10 Cast Iron Cooking Mistakes You Need To Stop Making Right

Done a lot of cooking in a cast iron camp oven over an open fire.

My approach to maintaining the bare iron cookware is: Always gently wash it with soapy water - no manic scrubbing. Always dry it straight away. Always oil it immediately after drying. Always pre-heat the pot before cooking to bake on the previous coat of oil. Then reduce heat and add the actual cooking oil to be used in the preparation of the meal.

I reckon that over many years my camp oven has now accumulated a 1-2mm thick layer of baked on oil coating the interior. When clean it is a deep, shiny black colour like the blueing on a nice ye-olde rifle barrel.

Or ... get cast iron coated with baked enamel - I've never looked back since doing that!