMATA OLIVES

INGREDIENTS:

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

10 – 15 Kalamata Olives Pitted and Chopped

8 – 10 Sun Dried Tomatoes Cut Into Thin Strips

4 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons of Freshly Chopped Basil

2 Tablespoons of Freshly Chopped Parsley Salt and Pepper to Taste

DIRECTIONS:

Step 1: Preheat Oven to 450 Degrees F

Step 2: In a bowl, combine the olives, tomatoes, basil, parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Step 3: Cut 8 Squares of Aluminum Foil (Cut them large, about 18 inches square)

Step 4: Grab 2 squares of foil and place one on top of the other.

Step 5: Grease the foil with some olive oil

Step 6: Place a chicken breast in the center of the foil and spoon some of the tomato and olive mixture on top

Step 7: Loosely fold the foil over the chicken forming a tent and seal tightly

Step 8: Repeat this process for the remaining chicken breasts

Step 9 : Place the wrapped chicken breasts on a baking sheet and place in the pre-heated oven

Step 10: Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until done. To check for doneness, cut a small slit in the foil to allow the steam to escape and then carefully unfold the foil. Check for doneness with an instant read thermometer. The internal temperature should read 160 degrees F.

Step 11: Let the chicken breasts stand for about five minutes before serving.

Grilling Versus Baking: What Are the Differences

Grill Vs. Oven

Grilling over an open fire is an ancient method of cooking food. It does have its limitations. The food is sometimes charred on the outside and raw on the inside if the grill is too hot. Modern grills are more convenient but the cooking method is basically the same, cooking over direct heat. An oven surrounds the food with high temperatures but doesn’t cook the food over direct heat. While there is a heating element in the oven the food is cooked away from it.

Baking

Baking on a grill is difficult. Ingredients in baked goods combine chemically when exposed to heat to increase in volume. The baking soda, or powder, combines with an acid such as that found in milk causing the flour mixture to expand and when baked, solidify. Yeast in bread releases a gas that expands the bread dough. An oven provides an even consistent heat that assists these processes. The grill has hot heat on the side closest to the fire. That heat causes the baked goods to expand too quickly on the hot side and too slowly on the other cooler side.

Dutch Oven

Baking is possible on a charcoal grill if a Dutch oven is used. The raw baked goods are placed inside the oven. The lid is closed. Hot coals are heaped around the bottom and sides of the Dutch oven and on the top. The heat is even on all sides of the baked goods.

Grilling

While baking is difficult on a grill, grilling food in an oven is even more of a challenge. It’s possible if the oven has a broil cycle. Even then the finished product isn’t the same as when placed on a gill. Grills may be gas fired, use charcoal, or be electric. Wood can be used when the flames have died down and the resulting burnt wood is charcoal.

Cleaning

Removing food and grease from either the oven or the grill is important for sanitary reasons, safety and the taste of the food. Ovens come in self-cleaning types, where extremely high heat over a few hours burns off all food and grease. Non self-cleaning ovens require ammonia and elbow grease with scrubbers or a commercial oven cleaner. Grill trays should be scrubbed off while the coals are still hot with a tray cleaner. A grill tray cleaner looks like a brush made out of wire, which is what it is. Do not use oven cleaner on a grill. Follow manufacturer’s directions for all gas and electric grills.

3 Super Easy Ways to Cook Meat in a Campfire

Whenever I go camping I make sure that I have my Dutch Oven (with its lid) and my 1 foot by 3 feet cast iron slab for cooking dinners on the camp fire.

When you’re camping you don’t want to spend hours cooking a meal like you might at home. You just want to throw something on the fire and turn it once in a while during breaks between Uncle Brian’s exciting ghost stories.

The first thing to do is light a fire a few hours before you want to start cooking so that you will have glowing embers by the time you’ve (hopefully) wrangled that night’s dinner out of the lake. Fish are always a great campfire food and probably one of the most popular right after marshmallows.

