Cleaning a Dutch Oven

If a Dutch oven isn't properly cleaned, it will rust and need to be seasoned again. Dutch ovens retain flavors of the food cooked in them, so avoid cooking smelly foods like fish. Some people have different Dutch ovens for cooking different types of food to avoid having their cobbler taste like pizza, etc. If a Dutch oven has a bad taste, season it again.

Aluminum Dutch ovens do not require seasoning and can be cleaned with soap and water.

How to Clean a Dutch Oven

To clean a Dutch oven, follow these steps:

1. Once the Dutch oven has cooled, add some water and scour the inside to remove any food particles. There are many things which can be used to safely clean a Dutch oven. Scouring pads, dishwashing brushes, a wad of tin foil, and even burlap sacks work very well. Don't use anything that is extremely abrasive (steel wool, wire brush).
2. Dry the Dutch oven well using a towel or by reheating it so the water evaporates.
3. Store the Dutch Oven with a crumpled up sheet of newspaper inside. The newspaper will help absorb moisture in the air and prevent rusting.

Keeping it Clean

Some people like to line their Dutch oven with tinfoil before cooking cobblers to make cleaning easier. Other people cook their foods in a pan placed inside the Dutch oven on chunks of wood (the space between the pan and the Dutch oven helps prevent burning). This makes cleaning easier, but the food won't taste like it was cooked in a Dutch oven.