New Lodge DO


 

ChadVKealey

TVWBB Pro
I've been wanting a Lodge "Camp" Dutch Oven (the kind with legs and a flanged lid for holding coals) for a while and finally found a good deal on one. I'm primarily planning to use it for camping and recipe development for my son's Cub Scout pack.

The initial unboxing leaves me a bit unimpressed. Our scout pack has 5 or 6 big (12-14") lodge CDOs and most of them are very smooth and well-seasoned. The 10" I got has a much rougher finish, but at least it's consistently rough, so I'm hoping that it'll smooth out after I remove the protective coating and apply a few seasoning coats. That approach has worked well with my other "modern" Lodge cookware, so I'm optimistic.
 
I've only got one lodge d.o. (my fry pan is +60yr old so is perfect) but never found the need to strip the factory seasoning off it. YMMV.
 
Yeah, no need to strip the factory seasoning, but it might be a good time to take a wire wheel (make sure it's non-toxic - not sure if there are toxic wire wheels but) to it and smooth it out. Maybe just rub it with sandpaper if you feel like smoothing it.

https://www.lodgemfg.com/page.asp?p_key=574E8E6F8AC4455393D90277E8625A23

(mgf starts @ ~1:36, seasoning @ ~4:00


Temperature-Scale-e1374696136729.jpg



https://www.lodgemfg.com/use-and-care/lodge-frequently-asked-questions.asp
 
You could do this, but you might want to buy a skillet and try your skills on it before doing a Dutch Oven. I love my Lodge Dutch Oven, makes killer Chili and Jambalya (bad spelling, I'm too lazy to make it right)

 
You could do this, but you might want to buy a skillet and try your skills on it before doing a Dutch Oven. I love my Lodge Dutch Oven, makes killer Chili and Jambalya (bad spelling, I'm too lazy to make it right)

I might give that a try. I have a 10" Wagner skillet that's similarly rough, so I might practice on that. It's from the late 90s, after they moved production to China, so not a collector's item by any stretch and if I destroyed it, no big loss.

FWIW, my 9 quart "regular" (non-camp) dutch oven is my go-to chili, gumbo, and New-Years-Pork-&-Kraut pot. The surface on that is smoother...not as smooth as the old, old (60-80 years) skillets I have, but better than the new CDO.

Finally, I tried the simple "wash and season in the oven" approach yesterday, I must have used a bit too much Crisco because it's a bit tacky. I think I'll just need to cook in it a few times and see where things go before I take the wire brush to it.
 
strip the crisco off and reason or you will deal with that "tacky" stuff for a long time. You need just enough to wet the medal. No puddling. When you chuck it back in. Make sure you turn it over and have the bowl facing down. If you use the oven alot, overtime as you get a real good season on it. The rough stuff will mellow out.
 
strip the crisco off and reason or you will deal with that "tacky" stuff for a long time. You need just enough to wet the medal. No puddling. When you chuck it back in. Make sure you turn it over and have the bowl facing down. If you use the oven alot, overtime as you get a real good season on it. The rough stuff will mellow out.

Thanks. SWMBO has decreed that I'm not allowed to use the kitchen oven for this any more, so I'll have to fire up the gasser tonight. Apparently, she's coughing like crazy today and swears it's due to the fumes. :(
 
I just refinished my Lodge square skillet. I started out with 80 grit Roloc wheels on a 1/4 angle die grinder. Whent all the way up to 320 grit. Then followed it up with Brown, Maroon, and Blue Scotch Brite Rolocs. It was super smooth and shiny like a mirror. I left the outside cast surface rough but I did sand blast it.

I did the 6 coats of flack seed oil baked at 550 for an hr on each coat. First time I cleaned the pan it all flaked off the inside but the out side finish was still fine. So I lightly sand blasted the inside surfaces. They went from a shiny mirror to a matte / frosted grey. I did the same 6 coat process and it's been holding up fine.

You don't want a shiny slick surface to season because it won't stick. I deffinatly like making the cooking surface flat instead of the cast iron texture but don't go overboard with the polishing. Maybe only go to 120 or 240 grit paper so there is some scratches and fine texture left for the seasoning to adhear to.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I did a high-heat (~400 degree) session on my gas grill, which seems to have gotten rid of the stickiness. The surface, particularly on the sides, is still pretty rough...to the point that if I rub the inside with a paper towel, tiny shreds of it get stuck on the jagged bumps. I think I'll take the other approach of just cooking in it until it smooths out. I've already done turkey pot pie and am planning to test a couple of dessert recipes in it this weekend.

In the end, I don't think our forefathers paid much attention to seasoning this type of cookware - they just cooked in it until it cooked right. If that was good enough for them, it'll be good enough for me.
 

 

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