Seasoning a Cast Iron Dutch Oven?

[Chicabee19]

I would LOVE to have something cast iron. I like cornbread made that way. But I can't find a cast iron anything that I can afford!

 

[al6517]

Quote:
Swap meets and flee markets are good places to start, don't forget garage sales too.

 

[Gordon]

My wife used to make fun of my cast iron. Eventually she came around, it's great stuff.

I've got an old 12" frying pan, an 8" I've had 20 years now, a 6" from a Cub Scout rummage sale, two Dutch ovens with legs and rimmed tops and a new 14" or 16" frying pan with a helper handle (too big to one-hand!).

I almost forgot, we have a griddle that's always on the stove. Perfect for pancakes, quesadillas, burritos, etc... warming your hands on a cold day... ALL of our cast iron is Lodge.

I can't add to what others have already suggested, but some handy tools for Dutch oven use if you're outdoors is a lid lifter and some long steel tongs to rearrange coals and a triangular landing grid for the top when you take it off. The larger of the two Dutch ovens can hold an upside-down pie plate and then another pan on top of that so you can bake in it -- you can bake anything you could bake in your home oven.

I've never had a complaint about freshly baked biscuits or muffins on a camping trip...

 

[WriterofWords]

I was just thinking about last Saturday. At this time I was eating a great meal of beef tips, roast potatos, pinto beans, fresh biscuits, and apricot cobbler,,, all out of Dutch ovens at my favorite Chuch Wagon at the Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium. I think I'm gonna do dutch over cobbler tonight!

 

[Opa]

Garage sales are great. I just picked up a Griswold crispy wheat & corn muffin pan worth over $100 for $1. It was in excellent condition and cooks beautifully.

 

[al6517]

Quote:
Griswold & Wagner cast iron are highly prized gems in the cast iron world, they are by far the best. The science of making really good cast iron is an art form, and these two company's are the best at it.

AL

 

[Cruiser]

This year my mom called me from wal-mart & said they had cast iron pots for $14.00. She asked me if I wanted one I said yes thinking you get what you pay for. When she got home it was a lodge 12' dutch oven. They normally sell for $50.00. I wish now I would have had her pick up a couple more.

 

[Pupsnpullets]

Ok, following the directions from several folk here I cleaned it up, oiled it and put it in the oven at 300 for 2 hours. Now it feels tacky and sticky. Is this normal? Did I use too much oil or the wrong sort of oil (olive - it's all I had).

 

[Cruiser]

Heat it back up on the stove top & wipe out the excess oil.

 

[BamaChicken]

What I do to my cast iron is put a little salt in the bottom when I bake it at 200 for an hr. It won't stick after that.
I use cast iron all the time. Found lots of it at Garage sales, Inherited some and found some at flea market. I make sure it says made in the USA. If you ever cook a roast or stew meat in a cast iron Dutch oven you won't be able to eat it any other way. I cook mine slow with the lid on and it is always awesome. Same way with okra except no lid.