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How to Restore and Season a Cast-Iron Dutch Oven
Shameful. That’s the word.
This is my beloved Dutch oven—final resting place of many a piece of venison, ducks, and Mexican casseroles cooked on many a campfire. But after frying up three squirrels a few weeks ago, I took up blasphemous behavior. I let this cast-iron pot sit too long before cleaning, then I cleaned it poorly, and then I ignored my baby. It wound up with a rusted patina in place of the well-seasoned, non-stick sheen I’d worked years to foster.
This pot should be taken from me—physically removed and placed in a foster home for abused cast-iron cookware awaiting an environment in which love and care are ever present.
Instead, I am going to restore it, and therewith, restore a bit of my own blackened soul.
Clean-Up
The first order of business is to clean off loose bits of old seasoning, burned-on food scraps, and the despicable rust and general funk. I turned the oven on to 300 degrees. Then I gave the black pot a good scrubbing with soap and water. All the while, I reminded myself that soapy water should never again touch this pot.
Rinse and Dry
Next, I gave it a good rinse, then placed in the oven for a 10-minute drying session.
Oil and Salt
Time to get serious. I removed the pot from the oven and cranked up the heat to 450 degrees. I poured a quarter-cup of liquid oil (I used Canola, which is what I had, but olive, vegetable, peanut, or others will work) and a cup of coarse kosher salt into the middle of the pan. Using a clean cotton rag, I worked the Dutch oven over, adding more oil and salt as needed. I scrubbed inside and outside, and was meticulous around the known rusty spots. I may have cooed quiet apologies during this time, much as a mother would to a child who’d fallen off a tricycle.
Rinse, Scrub, and More Heat
I rinsed off the pot and give it a stage-two scrubbing, this one using a solution of a cup of white vinegar to a quart of water. Rust, crud, and loose seasoning is gone, showing bare metal where the new seasoning will be applied. Another rinse, then I placed it in the 450-degree oven for 10 minutes to dry thoroughly.
Refinishing
Next I took the pot out of the oven and let it cool enough to handle. I turned the oven down to 300 degrees. While it was cooling somewhat, I worked a thin layer of Crisco all over the oven, inside and out, lids, handles, everything. Back in the oven it went, upside down, for an hour, during which it smelled like I was running a blast furnace in the house. This is a small price to pay for the alchemy taking place.
Cool and Repeat
I removed the pot and let it cool. Look! So much better already. I wiped away excess grease that pooled in the bottom—then gave it another round: More Crisco and another hour-long spa treatment in the oven.
The Finish
Almost done. I removed the Dutch oven from the modern oven, and lookee there. Good as new—or even better, good as old. This method creates a fine seasoning base to work with, and work it you must. The more you use a freshly seasoned black pot, the longer the seasoning will last, and the better it will perform. To get started, I fried a pound of bacon in the black pot.
I felt better already.
The Meal
I reintroduced my Dutch oven to polite society with a whopper pot of venison carbonnade, made from the haunch of my son’s first deer. I used Jonathon Miles’s recipe from the Wild Chef, to which I added a green pepper and diced parsnips. Why? Because it just felt like a special day.
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Comments (21)
I've got a question. If I had a cast iron pan or pot with a bunch of rust and crud, would it be okay to sand blast it with an extremely fine abrasive?
I have sanded mine smooth using a flapper wheel with good results. The smoother the finish the more stick free I find it to be. That's why old worn ones are superior to new, especially Lodge.
Nice to know.
I usually just build a big fire and throw the ironware in. In a few hours it will be a light gray with nothing in the way of crud remaining, then I just oil it and heat it in the oven once or twice and it is good as new, lots easier way than is described above.
Great reminder for one of the best cooking tools known to modern man!
My favorite cast iron oven is one that I brought back from desparate shape after I found it on the dusty rafters of a garage. The required first step was working it over with steel wool! The only step above that I am not familiar with is the salt in number three, oil and salt. I'll try the salt next time I have a similar project.
Forget the Crisco, use flaxseed oil instead. It creates a much nicer finished product.
The crud is what makes a good cast iron a great cast iron, crud removal is foolish. The absolute best oil to finish cast iron is bacon grease. Sandblasting is crazy, the "seasoning" has to have something to grip, if the pot is sanded off there is nothing to grip, and the seasoning comes off quickly.
