I do remember them cleaning them with a chunk of crunched up tin foil and NEVER using soap, thats about all I remember except that they cooked some amazing things in them.

ROFL

THAT is what I thought this thread was about.

I've heard it done this way as well. I've always used soap personally. But I think it is just up to preference.

For the first cleaning, I would use steel and water to get the rust off.

Dry them with a towel and then put them on the stove and turn on a burner until thoroughly dry. Cast iron is porous so you want to dry them very thoroughly. Then apply a thin coat of shortening all over, inside and out. If there are lids, store them with the lids off.

If you see the rust come back, you may need to re-season them. Lots of info on the intrawebs about that.

Once you get them right, theyre' really very low maintenance.

Dutch ovens. French ovens. Same thing. They all crack and fall apart when the heat is applied.

I always have problems whenever I eat Raisins or raisin bran. or egg salad or hard boiled eggs, or stuffed cabbage. the convected heat under the covers is quite disturbingly smelly.

Is PAM ok to use on them?

Actually if you insist on doing that to the one you love eat 12 deviled eggs and 3 jalapeno poppers before going to bed. I accidentally did this to myself years ago and would not wish it on my worst enemy. The next morning I drove to work with the AC on and windows down. Mr Wizards says DON'T GO THERE.

Ah... a serious thread sprinkled with fart humour. I love it!

I wouldn't. I've noticed that PAM leaves a bit of a sticky residue. Regular vegetable works fine, afaik. I use shortening when it's on hand but that's probably just because I saw it done that way as a kid.

Any oil should be fine. Pam is just aerosolized oil. The advantage of wiping the oil/Crisco on is that you are sure to saturate the pores of the cookware. You might miss some spots by spraying.

It's truly a marvel of the universe that the temperature of charcoal embers is perfect for cooking a cobbler in a dutch oven.

:spock:
This.

These things are really popular at Cabela's. I think you can use them in the oven if you don't feel like making a fire. Not 100% sure though.

Here is a Link to some cookbooks Cabela's has.

They can be used in the oven but the joy comes from the campfires. Alton Brown had a show on Dutch Ovens on Food Network's Good Eats. Episode title is "Going Dutch"