Dutch ovens
 

Mr Wizard has a bunch of dutch ovens and does not really enjoy them. (family heirlooms) How do you people;

- clean them
- store them
- cook with them
- calculate temperature

Any serious input would be appreciated !

Cast iron?

Yep, gotta know that first before anyone can answer your questions.

Yes, they are cast iron, (lodge mostly) very nice and in various sizes, my uncles were great with them, I just did not download that info before they passed. :(

I thought this thread was about something totally different.

I am dissapointed this thread isn't about something different.

I usually eat Taco Bell first.

And I use a heavy wool blanket.

Sorry, Mr Wizard does not not know any dutch women. :(

Clean them like any other cast iron cookware. If they are well seasoned, all you need to do is wipe them out and then dry them in the oven for 10 minutes or so.

My friend has a couple of these and he cooks outdoors with them using regular charcoal briquettes. He uses recipes and the recipes specify the number of briquettes and where to put them (bottom or top). I'd check Lodges website to see if they had a cook book.

I've had stews and cobblers out of it and they were great.

Are they currently rusty?

When were they last used?

Do you have a storage space in mind for them?

In looking for something a bit more illustrative... I ran across this. It made me chuckle to myself. Enjoy.

one is slightly rust on the outside, the rest are not, they are in the garage They do not have storage bags.

Former Eagle scout here; The dutch oven is pretty good to cook with on camping trips if you know how. Usually with open flame fire pits. You basically pull some coals out of the fire pit, and put the oven on top. Then pull some more coals out of the fire pit and put them on top of the lid. Having a set of pliers, and a shovel are necessary. Then you just check the cake, pie, etc. with a toothpick to see when it is done. Generally around 30 mins. but could be sooner depending on how hot the coals are. Clean by hand with regular dish liquid and dry ASAP. Then before you put away the dutch oven you need to season it by rubbing a coat of vegatable oil in the inside and on the inside of the lid. Helps keep the oven in good cooking condition. Anyway you can go to this link for any other advice.

http://www.idos.com/

NEVER USE SOAP. If you don't use soap, you don't have to season them every time.

Get it to appear clean by wiping it out. Use some water, but no soap. Then use heat to kill any bacteria and to dry it so it won't rust.