I'm so Happy!!!

[automatic slim]

I finally got my dutch oven from Lodge this evening. I've never used cast iron before, and I'm looking forward to it. I just seasoned it in the oven after cooking some "What'cha Got Stew"(basically what I had in the house)

I noticed that the cast iron heats differently than the stainless pots I usually use, and stays hot much longer after the heat is turned off.

Sorry, just had to vent some joy!

[kuan]

Happy cooking!

[eloki]

My stainless steel pan has been rusting in the shed since I started using cast iron at home.

[phatch]

Cast Iron is my favorite cooking surface.

It's not the right surface for everything but does many things so well.

Phil

[MikeLM]

You may not need it now, but there's a useful reference on seasoning at

Seasoning and Caring for cast iron cookware

I just followed it to reseason my Griswold No. 9 dutch oven after cleaning up a scorch by running it through my oven's cleaning cycle. Cleaned up the scorch, all right, but left it with a reddish rust bloom which I had to spend 45 minutes rubbing off with a green Scotchbrite scouring pad. It would have been easier, I believe, to have scraped off the scorch.

Anyway, it looks black and shiny again after liberal application of bacon grease and baking.

Mike

[Grumio]

Something else dutch ovens are great for - baking bread. Google "no-knead bread," or better, get the Cook's Illustrated tweak of the recipe from the Jan/Feb 08 issue.