ndpap
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Post by ndpap on Oct 7, 2013 15:46:30 GMT -8
Ok I don't know anything about dutch over cooking but live the concept. Can anyone suggest a size of dutch oven and skillet # to get started?  there is a 2nd hand store close by and they have skillets in different sizes for about $10. is that a good price or should I keep looking at yard sales? And does a dutch over have to have the 3 little legs on the bottom... I have seen them without! Hello there ndpap, Dutch oven by name is a cast iron pot and lid normaly with a bail. (wire handle) But to me a true Dutch oven has the three little legs on the bottom so that you can rest and cook on the coals. The lid is the boat... It has a vertical lip to hold the coals. You can still cook in the field and fire with out the little legs, but you gotta have the boat lid if you wanna bake. $10.00?  Jump on it and buy all they have. I recomend a 2 gallon for starters. It will serve a two people or a small group just fine. Dutch ovens can be pricing..$50+.. the larger they get, the more expensive they get. Next is the "season or un-season iron". The choice is yours. This past june I had a "Season the Iron party" at the house. I showed some freinds' the ropes and did another one for myself. It's best to do it outside. Build up a fire with a large bag "embers" charcol and mix up a picture of Margarittas!! I use "lard" to season mine.. sounds nasty? I know.. but it's cheap and quick and spreads really well. We ran our pots and pans twice that afternoon, came out real nice.. I cover the pots/pans which are on a grate with large wash tube. This keeps the heat up for the hour and seals the deal. IT's fun.. really When you said 2 gallon you mean the dutch oven right? and the $10 was for the skillets... that's a good price? ? Oh and thanks for all the advise. If I buy them used is there something I should do to them? ?? |
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pathfinder3081
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Post by pathfinder3081 on Oct 7, 2013 16:10:41 GMT -8
I got ya, yes 2 gallon is for the oven. But $10 for a good old frying pan is a pretty fair price as well.
If they are used chances are they have been seasoned well. Surf the web for details on restoring used cast iron. Its really not that difficult. I would not buy anything that is to heavy in the rust though. But for free, $5.. depends.... You can still find these things in pretty good shape. The Griswall line has a good reputation, I've never owned one. Check out ebay for varying prices. Good luck and if you pick one up, feel free to drop me a note and I'll give you some more feedback.
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Post by universalexports on Oct 7, 2013 16:52:29 GMT -8
I have several and have reconditioned all of them, first a 3 day bath is sodium hydroxide (drain cleaner) mix 16 ounces to 5 gallons of water, this will dissolve all the burnt on grease and gunk, if there is rust, light surface rust is not an issue as long as there are no deep pits. a bath for 12-24 hours in a 50/50 vinegar/water mixture will take it off then a light scrubbing with an SOS pad. and it's clean and ready to season, seasoning is just coating the whole thing with a light coat of lard or pam spray then bake at 475 degrees or so for 1.5 hours and the lard will bake on and create a nonstick hard coating, most will repeat this a couple or 3 times. then its ready to use. when you wash it dont use soap, just a paper towel and water or a soft bristle brush.
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ndpap
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Post by ndpap on Oct 7, 2013 17:28:39 GMT -8
I don't know what I would cook in it but I want to try...I will be looking for a Dutch oven...thanks again for all the advise!!!!!! Now we need a recipe section..... also years ago I took an outdoor cooking course with my girl scout troop and we made an apple pie in a Dutch oven... does that count??LOL
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ttoldcarbuff
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Post by ttoldcarbuff on Oct 7, 2013 18:11:26 GMT -8
I stick by my self clean oven method. But I have tried the oven cleaner once. It continued to leave a weird smell in the cast iron. 500 degrees for 3 hours and back to new condition.
