A couple things....

[Winchester]

Firstly, Sam's has cans of Libby's pumpkin, a 3-can bundle, for less than $8. I bought a bundle because I don't know what's going to happen to pumpkin in a couple months. I remember a few years ago, canned pumpkin couldn't be found anywhere and I was grateful to have some butternut squash in the freezer to use in its place.

Secondly, Aldi has their Crofton cast iron Dutch ovens, bread ovens, etc. on sale as a Find (meaning once they're gone, they're gone), starting tomorrow, Wednesday. I've heard some really good things about the Crofton brand and the pans are good up to 482 degrees F in the oven. If I didn't already have my Le Creuset bread oven, I'd scarf the Crofton up in a heartbeat. Especially for less than $25! In white or blue. The blue is gorgeous. Crofton Cast Iron Bread Oven | ALDI US
I am going to grab a 2-quart Crofton Dutch oven, if they're still in the store when I get there. There are times when I could use something smaller when it's just Rick and me. Crofton Cast Iron 2-Quart Dutch Oven | ALDI US Again, oven temp up to 482 degrees F. $17.00.

Just in case someone is interested. Can you have too many Dutch ovens? No!

 

[Furballsmom]

Most excellent news about the Libby's! Thanks very much for posting

 

[maggie101]

Something I've wanted, thanks!

 

[Winchester]

The Aldi south of us was completely sold out when we got there. Fortunately, there's another Aldi in the town north of us, and that store had quite a bit left yet. The picture doesn't do it justice; it's more of a graduated grey. A two-quart Dutch oven, perfect for the two of us. Washed and ready to go for tonight's dinner.

 

[maggie101]

I have to ask,what makes a Dutch oven special?

 

[susanm9006]

I have to ask,what makes a Dutch oven special?

They are usually made of cast iron so the combo of heavy pot and heavy lid keeps steam in and produces tender, juicy roasts.

 

[susanm9006]

I have oblong two and four quart cast iron Dutch ovens. I use the two quart the most often but use the bigger one when I make something like ribs.

 

[maggie101]

They are usually made of cast iron so the combo of heavy pot and heavy lid keeps steam in and produces tender, juicy roasts.

I used to cook a lot til I bought a cast iron pan. I burn everything on it. I love my non stick grill pan. It makes excellent hamburgers. I season the cast iron with coconut oil

 

[Winchester]

I have three Dutch ovens. Two are stainless and I use them for things like pot pie, large quantities of soup, beef or chicken stew. The new smaller 2-quart Aldi Dutch oven is used for small meals, just for Rick and me when I don't want to deal with leftovers. Dutch ovens are great for braising meats in the oven. I would love to have an oval/oblong enameled cast iron Dutch oven. Someday, I'll splurge and get a Le Creuset Dutch oven.

Many people are using their Dutch ovens for baking bread, especially sourdough-type breads. But they do prefer something like cast iron, not stainless. Or enameled cast iron.

I also have a Staub cocotte that is oval. The top is shaped like a chicken, complete with feathers and the head. Found it on eBay many moons ago and I do use it for roasting large chickens.

If you're burning your food in your cast iron or if your food is sticking, it's not seasoned properly. Mine need to be seasoned again because I (not thinking properly) stupidly used a Brillo pad, but I'm waiting until we come back from Maine, then I'm going to attack them. I also need to attack that little Griswold 4-inch egg skillet while I'm at it.

I love cast iron. Once it's properly seasoned, you can make pretty much anything in it and it won't stick. It makes the best pizza, fried eggs, fried chicken, etc. We took our skillets camping for years and used them over the open fire. They're indestructible, but do rust if not taken care of.

 

[maggie101]

I'm jealous. I do season it. Come visit and give me a lesson!

 

[Winchester]

maggie101 I'd love to visit!

Here's what a woman on my Sourdough board does to season her cast iron. She had some pieces that were simply grimy with rust and they look gorgeous now. When we come back from Maine, I'm going to follow her directions and see what happens. Mine are not rusty, but my pizza is starting to stick, so it needs to be re-seasoned. I have several pieces of cast iron and not all are Griswold, so I'm thinking a day to do them all.

1. SOAK IN 50% WATER 50% DISTILLED WHITE VINEGAR. Soak up to 5 hours-I personally left mine over night. If your rust is not bad, an hour or so should work!

2. PULL THE CAST IRON OUT OF WATER/VINEGAR BATH & SPRINKLE A GENEROUS AMOUNT OF BAKING SODA ON THE WHOLE THING. (this neutralizes the acid)

3. SCRUB THE FIRE OUT OF IT

The absolute best thing in the world is a plain steel pad. I mean really scrub it y’all. And if it’s a pan with corners like some of mine, you’ll probably need a steel bristle brush. Scrub until you see no raised spots of rust! (Rise with water intermittently) I had to repeat steps 1-3 twice on these, but most probably won’t be as bad as mine were.

4. DRY- Put it in the oven for 5 minutes or so to completely dry the piece.
***It is perfectly fine if after you dry, that you see surface rust. The whole pot/pan will more than likely have an orange tint. That’s ok!! You just don’t want huge clumps of rust left.***

5. COAT WITH OIL. I use grapeseed oil because of its extremely high smoke point. Almost any oil will do though! Make sure you wipe the whole thing, including handles, corners, bottom, etc with a generous layer of oil.

6. WIPE OFF THE OIL WITH FRESH PAPER TOWEL.

7. RECOAT WITH OIL. Then wipe it off again!!

8. PUT PAN/POT UPSIDE DOWN in the oven, & turn it on to 500 degrees! Once the oven reaches temp, bake them for 1 hour on 500 degrees! (MY NOTE: You might want to put some foil on the bottom of your oven to get any residual oil, just in case.)

