How do you season a Cast Iron Dutch Oven?
For many people, a cast iron dutch oven is the best cookware they own. It has a versatility that allows it to be used in the oven, on the grill, or even over an open camp fire. Properly maintained, a cast iron dutch oven will last a lifetime. Many people have cast iron cookware that is handed down from generation to generation.
If you have a brand new cast iron dutch oven it is important to season the cookware properly before it is ever used.
You may also have an old cast iron dutch oven that has been forgotten and over time allowed to show signs of rust Never fear, you can clean up that old cast iron dutch oven and return it to its former glory.
The seasoning process involves baking oils into the surface, both inside and out. Because you will be baking oils, you likely will generate a lot of smoke. This is normal and nothing to really be alarmed about, but it would be better to do this outside. If outside, it would be preferable to use a gas fired grill. You could use a charcoal grill or wood grill, just take care to control your fire to minimize the amount of soot that may rise into the dutch oven.
Throughout this process, be sure to include the cast iron lid for your dutch oven. It should be seasoned the same way to protect it from water and rust in the future, and to make cleaning the inside of the lid as easy as cleaning the dutch oven.
Before you start, be sure the surface is as clean as possible. Unlike normal cleaning, since your purpose is to season the surface, you could use metal scouring pads. In fact, if you are dealing with rust, you almost have to use some metal scouring pads or steel wool to remove the rust and reveal the bare metal. However, using metal scouring pads could cause some discoloration that would be visible after the seasoning process.
Basically, by removing the rust, you expose the bare metal. That metal will take a new seasoning that will not color match the old seasoning right beside it. It will not affect the performance of the cast iron dutch oven, and it is necessary to remove the rust. This is just a point to be aware of — after seasoning, the cleaned area may have a slightly different color. Over time, this should even out and fade to match the rest of the dutch oven.
All rust must be removed. In extremely bad cases or rust, you could use a power tool to polish or buff away the rust. You would want to limit this to the extreme cases.
Take care to clean the outside as well as the inside. If the cast iron dutch oven has been used over open flame, such as a grill ot camp fire, be sure to remove all soot from the outside.
Once the dutch oven is cleaned completely inside and out, rinse well with warm water. Never use cold water, as it may cause the cast iron to crack. It is doubtful that it would cause a cold dutch oven to crack, but always using warm water is simply a good rule of thumb.
Completely dry the dutch oven. It is essential that the dutch oven is completely clean before you begin the seasoning process.
Once prepared, you want to rub down the inside and outside of the dutch oven with an oil. There is a considerable debate as to what type of oil is best for seasoning cast iron. Any of these oils are generally accepted for seasoning:
- vegetable oil
- olive oil
- lard
- do not use butter or anything that will burn at high temperature.
Whichever oil you choose, make sure the oil is not rancid. If you use rancid oil to season cast iron, the rancid taste will be absorbed by the cast iron and then to the food it cooks. This will take a long time to work its way out of the cookware.
Your target temperature is around 350 degrees. Place your dutch oven upside down in your oven. It is important to do this with the dutch oven upside down, so the heated oil will run and drip off the dutch oven. This will help get a uniform coating over the dutch oven. If the oven is placed in upside up, then the heated oil will collect in the bottom of the pan, resulting in an uneven finish on the dutch oven.
Allow the cast iron dutch oven, and its cast iron lids to heat for about an hour. If you are doing this inside in your oven, be sure to monitor the smoke that is being generated. I usually setup fans and keep many windows open to drive the smoke quickly outside.
After an hour you can turn off the heat, or remove the dutch oven from the heat. If you are doing this inside, you could simply turn off the oven and let it cool off over time. If you are working outside, you could turn off the grill or just let the grill burn itself out if it is coal or wood fired.
The cast iron dutch oven and the cast iron lids should be left alone for at least 30 minutes. You could simply let it sit until it comes back to room temperature.
Even after 30 minutes, the cast iron will still be extremely hot. Always use oven mitt if you need to move it before it cools to room temperature.
If you are working in a cold environment, such as outside in the dead of winter, you may need to take additional precautions. The cast iron needs to cool slowly, and not be subjected too quickly to the cold air or it may crack.
Once cooled, you should wipe down the entire inside and outside with a paper towel or clean rag, This should bring out seasoned finish.
If you were trying to recover old cast iron that was in extremely bad shape, you could repeat the seasoning process if necessary. You can judge this by examining the seasoned finish to determine if it needs another coat… or three. It really is a judgement call.