How to Cure a Dutch Oven

Dutch ovens are the original slow cooker and very handy in a home kitchen or for outdoor camping cooking. Dutch ovens are generally made of cast iron, though some outdoor, portable ovens for camp cooking are made of sheet iron.
This handy cooking utensil, purchased new, will most likely have a thin coat of protective lacquer covering it, which must be removed before using the dutch oven for food. Because of the dutch ovens composition, it also must be cured or seasoned to eliminate rusting between uses and for easier clean up.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Scouring pad
• Good abrasive or scouring cleaner, like Comet
• Vegetable oil
• Clean brush
• Oven
• Paper towels
• Soapy water
• Hot rinse water
• Drying cloth

1. Scour the oven well, inside and out, with a good abrasive and scouring pad to remove as much of the lacquer coating as possible. Rinse and dry both cover and kettle.

2. Warm some vegetable oil and brush it liberally on all parts of the kettle and cover, inside and outside.

3. Place the dutch oven in a kitchen oven preheated to 275 degrees and bake it for several hours. Occasionally, open the oven door to brush the sides and cover of the dutch oven with more vegetable oil.

4. Remove the kettle and cover from the oven when you no longer smell the odor of lacquer. Cool, then use absorbent paper towels to remove all the excess vegetable oil.

5. Wash with soapy, sudsy water and rinse thoroughly in clear hot water. Dry with a clean drying towel. The dutch oven is now ready to be used on the top of the range or at the camp fire.

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