Culinary Recipe Cooking Articles >>Cleaning and Storing your Dutch Oven
by Glea Reno and Dennis Reno
There are many opinions on cleaning a Dutch Oven. Not all Dutch Oven cooks believe you can use soap in your Dutch Oven. Some cooks suggest never to wash them, others wash them, but not with detergent. We have found that a well-seasoned oven will not be damaged by using a few drops of dishwashing soap if you have been cooking something really greasy. Just be sure to rinse several times to make sure there is no soap residue. If your oven is not well-seasoned, whatever you put in the oven will be absorbed into the pot and become part of your next meal.
Dutch Oven care begins with seasoning, but it's important to clean them properly after each use. Cleaning cast iron is easier than scrubbing pots and pans. As soon as possible after using your Dutch Oven, scrape out as much food as possible with a plastic scraper. Put 1 - 2 quarts of hot water in your oven and scrub with a plastic scrubbing pad or a vegetable brush. Immediately after washing, dry the oven thoroughly by putting it in your kitchen oven at 150 to 200 degrees for about 10 minutes.
Cast Iron can only be dried by heating. Heat dries out the moisture in the pores. If a pot is not completely dried after it is used, it will rust. The pores must be opened by heating up, and the moisture dried out of it. Don't let the oven set around after washing, go straight from draining the rinse water into the kitchen oven if possible. If you are camping and don't have a kitchen oven to dry a Dutch Oven, dry it the best you can and try and store it away from moisture.
Dutch Ovens when cared for, will last for generations. Be sure your oven has been cleaned and lightly oiled before putting it away. Try to keep your ovens in a dry, warm place. Remember, moisture with cause cast iron to rust. Leave your lids slightly ajar, allowing the air to circulate. I like to store with a paper towel rolled up and sticking out from under the lid. The towel inside the oven acts as a wick and will help absorb moisture.
Tip: Here's another idea. If you need to store an oven for long periods of time, use a light-weight food-grade Mineral Oil and coat the oven, inside and out. It's cheap and effective. Once you have sealed the oven with mineral oil, no oxygen can reach the seasoning and it will last many months.
With correct use and proper care, a well seasoned oven produces a unique flavor unequaled by any other cooking utensil. That's the Magic, it looks great and tastes even better!
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About The Author
Glea Reno and Dennis Reno are the owners of Dutchovenmagic.com. They are based at Billings, Montana and have taught Youth Groups, Scout Troops, Church Organization and friends what they have learned over years in Dutch oven cooking. They also do cooking demonstration at various retail outlets. They can be contacted at help@dutchovenmagic.com
info@dutchovenmagic.com
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Bertha, Vacuum Sealers & Frogs
by Tina Shake
I love kitchen gadgets. Over the years I have scoured the yard sales or scrimped and saved for various items like a curly potato maker, baked potato cooker, rice cooker, food processor, blender, ice cream maker, yogurt maker, snow code maker, well you name it and it has drawn dust in my cabinets. You know the story, get your gadget home and every night your family is eating curly fries and snow cones until finally you receive a petition signed by every neighbor and his dog supporting your family's decision to ban that contraption!
I want it!
This weekend I removed my egg money jar to see how much change I had saved over the year. I had saved enough to get me one of those vacuum sealer gizmos. I know you have see the informercial, the one 
Bertha, Vacuum Sealers & Frogs
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Twisted Sisters
by Nathan Tyree
I tried not to lean against anything. Leaning, I Feared, would give the wrong impression. It could seem too casual. Sitting was also not an option. I also did my level best not to make eye contact. This was harder than it sounds. When you are surrounded by people with dentition that resembles broken picket fences and forearms adorned with jail house style tattoos (some apparently made by carving shapes into the skin then pouring India ink into the wound) it’s very difficult to look anywhere other than their eyes. Fear causes this.
The name of the bar was “Twisted Sisters.” I’m serious. I wouldn’t lie about something this deep. The place was run by two little old ladies with deeply wrinkled faces and Tom Waits voices. When they handed you a mug Twisted Sisters
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What Do I Have To Do To Become A Good Chef
by Robert Smith
Being a chef is a very physical profession. You are required to remain on your feet almost constantly. Along with that, you must also be stirring, kneading, and chopping your foods.
Many times, you will have to do all of this while also having to ordering foods for hungry customers and critical customers.
A kitchen is almost scorching hot year round so you should be quite prepared for that. Even in the best conditioned areas, a kitchen is often as hot as 95 degrees or higher.
If that doesn't sound like enough to do, try doing it while you are also maintaining all of the rest of the kitchen staff. Choosing to be a chef for a living is a very rewarding and time consuming job.
Now do you see why being able to multi-task is so impor What Do I Have To Do To Become A Good Chef
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