There is something called seasoned coating, and it is one of the rituals which have to be done with Dutch ovens. Once you properly washed the Dutch oven after the use, you will have to dry it thoroughly. Set the lid a bit askew and place the oven by or over fire. As the material is difficult to properly dry, the fire will dry the rest of the moist you couldn't reach. Don't let the oven sit near the fire for more than 5 minutes. Once it's cooled off, using a paper towel rub in and outside a small amount of vegetable oil (unseasoned). Also using a paper towel, wipe all the extra oil, and leave just a thin film which is a protective layer.
Having a Dutch oven requires learning and education and having some extra equipment for the optimal use. Make sure you have thick leather gloves, or at least barbeque gloves, because you do not want to get burned. Second, having a lid lifer is also a must, because if you have it, the coals and ashes will stay out of your food. Use tongs to take coals from fire to the Dutch oven, and a pair of stainless ones will do the trick. This is basically essential you'll need to use the Dutch oven, but there are plenty more accessories which you can purchase! Enjoy!
In the last few decades people worry more and more about what food they eat and how they prepare it. Not so many people use microwave ovens anymore and they take care about things like where they buy the vegetables and fruit, and whether it's organic or not. One can buy organic food and that is great, but if you overcook it or deep fry it, it'll lose all its healthy features. Preparation of food is what matters apart from what you're actually preparing.
Cooks all over the world use Dutch ovens, but you don't have to be a professional chef to use one of these bad boys. You just need to be passionate about food, and to discover all the things Dutch ovens are great for. One of them is the health aspect of dishes made of cast iron. They are not sensitive to chipping, so you can freely stir them with metal utensils, unlike aluminum or Teflon dishes. Even if you do get some of the iron in your food, know that it's healthy and that you probably don't get the sufficient intake of iron in your food daily.
Many people, especially people who are vegans or vegetarians don't get enough iron in their daily diet. Liver is rich in iron, yet unacceptable to folks who avoid meat. When using a Dutch oven made of cast iron to prepare food, you'll unavoidably get some (even if its' in traces) iron in your food. Anemia is widely spread, and even if it is not too dangerous, I don't see why someone would want to be anemic, if they don't have.
Having a Dutch oven requires learning and education and having some extra equipment for the optimal use. Make sure you have thick leather gloves, or at least barbeque gloves, because you do not want to get burned. Second, having a lid lifer is also a must, because if you have it, the coals and ashes will stay out of your food. Use tongs to take coals from fire to the Dutch oven, and a pair of stainless ones will do the trick. This is basically essential you'll need to use the Dutch oven, but there are plenty more accessories which you can purchase! Enjoy!
In the last few decades people worry more and more about what food they eat and how they prepare it. Not so many people use microwave ovens anymore and they take care about things like where they buy the vegetables and fruit, and whether it's organic or not. One can buy organic food and that is great, but if you overcook it or deep fry it, it'll lose all its healthy features. Preparation of food is what matters apart from what you're actually preparing.
Cooks all over the world use Dutch ovens, but you don't have to be a professional chef to use one of these bad boys. You just need to be passionate about food, and to discover all the things Dutch ovens are great for. One of them is the health aspect of dishes made of cast iron. They are not sensitive to chipping, so you can freely stir them with metal utensils, unlike aluminum or Teflon dishes. Even if you do get some of the iron in your food, know that it's healthy and that you probably don't get the sufficient intake of iron in your food daily.
Many people, especially people who are vegans or vegetarians don't get enough iron in their daily diet. Liver is rich in iron, yet unacceptable to folks who avoid meat. When using a Dutch oven made of cast iron to prepare food, you'll unavoidably get some (even if its' in traces) iron in your food. Anemia is widely spread, and even if it is not too dangerous, I don't see why someone would want to be anemic, if they don't have.
About the Author:
Jason is an outback tour guide, a present day honest-to-goodness cowboy. He is also an accomplished chef and foodie. The item most valued in his out-west tours as a cowboy and at home is his great-grandmother's cast iron dutch oven.