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pathfinder3081
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Post by pathfinder3081 on Oct 8, 2013 9:27:54 GMT -8
I don't know what I would cook in it but I want to try...I will be looking for a Dutch oven...thanks again for all the advise!!!!!! Now we need a recipe section..... also years ago I took an outdoor cooking course with my girl scout troop and we made an apple pie in a Dutch oven... does that count??LOL Seems like there was a recipe section on here somehwere.. Here was a fun place for me to start. There are quite a few "tried and true" one's on here. Plus I copied and pasted some of the cooking basics to my "chuck wagon" lockers' lid. The first few time you cook, create you a little log book of your methods used. Tempratures vary and coal count can go up and down as well. The quality of your skills and your oven will only improve by using them. I am slowly trying to get to the masters' bread.  www.dutchovendude.com/dutch-oven-recipes.asp |
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Post by kto17 on Oct 8, 2013 18:20:46 GMT -8
I take my cast iron Lodge camp stove/Dutch oven and 10" skillet on every trip. I also bring my 8" pot to rallies just in case.
The funny part is I got a nice stainless cookware set just for the camper with some reward points I earned and it just stays in there and rarely gets used.
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Oct 14, 2013 20:16:20 GMT -8
I have several and have reconditioned all of them, first a 3 day bath is sodium hydroxide (drain cleaner) mix 16 ounces to 5 gallons of water, this will dissolve all the burnt on grease and gunk, if there is rust, light surface rust is not an issue as long as there are no deep pits. a bath for 12-24 hours in a 50/50 vinegar/water mixture will take it off then a light scrubbing with an SOS pad. and it's clean and ready to season, seasoning is just coating the whole thing with a light coat of lard or pam spray then bake at 475 degrees or so for 1.5 hours and the lard will bake on and create a nonstick hard coating, most will repeat this a couple or 3 times. then its ready to use. when you wash it dont use soap, just a paper towel and water or a soft bristle brush. This is good stuff UE... Thanks. Got an old dutch oven I need to do this with. |
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Post by bigbill on Oct 15, 2013 5:02:42 GMT -8
My mother would spin over in her grave if she heard you guys talking about scrubbing your cast iron cookware. She claimed it took her six months of use to make a cast iron skillet so that nothing would stick. She always washed them last when doing dishes then wiped them and set them on the burner to complete the drying process. I made the mistake of scrubbing one with an SOS pad thinking I was doing her a favor and I never made that mistake again. From then on it was mild soap & water. |
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HOTRODPRIMER
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Post by HOTRODPRIMER on Mar 4, 2014 16:21:48 GMT -8
Well, I have recently discovered cast iron cooking and doing some research into it, I am putting together a vintage Griswold cast iron pan collection, I have aquired a number 3, 6, 8, and 9 sized skillets and a #8 dutch oven, stripped them down clean with chemicals then re-seasoned. anyone else cook with cast Iron. Griswold is the king of cast iron cookware,I have several pieces along with some older cast iron. Danny |
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kathleenc
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Post by kathleenc on Mar 4, 2014 19:06:28 GMT -8
learned the hard way that you should check first to make sure you are stong enough to pick it up. (cast iron is heavy)
If you have trouble when it's cold, it will be even worse when it's hot from the fire and has food in it!
maybe I can find some kind of support for my little bird wrists...
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Post by vikx on Mar 4, 2014 22:31:27 GMT -8
Smaller pan/pot???
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cowcharge
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Post by cowcharge on Mar 21, 2014 18:41:14 GMT -8
Ok. So can someone explain to me what the difference is between "seasoned" and "filthy"?
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Post by universalexports on Mar 21, 2014 19:07:11 GMT -8
seasoned, is clean, coat the pan with lard or cooking oil, then heat it to 400-450 degrees, (what ever the smoke point is for what you are using). it forms a hard shell on it that is nonstick. repeat 2-4 times for a great cooking pan, as you cook it will season a bit more every time you get grease in it, you can clean with a piece of chain mail they make for it. or get the plastic scraper, use a paper towel, etc, to clean it, just dont use anything that will will scrap of the seasoning like steel wool.
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cowcharge
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Post by cowcharge on Mar 21, 2014 19:41:04 GMT -8
I'm sorry, but if all you ever clean it with is a paper towel, then that's a dirty pan. I've always thought my old man was crazy with his cast iron pan. That's why I never used it, lol.
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Jump on it and buy all they have. I recomend a 2 gallon for starters. It will serve a two people or a small group just fine.
