By Bob Garrett
Cast iron has a wonderful and rich history in America — dating back to the Pilgrims bringing their cast iron ovens, known as “Dutch ovens,” and using them for the first Thanksgiving.
They continued to be used in wagon trains during the expansion west and are being used today in kitchens, on grills and with campfires.
Cast-iron Dutch ovens are wonderful to use indoors or out, and are durable enough to use all day, every day, no matter what you’re cooking.
It seems that everything tastes better when cooked in cast iron.
While many folks adore their cast iron, there are just as many folks who are almost afraid of it. Recently, Carl Scholl of Selinsgrove conducted a workshop for Boy Scout leaders on how to use Dutch ovens as part of the Susquehanna Council’s University of Scouting that was recently held on the Susquehanna University campus.
Scholl said that, “Cast-iron ovens are actually quite easy to use once you know how to season them, maintain their seasoning and how to care for them.” He added, “Understanding and controling the heat that you need for a specific recipe is both a science and an art.
“Coming home with your new cast iron is exciting, and if you’re like most folks, you will want to start using it right away on your next camping trip,” Scholl said. “However, if you haven’t purchased a pre-seasoned oven, you will have to go through a few steps to season your new piece prior to using it. My personal preference is to use a high quality extra virgin olive oil for the initial seasoning, but many people use shortening or vegetable oil with good success.”
Scholl offered a few seasoning suggestions. He said that by following these simple steps to season and maintain your cast iron will result in a beautiful, non-stick piece that you can use for years and years — and even hand down to your children and grandchildren.
“Your new cast iron may come with a wax coating, which protects the product during transport between the manufacturer and you,” Scholl said. “This coating helps minimize rusting. Cast iron is very sensitive to changes in temperature, making it an excellent cooking material, but also making it susceptible to rust if not properly cared for.”
Seasoning steps
-- Heat your kitchen oven to 350 degrees and place your Dutch oven upside down on the top oven rack.
-- Place a foil-lined cookie sheet on the bottom rack to catch the wax drippings. When cooking off the wax on your cookware, the wax will most likely smoke. This is absolutely normal, so don’t be alarmed.
-- When the smoking stops, your cast iron is ready for seasoning. Remove your piece from the oven and let it cool.
-- Wash and dry the piece thoroughly with warm water to eliminate any deposits.
-- Place the Dutch oven back in the warm oven simply to allow it to dry more thoroughly and allow the pores of the cast iron to open and accept the seasoning.
-- Once the iron cools enough to work with, use a lint-free cloth and wipe the entire piece with oil.
-- Give it a decent coating, but not so much that it drips, as that will only cause excess smoking in the oven.
-- Heat your oven to 425 degrees and “cook” the upside-down Dutch oven for one hour.
-- Don’t worry if you notice a slight odor and some smoking. Although this is not pleasant, it’s perfectly normal.
-- Leave the Dutch oven in your kitchen oven to cool down. Now you have a seasoned Dutch oven that’s ready to use.
Maintaining a Dutch oven
Scholl told the workshop participants that maintaining a Dutch oven is really quite easy.
“First and foremost,” he said, “never use soap.”
He explained that cast iron is very porous. “If you use soap to clean your oven, you may notice a soapy taste in your food. Secondly, as cast iron seasoning is basically oil, if you use soap, you’re going to have to season your cast iron much more often as the soap will break down the seasoning. Scraping and elbow grease are the best ways to clean your Dutch ovens,” Scholl told the group.
Understanding cooking heat and controlling it
The best measure of the amount of heat that you will have available for cooking is by simply counting the number of coals or briquettes that you are using.
“A simple rule of thumb is 25 degrees for each coal,” Scholl said. “Of course, an 8-inch Dutch oven will be hotter than one of those really big 14-inch ovens with the same number of coals, but you will soon determine the number of coals that you need for a certain recipe.”
Scholl reminded his fellow Scouters that they will need heat both below the oven and on top, and that they need to count all of the coals that they’re using when calculating the temperature.
Just as we treasure Dutch ovens that are family heirlooms, we also cherish recipes that have been handed down for generations.
That beautiful black cast-iron oven that you remember Grandma using every day to make a favorite recipe is one of the easiest pieces of cookware you could ever use. And with proper care it will last many, many years and become a treasure for your own grandchildren.
Scholl offered several tasty food samples to his workshop attendees that were much appreciated on a cool and rainy fall morning recently. He explained that these recipes were from his troop’s (Troop 409 in Selinsgrove) recipe book and some of his own family’s favorites. They included:
Meatballs
1 bag of meatballs (approximately72)
1 bottle BBQ sauce
1 jar of grape jelly
Mix BBQ sauce and grape jelly in Dutch oven. Add meatballs and stir to coat. Cook for about 45 minutes using 12 coals (8 bottom, 4 top). Serve plain or with mozzerella cheese on a roll
Yield: 12-16 servings
Dutch oven donuts
1 can buttermilk biscuits
32 oz. vegetable oil
Cinnamon/sugar mixture in paper bag
Heat the oil in the Dutch oven using 18 coals (all bottom). Put holes in the biscuits using thumbs. Dip biscuits into hot oil for 30 seconds on each side, until golden brown. Shake biscuits in cinnamon/sugar mixture. Serve immediately
Yield: 8 donuts per can
Almost pumpkin pie
Filling
29 oz can pumpkin
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 t. vanilla
1 c. evaporated milk
Topping
1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 c. chopped pecans
1 c. butter
Mix all filling ingredients. Pour into greased Dutch oven. Cut butter into cake mix & mix in nuts. Sprinkle over top. Using 16 coals (8 bottom, 8 top), bake 1 hour.
Yield: 12-16 servings
Creamy Italian chicken stew
3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 teaspoon each salt, pepper and paprika
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups cubed peeled potatoes,1/2-inch pieces
3 large carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn
1 cup each coarsely chopped green and sweet red pepper
1 cup diced celery
1 medium onion, diced
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
7 cups chicken broth, divided
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
Warm biscuits
Using 18 coals (8 bottom, 10 top), cook and stir the chicken in Dutch oven, salt, pepper and paprika in oil until the chicken juices run clear, stirring occasionally; drain. Add the vegetables, basil, bay leaf, celery salt and 5 cups broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are tender. Remove bay leaf. In a large saucepan, melt butter; whisk in flour until smooth. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until smooth. Gradually whisk in remaining broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Pour into the Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until heated through. Serve with biscuits.
Yield: 8-10 servings.
