Dutch oven cooking is one of the best ways of cooking anywhere, but especially when camping. Dutch ovens help for easy cooking and an easy clean up. If you don’t clean your Dutch oven right though, it could ruin your food and your Dutch oven. Before you even think about cooking food in your Dutch oven you have to season it. Check out my other how to tips to find help with seasoning your Dutch oven.

Here are a few easy steps to follow to clean your Dutch oven properly.

1. The number one rule is you never use soap on a Dutch oven if it has been seasoned. It will get into the cracks of the oven and will ruin your food the next time you use it.
2. You want to clean your Dutch oven right after you are done using it. Put some warm water in the oven while you are eating to let it soak and to get off some of the food. Do NOT put cold water into a hot Dutch oven. This will cause your oven to crack and be ruined forever. Using warm water for soaking is the best idea.
3. After you have finished eating, scrape your oven to get all of the food off the sides and the bottom. If you can’t manage to get the food residue off, place the oven over the fire for about a half hour. This is going to burn all of the food and turn it into ashes so removing it will be a lot easier.
4. Use a little bit of warm water and scrub your oven with a cloth, sponge, plastic pot scrubber, or anything in that sort. Get rid of all the water that you have used and rinse your oven with clean water.
5. You can dry your Dutch oven a couple of different ways. You can either use a paper towel or the fire. If you use a paper towel, only use a paper towel. Do not use a cloth or towel. Dry your Dutch oven thoroughly. Leave it out to dry with the lid slightly offset so it is not covering the oven completely. Also, put a paper tower between the lid and the oven to capture any excess oil.
6. If you want to use the fire to dry your oven then just place it over the fire with the lid partially off. Only leave it on for five minutes. This will dry up the moisture and also dry up any excess oils that may be on the oven.
7. Lastly, add a little bit of oil to the oven and the lid to re-season any part of the oven that may have been ‘un-seasoned’ during your cook out.
8. Make sure that your Dutch oven is completely cooled before you put it away.

Following these steps will make the next time that you want to use your Dutch oven a whole lot smoother. Use Outdoor Hub for any other searches you may have about Dutch ovens or any other outdoor related need.

Photo: freeloosedirt on Flickr