Ok, here's what happened. I bought a beautiful (to me, anyway) pre-seasoned Lodge 5 quart Dutch oven about a year or two ago. I'd been using it quite often for soups, chilis, pot roasts...you know, the things you would normally use in cast iron dutch ovens. I left it on the stove-top because I used it fairly often, it's heavy and there isn't much room left in my cabinets.
Well, my husband decided he wanted to play with it too and made some bacon it in to further season it. That's all fine as long as he cleans it afterward. Well, we were having people over one day and he took all my cast iron off the stove and put it away. With me, it's pretty much out of sight, out of mind so I didn't use the pot for a little while (a couple of months, maybe).
So one day I need a dutch oven...and I remember that I have a great cast iron one "in storage"....so I go fetch it...and of course my darling husband has stored it with the lid tightly on , which I have told him a thousand times not to do because the lid traps moisture and the pot will rust. So, I cringe as I take off the lid...the cringe turns to gag as I realize there is a half an inch of rancid bacon grease in the bottom of the pot. Ugh!!!
I cleaned it as best as I could...I even used soap in a desperate attempt to remove the rancid stench. It didn't work. I finally realized that I was going to have to strip all the old seasoning and start from scratch. Ugh again! I finally made myself do it yesterday...I removed the old seasoning, but now it's all brownish---looks rusty but it was scrubbed and dried...I even brushed with a wire brush (lol..actually I got my husband to do that part!)...and still it looks brown. I haven't reseasoned yet, so I'm hoping that will take care of the brown stuff whatever it is. I'm about ready to give up on it and buy a Le Creuset or something enameled...but I'm terrified my husband will ruin it. I love him to death but gentle on cooking equipment he is not! I don't want to spend $250 on a pot for him to chip the enamel or something.
Well, thanks all, for letting me get that off my chest!
Well, my husband decided he wanted to play with it too and made some bacon it in to further season it. That's all fine as long as he cleans it afterward. Well, we were having people over one day and he took all my cast iron off the stove and put it away. With me, it's pretty much out of sight, out of mind so I didn't use the pot for a little while (a couple of months, maybe).
So one day I need a dutch oven...and I remember that I have a great cast iron one "in storage"....so I go fetch it...and of course my darling husband has stored it with the lid tightly on , which I have told him a thousand times not to do because the lid traps moisture and the pot will rust. So, I cringe as I take off the lid...the cringe turns to gag as I realize there is a half an inch of rancid bacon grease in the bottom of the pot. Ugh!!!
I cleaned it as best as I could...I even used soap in a desperate attempt to remove the rancid stench. It didn't work. I finally realized that I was going to have to strip all the old seasoning and start from scratch. Ugh again! I finally made myself do it yesterday...I removed the old seasoning, but now it's all brownish---looks rusty but it was scrubbed and dried...I even brushed with a wire brush (lol..actually I got my husband to do that part!)...and still it looks brown. I haven't reseasoned yet, so I'm hoping that will take care of the brown stuff whatever it is. I'm about ready to give up on it and buy a Le Creuset or something enameled...but I'm terrified my husband will ruin it. I love him to death but gentle on cooking equipment he is not! I don't want to spend $250 on a pot for him to chip the enamel or something.
Well, thanks all, for letting me get that off my chest!
Tammy