I use electrolysis to clean cast Iron. You need a plastic bucket big enough to put what ever you are cleaning, some washing soda, a 12 volt battery charger, and another piece of old metal as an anode.
Go to youtube or Google and there are quiet a few how to videos there to show you how to set it up. Its really pretty simple and easy. The process will remove rust and all the old seasoning (you might have to buff a few real bad area with a sanding sponge/ scotch pad etc). After its rust free just wash it dry it and re season it like described in this article.
How do you wipe up excess grease in the bottom when the pot is upside down?
Welll ... damn ... and all this time I thought all you had to do to refurbish a dutch oven was to fart again!
The "season" on cast-iron cookware does not need any texture to grip... it penetrates the surface when heated. Very smooth is best---heavy rust or burned-on crud can be removed with a stiff rotary steel brush or sandpaper/emery cloth. Aerosol pan-spray is handy for maintenence, just make sure the pot is heat dried. All of this works equally well on all cast-iron cookware (skillets & griddles) as well as that old cheap & chinsy stuff stamped from sheet steel.
After cleaning the cast iron I deep rinse with a long hard boil of clean water & heat dry.
Salt as the abrasive is an great tip.
Smoking off the oil is a polymerization process. To create the hardest, smoothest surface; build up multiple, very thin layers (repeat the heat treatment several times) using food-grade flax seed oil.
How to clean up a "cast iron" cooking implement!
Build a good, hot, hardwood fire!
Toss offending "utensil" into fire!
Once fire dies and utensil cools to the touch, a Scotch-Brite pad and Ivory dish soap works best.
Scrub well.
Rinse well.
Place on stove burner on "High".
NEVER allow a cast iron utensil to "air dry"! ALWAYS dry over a burner. Once the utensil is "dry", wipe down with EVOO (olive oil) and allow to cool.
That black, scabby looking coating on the outside bothers some folks. It is only built up crude from spattered grease, etc. It also acts as an insulation to help hold heat.
If Mr. Nickens supplications sound better? Go for it.
I've got a small, round Lodge with lid, a square Lodge w/o lid, a round 10" Wagner Ware (my granma's!) with a Lodge lid and a Lodge 10" griddle. My wife refuses to cook in anything else!
Cook something like burgers that leaves that tough coating on the bottom of the skillet?
Set that hummer back on the burner, add about 1/4 inch of water and turn it on high. When the water comes to a rolling boil, dump the water, hit it a lick with the Scotch Brite, set it back on the burner and once dry, wipe down with EVOO! Voila! Clean, non-stick skillet, AGAIN!
My small cast iron? It will fry eggs with 1/4 tsp EVOO and you can flip them like a "beanery" cook!
I also have a 18" Wagner Ware that once held a litter of kittens! LOL! Fire etc, brought it back to life!
Having several different cast iron cooking utensils including lodge and other no name brands. Occasionally one or more pots get the rust treatment. I find that heat and oil will fix any of them within a use or two. I was told that using metal on them was a sin, UNTIL I watched gramma use one I almost lost it until I looked at her 105 year old skillet. Holy cow it was so smooth that I could see my reflection in the bottom of it. Since my direction was corrected by granny the "pilar of knowledge" I only use metal spachulas on them. My cast iron never looked or worked better!
I think it's safe to say there is more than one "method" of caring for or restoring cast iron cook ware.
Good cast iron is a dream to use. Bad cast iron is a lawn mower dulling dog pan! LOL!
Will definitely try this on my two cast iron fry pans...inherited from an old salt down the Shore. Used them camping all the time.
Forget all the other oils use Pure Lard.
All the above methods work great. I would like to add one thing; when seasoning your pot or skillet, add a little sugar. This helps jump start the black "non-stick" coating! I've used nothing but cast-iron for years and I find this really helps.
Post a Comment
Forget the Crisco, use flaxseed oil instead. It creates a much nicer finished product.
The "season" on cast-iron cookware does not need any texture to grip... it penetrates the surface when heated. Very smooth is best---heavy rust or burned-on crud can be removed with a stiff rotary steel brush or sandpaper/emery cloth. Aerosol pan-spray is handy for maintenence, just make sure the pot is heat dried. All of this works equally well on all cast-iron cookware (skillets & griddles) as well as that old cheap & chinsy stuff stamped from sheet steel.
After cleaning the cast iron I deep rinse with a long hard boil of clean water & heat dry.
