From: fholtsberry@oavax.csuchico.edu (Fran Holtsberry)
Subject: Dutch oven / outdoor cooking 2
Organization: California State University, Chico
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 21:37:58 GMT

In response to the assistant scoutmaster who talked about the charred 
stuff...

There doesn't have to be any charred stuff (unless that's the way you LIKE 
it) if you follow the three simple rules:

TIME --using the correct temp, things should bake at about the same rate 
as in your oven at home.
TEST --check things early, to see if they are baking too fast or too slow.
ADJUST --use more or less coals to speed-up or slow-down baking.

Using these simple rules, you can have wonderfully eatable food every time.


Cooking TIPS:
Dutch oven baking should be done using strictly coals, not flames.
Isolate the baking Dutch oven from external sources of heat or cold:
  -Move the oven away from the fire far enough to not be heated unevenly 
from the flames
  -Shelter the baking oven from winds, as it cools the oven unevenly.
Be sure you have adequate air flow above and below the food:
   The legs are there to provide an air flow below the oven to prevent 
scorching/burning on the bottom.
   Leave some head space inside the oven to allow an air space above the 
food--this will prevent burning/scorching on top.


Care TIPS:
The ONLY time you should SCRUB a Dutch oven is when it is brand new--then, 
go ahead, get it out of your system. New DOs are shipped with a seal to 
prevent rusting. Use Hot water, a good degreasing detergent and some 
scrubber to get the stuff off. And then--Don't ever scrub it again!

To start a good seasoning, evenly swab the inside of the DO (don't forget 
the lid) with a light coating of unsalted oil and put it in a hot  oven 
(about 400) or in the coals until the oil begins to smoke. . .then leave 
it in another 5 minutes (we don't want it burned, just cooked). Another 
way to start a good seal is to bake biscuits or deep-fat fry in the oven 
the first few times. Then simply wipe the oven out with a rag or a paper 
towel and store it.

If you bake something sticky/gooey or crusty--immediately after emptying 
the oven, use something wooden or plastic to scrape off the chunks, then 
fill it with water and put it back in the coals to soak off the stuff. If 
you feel you MUST burn out the residue, remember that you are also burning 
out that lovely seasoning you worked so hard to get, so you will have to 
start over. Dry the oven thoroughly and wipe the inside with some unsalted 
oil, then store.

If you HAVE to scrape the oven, use a plastic or wooden scraper.

Cast iron Dutch ovens will break if mistreated so:
-Don't bang them on anything.
-Don't change the temperature abruptly by pouring cold water into a hot 
oven or putting hot coals on a cold oven.
-Don't heat the oven unevenly.

Aluminum ovens take less heat, and retain the heat a shorter time.
You can warp an aluminum oven by overheating it or heating it unevenly.

Store ovens evenly seated in a dry, quite place.

TOOLS
The BSA catalog has a great aluminum tool that does most of what you need 
to do here-- it looks like a pair of pliers with a little hook on the end 
of one of the handles.
A good pair of leather gloves go a long way in saving the hairs on the 
back of your hands).
A pot lifter--A claw hammer works, or a pair of pliers (I like the  long 
handled ones that look like a parrot's beak)
A lid lifter--A claw hammer, or that same pair of pliers.
A small shovel--use this for moving piles of coals.
A briquette tool--long handled tongs or handmade tool that allows you to 
pick up and move briquettes individually.

Fran Holtsberry,
Fran_holtsberry@macgate.csuchico.edu

-_-Good design is not a default setting-_-
Newsgroups: rec.backcountry