After spending quality time honing your sense, centering yourself and becoming one with the raw wilderness around you, you’ve finally caught a fish! It’s more than your wife expected, so the trip is off to a great start! If you want to use a Dutch Oven (basically a pot with a lid that you put directly on the glowing embers) you can cut the fish into pieces (after cleaning it) and put the pieces into the oven. Add some oil or butter and mix it in with the fish. Feel free to add some salt and pepper or whatever kind of spice you like. Let the fish bake in there nice and slow. While the fish is baking, roll some potatoes in tin foil (reflective side facing inwards) and put them directly on the glowing embers to bake. Move the fish pieces around every once in a while and check every now and then to see if they cooked all the way through. Then just poke the potatoes with something sharp to see if they’re cooked and you are good to go.

When I want to fry the fish, I just use my 3 foot long cast iron slab. A 3 foot fish is enough to feed 3-4 good eaters, so depending on the size of your group you might need more fish. The great thing with frying the fish this way is that you can fry the whole fish at once. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the fish and throw it on the cast iron slab. Put the slab on the embers and you’re off to the races. Turn the fish every few minutes. I like to fry it until the skin is crunchy, it tastes amazing! If your fish is shorter than the three feet you could fry potatoes and vegetables on the slab as well.

You can even steam the fish in a camp fire. Wrap it in tinfoil (reflective surface facing in), but not too tightly. Put the wrapped fish directly onto the embers and turn the package every few minutes. Check every 15 minutes or so to see if it’s done. The length of time it takes to cook will depend on the temperature and quantity of the embers.

Cooking hamburgers and steaks is no problem either. Brush a bit of oil on the hamburger paddies and throw them on the slab. For the steaks, brush them with oil and thrown them on as well, but wait until they are done before you add any seasoning. You don’t want the seasoning to burn and possibly ruin the steak.

After you’re done cooking make sure the fire is out and shovel dirt on top of it. Also be sure to keep any fuel for the fire, wood, leaves, and flammable materials away from the fire pit. Safety first!

Getting Started With Dutch Ovens

Camping Cooking Equipment — Dutch Ovens

Your camping cooking equipment will not be complete without the ‘ole standard of camping, the Dutch Oven. When you look at the market for them, there are plenty of choices for a new oven but I want to help you select an oven that will work well for you and will be something you pass down to your kids. I know of ovens that are over a hundred years old, passed from generation to generation. Take care of your oven and you can do that too.

Selecting an Oven

So, what is a Dutch Oven? A Dutch Oven is a round pot used for cooking. The pot holds in heat in to cook the food, much like a oven. Generally, there are two types, kitchen and camp. The kitchen model is made for placing in your oven at home and cooking. The metal is thinner and the bottom is flat. The camp version is heaver, thicker walled and has legs. These legs are used to lift the oven off the ground so you may place charcoal under it.

With camp ovens, they come in two metals – aluminum and iron. Aluminum is lighter weight (7-10lb) and is easier to maintain since it does not rust. Alum ovens are good for canoeing or other camping where weight is an issue. But aluminum ovens do not hold heat as well and can cause inconsistent cooking. Iron ovens are heaver (15-20lbs) and require seasoning to protect the iron from rusting. Iron ovens are great for regular family camping because they hold heat well and cook more evenly. I recommend using the iron oven for family camping because most of the cook books will assume a iron oven and weight isn’t an issue for drag and drop camping.

Now that you know what metal to get, you need to select a size. Ovens come in standard and deep heights. Standard sized ovens heat up the center of your food faster than a deep oven. Use a standard oven for fast cooking and a deep for slower cooking like browning rolls. For starting out, I recommend getting the standard size as it is what your recipe will assume. The oven diameters vary also. Large ovens equal more food. For your first oven, I recommend a 14 inch oven.

Your oven will need to have some other typical features for a camp Dutch Oven. First, the lid will have a raised lip to hold the coals on top. This allows you to heat the food from above. Next, a loop handle for the main pot and a small loop for the lid. Don’t get lids with ‘frying pan’ handles.