I usually just build a big fire and throw the ironware in. In a few hours it will be a light gray with nothing in the way of crud remaining, then I just oil it and heat it in the oven once or twice and it is good as new, lots easier way than is described above.
My favorite cast iron oven is one that I brought back from desparate shape after I found it on the dusty rafters of a garage. The required first step was working it over with steel wool! The only step above that I am not familiar with is the salt in number three, oil and salt. I'll try the salt next time I have a similar project.
Welll ... damn ... and all this time I thought all you had to do to refurbish a dutch oven was to fart again!
Smoking off the oil is a polymerization process. To create the hardest, smoothest surface; build up multiple, very thin layers (repeat the heat treatment several times) using food-grade flax seed oil.
I think it's safe to say there is more than one "method" of caring for or restoring cast iron cook ware.
Good cast iron is a dream to use. Bad cast iron is a lawn mower dulling dog pan! LOL!
I've got a question. If I had a cast iron pan or pot with a bunch of rust and crud, would it be okay to sand blast it with an extremely fine abrasive?
I have sanded mine smooth using a flapper wheel with good results. The smoother the finish the more stick free I find it to be. That's why old worn ones are superior to new, especially Lodge.
Nice to know.
Great reminder for one of the best cooking tools known to modern man!
The crud is what makes a good cast iron a great cast iron, crud removal is foolish. The absolute best oil to finish cast iron is bacon grease. Sandblasting is crazy, the "seasoning" has to have something to grip, if the pot is sanded off there is nothing to grip, and the seasoning comes off quickly.
I use electrolysis to clean cast Iron. You need a plastic bucket big enough to put what ever you are cleaning, some washing soda, a 12 volt battery charger, and another piece of old metal as an anode.
Go to youtube or Google and there are quiet a few how to videos there to show you how to set it up. Its really pretty simple and easy. The process will remove rust and all the old seasoning (you might have to buff a few real bad area with a sanding sponge/ scotch pad etc). After its rust free just wash it dry it and re season it like described in this article.
How do you wipe up excess grease in the bottom when the pot is upside down?
Salt as the abrasive is an great tip.
How to clean up a "cast iron" cooking implement!
Build a good, hot, hardwood fire!
Toss offending "utensil" into fire!
Once fire dies and utensil cools to the touch, a Scotch-Brite pad and Ivory dish soap works best.
Scrub well.
Rinse well.
Place on stove burner on "High".
NEVER allow a cast iron utensil to "air dry"! ALWAYS dry over a burner. Once the utensil is "dry", wipe down with EVOO (olive oil) and allow to cool.
That black, scabby looking coating on the outside bothers some folks. It is only built up crude from spattered grease, etc. It also acts as an insulation to help hold heat.
If Mr. Nickens supplications sound better? Go for it.
I've got a small, round Lodge with lid, a square Lodge w/o lid, a round 10" Wagner Ware (my granma's!) with a Lodge lid and a Lodge 10" griddle. My wife refuses to cook in anything else!
Cook something like burgers that leaves that tough coating on the bottom of the skillet?
Set that hummer back on the burner, add about 1/4 inch of water and turn it on high. When the water comes to a rolling boil, dump the water, hit it a lick with the Scotch Brite, set it back on the burner and once dry, wipe down with EVOO! Voila! Clean, non-stick skillet, AGAIN!
My small cast iron? It will fry eggs with 1/4 tsp EVOO and you can flip them like a "beanery" cook!
I also have a 18" Wagner Ware that once held a litter of kittens! LOL! Fire etc, brought it back to life!
Having several different cast iron cooking utensils including lodge and other no name brands. Occasionally one or more pots get the rust treatment. I find that heat and oil will fix any of them within a use or two. I was told that using metal on them was a sin, UNTIL I watched gramma use one I almost lost it until I looked at her 105 year old skillet. Holy cow it was so smooth that I could see my reflection in the bottom of it. Since my direction was corrected by granny the "pilar of knowledge" I only use metal spachulas on them. My cast iron never looked or worked better!
Will definitely try this on my two cast iron fry pans...inherited from an old salt down the Shore. Used them camping all the time.
Forget all the other oils use Pure Lard.
All the above methods work great. I would like to add one thing; when seasoning your pot or skillet, add a little sugar. This helps jump start the black "non-stick" coating! I've used nothing but cast-iron for years and I find this really helps.
Post a Comment