9. LET THEM COOL IN THE OVEN!!! This takes absolutely FOREVER- they stay SO hot, but let them completely cool before you remove.

10. At this point you should see absolutely no rust, but your cast iron will likely still be a little gray & not shiny black. That’s okay, but you need to season (reapply oil, wipe off oil, bake at 500 for 1 hour) SEVERAL more times before your cast iron is completely restored & has nonstick properties. You absolutely HAVE to season it multiple times for it to be super black & easy to clean! The seasoning process is what makes cast iron so amazing. I literally NEVER have to use anything other than a rag or brush to clean my cast iron. NO SOAP!!! Make sure you put your cast iron in the oven to dry or to wipe it off REALLY good every single time you wash it so it doesn’t start to rust again. You’ll also want to put a thin layer of oil on it every time you use it as well!
I know there are a lot of different ways to do this, & I’m sure there may be better/easier ways, but I truly loved putting a little elbow grease into something I adore & I didn’t have to use any chemicals either!

 

[Furballsmom]

I’m sure there may be better/easier ways,

lol, nope, not really.

And, just a note for readers about step numbers 5-8. If you use canola oil like we do, it'll smoke and get smelly because it has a lower smoke point, so you may want to pay heed to the suggestion of using grapeseed oil if you don't have a way to open doors and windows to air out your place

 

[maggie101]

lol, nope, not really.

And, just a note for readers about step numbers 5-8. If you use canola oil like we do, it'll smoke and get smelly because it has a lower smoke point, so you may want to pay heed to the suggestion of using grapeseed oil if you don't have a way to open doors and windows to air out your place

Good tip. I don't have a way to open windows. Ever burnt broccoli? It's the worst. I had to leave

 

[maggie101]

maggie101 I'd love to visit!

Here's what a woman on my Sourdough board does to season her cast iron. She had some pieces that were simply grimy with rust and they look gorgeous now. When we come back from Maine, I'm going to follow her directions and see what happens. Mine are not rusty, but my pizza is starting to stick, so it needs to be re-seasoned. I have several pieces of cast iron and not all are Griswold, so I'm thinking a day to do them all.

1. SOAK IN 50% WATER 50% DISTILLED WHITE VINEGAR. Soak up to 5 hours-I personally left mine over night. If your rust is not bad, an hour or so should work!

2. PULL THE CAST IRON OUT OF WATER/VINEGAR BATH & SPRINKLE A GENEROUS AMOUNT OF BAKING SODA ON THE WHOLE THING. (this neutralizes the acid)

3. SCRUB THE FIRE OUT OF IT

The absolute best thing in the world is a plain steel pad. I mean really scrub it y’all. And if it’s a pan with corners like some of mine, you’ll probably need a steel bristle brush. Scrub until you see no raised spots of rust! (Rise with water intermittently) I had to repeat steps 1-3 twice on these, but most probably won’t be as bad as mine were.

4. DRY- Put it in the oven for 5 minutes or so to completely dry the piece.
***It is perfectly fine if after you dry, that you see surface rust. The whole pot/pan will more than likely have an orange tint. That’s ok!! You just don’t want huge clumps of rust left.***

5. COAT WITH OIL. I use grapeseed oil because of its extremely high smoke point. Almost any oil will do though! Make sure you wipe the whole thing, including handles, corners, bottom, etc with a generous layer of oil.

6. WIPE OFF THE OIL WITH FRESH PAPER TOWEL.

7. RECOAT WITH OIL. Then wipe it off again!!

8. PUT PAN/POT UPSIDE DOWN in the oven, & turn it on to 500 degrees! Once the oven reaches temp, bake them for 1 hour on 500 degrees! (MY NOTE: You might want to put some foil on the bottom of your oven to get any residual oil, just in case.)

9. LET THEM COOL IN THE OVEN!!! This takes absolutely FOREVER- they stay SO hot, but let them completely cool before you remove.

10. At this point you should see absolutely no rust, but your cast iron will likely still be a little gray & not shiny black. That’s okay, but you need to season (reapply oil, wipe off oil, bake at 500 for 1 hour) SEVERAL more times before your cast iron is completely restored & has nonstick properties. You absolutely HAVE to season it multiple times for it to be super black & easy to clean! The seasoning process is what makes cast iron so amazing. I literally NEVER have to use anything other than a rag or brush to clean my cast iron. NO SOAP!!! Make sure you put your cast iron in the oven to dry or to wipe it off REALLY good every single time you wash it so it doesn’t start to rust again. You’ll also want to put a thin layer of oil on it every time you use it as well!
I know there are a lot of different ways to do this, & I’m sure there may be better/easier ways, but I truly loved putting a little elbow grease into something I adore & I didn’t have to use any chemicals either!

That's alot of work. So how do you keep food from sticking?

 

[artiemom]

I wish I had an Aldis..... sigh....

 

[maggie101]

I wish I had an Aldis..... sigh....

Gosh,we need to have a party!

 

[Furballsmom]

So how do you keep food from sticking?

The oil bakes on the cast iron which helps to keep food from sticking. So, once all that work is done, and also following that work the cast iron isn't washed with soap which will remove the seasoning of the surface that was done by the oil, food won't stick.

 

[maggie101]

Thanks,i will try again. My simplest meal is with my slow cooker
2 chicken breasts,broth diced tomatos,Rotella tomatos,can beans,chopped veggies,salsa,bayleafs,cook 5 hrs on low

 

[Furballsmom]

Yum!

 

[susanm9006]

Winchester , I had a Le Crueset enameled cast iron Dutch oven at one point, and now one of mine is a Rachel Ray brand and the other a no name enameled cast iron Dutch oven. They really cook and clean just the same expensive pan did. If you shop stores like Marshall’s or Home Goods you can buy them at considerable discount.