Seasoning

First, read the instructions that came with your new Dutch Oven. Some Dutch Ovens come pre-seasoned and don’t need you to do it. If your new oven is like this, follow the instructions that came with it to prepare it for use.

If you do need to season your new oven or re-season an old oven, start by washing the oven. Your new oven will have a protective coating to keep the Dutch Oven from rusting during transport. Old ovens with rust spots will need to have the rust removed with steel wool. Then, wash with warm water and steel wool. Rinse well. Hand dry your oven when done. Moisture is your oven‘s enemy.

While you are cleaning the oven, pre-heat your kitchen oven to 350 degrees. Once the Dutch Oven is clean, place it in the kitchen oven for a few minutes, best way is upside down with the lid on a different shelf. This lets any water drain out of the oven. Head the Dutch Oven until it is almost too warm to touch with your hand. This warm up makes sure all the water is gone from the Dutch Oven and opens the pores of the metal for the next step.

With your warm Dutch Oven, apply a coat of oil. Use salt free oil like olive oil or vegetable oil. Coat the entire oven with oil. Then, put t back in the kitchen oven to heat for an hour. You can leave the Dutch Oven upright, but leave the lid ajar so air can circulate. Remove the Dutch Oven and let cool slowly. Once it is only warm, place another coat on the Dutch Oven and put back in the kitchen stove again for 1 hour at 350. Remove it and let it cool down again and then add your third coat of oil. Now you have 2 coats of oil banked in and one final coat applied while warm. Your Dutch Oven is ready to use or store until your campout.

The surface of your oven is non-stick and as yo use your Dutch Oven, the surface will improve. You will not have to do this long seasoning process again unless the Dutch Oven gets rust on it.

Heating

Dutch Oven cooking is done with coals. So first step is to set up an area for setting the Dutch Oven. You can use a fire pit, but I prefer using a metal oil drip pan on the ground. The nice metal ones are hard to find now, but check your auto parts store. Most auto parts store have oil drip pans, but they are plastic. However, I have seen a metal catch pan that is very shallow – almost like a large cookie sheet. Pet cage trays or garbage can lids will work also. It needs to be larger than your Dutch Oven and have some room to store extra coals. We want to use a pan to protect the ground and make clean up easy. Remember Leave No Trace!

Set your pan in a good spot – away from foot traffic or where the kids are playing and get your Charcoal Chimney. This is a metal tube for starting charcoal and is the best way to start coals. Personally, I don’t like the smell of quick -lighting charcoal and I think the fuel smell gets into the food. Once the coals are ready, dump them in your pan, but to the side. Leave room for your Dutch Oven. Here’s a YouTube video showing how to use a chimney.

I’m not going to cover food prep here, but now is time to put your meal in the oven. ALWAYS put your food in the oven before you start cooking. Never put food in a hot oven. The cold foot could cause your oven to crack. Think about lining the oven with foil for easy cleanup later.

Dutch ovens need heat from above and below for baking. The formula for the number of briquettes is the diameter of your oven plus 3 on top bottom minus 3 on bottom. So, for a 14 inch oven put 17 briquettes on top, 11 on the bottom. This will provide 325 degrees of heat. Since one briquette provides 10 to 15 degrees of heat, so add one on top and one on bottom for 350 degrees. Rotate your oven a quarter turn every 15 minutes and the lid a quarter turn the other direction at the same time. This prevents hot spots in the oven. Gloves and a lid hook are good tools for spinning. A small shovel will help move the coals.

Clean up

Clean up is easy, but you still need to take care. Plain hot water and a nylon brush is the best way to clean your oven. Don’t use soap; it may leave a bad taste in your oven. Let the oven cool down some, but not down to cold. For problem stuck on food, use boiling water and a plastic or wood scrape – not metal. Towel dry your Dutch Oven, NEVER let it just air-dry. When dry, but still warm, rub some oil on your stove. Then store with a paper towel between oven and the lid to allow air flow.