Gail submitted the following helps.
Seasoning a Dutch Oven
- Wash with hot, soapy water and a stiff brush. Rinse and dry completely.
- Place in hot oven for a few minutes to completely dry and drive all water out of the pores of the iron.
- Carefully remove the pot from the oven and let cool for few minutes.
Oil the cookware (inside and out) with melted solid vegetable shortening or another cooking oil. (Do not use animal fat or lard.) Turn upside down on the top rack of an oven heated to 450° F. (Put aluminum foil on the bottom rack of your oven to catch any excess drippings.)- Bake the pot and lid for 1 hour.
- Turn the oven down to 200° F and bake for an additional hour.
- Turn off the oven and let the pot cool slowly in the oven.
- Store, uncovered, in a dry place when cooled.
Do
this on a nice day, because it will make a lot of smoke as the oil
bakes onto the surface. (Open up your windows.)
Cleaning a Dutch Oven after each use
- Never use soap on your dutch oven once it has been seasoned.
- If food is badly burned and crusted in the pot, fill with very hot water and let it sit for a few minutes.
- Scrape out burned stuff with a plastic scraper or plastic spatula.
- When excess is removed, then use hot water and a plastic scrubby or natural fiber brush to scrub clean the pot. Natural fiber brushes can often be purchased at Asian stores if you can't locate one somewhere else.
- Place on heat and let dry thoroughly. Store with lid open in a dry place when cooled. Some say to lightly oil before storing but a dutch oven that is oiled can go rancid in warmer climates. I suggest just oiling slightly before each use.
Cooking with a Dutch Oven
Dutch
ovens are known for their versatility in cooking. They can be used
to deep fat fry, shallow fry, roast, bake, boil, or stew.
There
is a fomula for controlling the heat in a dutch oven, but it is
simple. Take the size of your oven, for example a 12” dutch oven,
add three more briquettes to the top (15), and subtract 3 from the
bottom (9). This technique will maintain an even temperature of 325
to 350 degrees. For every 2 coals added or subtracted to this
amount, the temperature will be affected by 25 degrees.
8”
ovens – 10-11 coals on top and 5-6 coals on bottom
10”
ovens – 13 coals on top and 7 coals on bottom
12”
ovens – 15 coals on top and 9 on bottom
14”
ovens – 17 coals on top and 11 on bottom
16”
ovens – 19 on top and 13 on bottom
This
basic formula will get you started, but different foods, wind
conditions, and outside air temperature will also affect your heat.
Soups,
stews or other liquid dishes need more heat on the bottom than on the
lid. Place 2/3 of the coals on bottom and 1/3 on top.
Meat,
poultry, potatoes, vegetables and cobblers require equal distribution
of heat on top and bottom.
Cakes,
bread, biscuits and cookies require most of the heat to be on top of
the oven with very little on the bottom. Place 1/3 of the coals
below and 2/3 of the coals on top.
Other
things to remember about temperature control. Rotate the oven a
third of a turn every ten minutes is helpful. Rotate the lid a third
of a turn in the other direction. If you are baking bread, rolls or
cake, remove the oven from the bottom coals after 2/3 of the cooking
time. It will finish cooking from the top heat. This will keep the
bottom from burning.
Answers to commonly asked questions about dutch ovens
How do you regulate temperature?
High
quality briquettes make a difference. A general rule for briquettes
is oven size plus 3 for the top and oven size minus 2 for the bottom.
This will give you a temperature of approximately 350°
F. Each briquette adds about 20°
of heat and lasts at full heat value for 25-30 minutes. Arrange the
cols in a circle round the outside edge of the oven. (This is
especially helpful when baking cakes etc to help keep the bottoms
from burning.) Ovens may be stacked to share heat.
How do I know what to look for in buying a dutch oven?
Dutch
ovens come in many many sizes. The 12” deep is the most popular
size and most recipes are geared toward that size. They come with or
without legs, but one with legs is easier to cook with outdoors and
can be stacked.
What to do if your dutch oven rusts?
If
rust develops, scour it off with an SOS pad and re-season the pot.
If the rust is very heavy, the pot can be sand-blasted and will be as
good as new after re-seasoning.
What do you do if a plastic scrubby isn't getting off the cooked on food?
You
can use salt or clean sand as an abrasive to help you clean your
dutch oven. Also a solution of one part vinegar to three parts water
makes a good cleaning agent.
Where can I use a dutch oven?
You
can use a dutch oven over foil, on the open ground, on concrete, over
a fire (with a tripod), in a firepit (which is hotter than using
briquettes), on a barbeque grill, in a fire can, on a volcano stove
(less briquettes are needed), and at home in your oven.
What can I cook in a dutch oven?
Any
recipe can be adapted for a dutch oven, but don't cook soups or other
liquid dishes until the pot has been used several times. The pot
will need to be re-seasoned after cooking beans or dishes with
tomatoes.
To access dutch oven recipes check out our recipe blog. lindon10thwardrecipes.blogspot.com
