# Dutch oven storage in garage problems



## ben cartwright2 (Jan 29, 2016)

I have to store my dutch ovens in the garage, as a result I am getting rust on the outsides. The insides are fine and even when I don't use them for a long period of several/many months I don't get rust there as there is good seasoning.  I alternate between putting a piece of paper towel over the rim and doing nothing.

My garage is very damp, my tools often get rust on them but I will not put a dehumidifier in it due to the cost.  I keep all my Coleman lanterns (about 25) and Coleman stoves (about 8) there and haven't noticed anything but they are painted.

Other than taking them out and re-seasoning the outside and baking with them or putting them on the grill to season over and over does anyone have any ideas?













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## 1967robg (Jan 29, 2016)

I season the entire surface on my cast iron.


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## tropics (Jan 29, 2016)

Take a look at this thread

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/...lo-cast-iron-frying-an-egg-in-a-cast-iron-pan

You can do this outside on the grill

Richie


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## dirtsailor2003 (Jan 29, 2016)

Yes season inside and out with flax seed oil and be done with it.


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## woodcutter (Jan 29, 2016)

It is a problem storing cast iron in a moist environment. If you wipe them down with edible oils, it becomes rancid. You can use mineral oil but your DO needs to be cleaned completely as it is not edible. Mineral oil is a good option if you plan on long term storage and not using. I think in your situation the best thing is to keep up on using them the best you can and re-season when needed.


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## joe black (Jan 29, 2016)

Try spraying the outside with Pam and wrapping them in burlap bags.  You can get them at your local feed store.


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## ak1 (Jan 29, 2016)

Um! I've been using food grade mineral oil for years on my cutting boards & it's sold in my local pharmacy as a laxative. Having said that you need to make sure it is food grade.


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## jaxrmrjmr (Jan 29, 2016)

Cosmoline!!!!!

Hey, it keeps rifles good as new for decades at a time!


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## vegasrc1 (Jan 29, 2016)

I'm fairly new to cast iron but I would suggest giving them a good wash, drying them on the stove or oven and doing a light seasoning. I use canola oil and wipe it off almost completely then heat it up for a little while.  I never get rancid oil.  Might go rancid if I wiped them with oil and never wiped it off.  Anytime you put oil on cast iron wipe it off as best as possible. There is still oil on the surface and it  needs to be heated until it begins to smoke a bit.  As for stripping really rust cast, I don't like it but I do it on my bbq grill.  I still have a dutch oven, pan and a huge oven dish(don't know the name) sitting in my garage that need attention.


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## chef jimmyj (Jan 29, 2016)

I am a season inside and out guy too. I have not had issues with rust. I concur with AK1. I use Pharmacy Mineral Oil on my Tri-Stone, meat contact Grinder parts and Poultry Shears. Works great and no rancidity issues. I had a newbie student run out of mineral oil during the Knife Skills segment. She figured Oil is Oil and soaked a 14" $200 Tri-Stone in Olive Oil...Never mentioning what she did. About a week later another student complained that he couldn't sharpen his knives. The stones all looked like they had been painted with Orange Shellac. Took repeated boiling in soapy water to get that stuff off...JJ


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## foamheart (Jan 29, 2016)

How's 'bout a suggestion from a guy from the very humid and moist gulf coast. I even have NOAA giving flood warnings thru next week and we don't have any forecast rain. They are worried about the river's levee. Did I mention I live right exactly where they are predicting? LOL  I have had hurricane parties in my younger and more foolish days, never had a flood party....

Cast Iron

Depending upon the size of the pot of course, you can take a grocery plastic bag, put the skillet or pot in it, the just use the plastic handles and tie it off. I do alot of veggies the same way during season. The tied off plastic grocery bag is almost as good as a ziplock. Most all my cast in the garage is bagged. No problems.


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## jasper7 (Jan 29, 2016)

I've never tried this, but I've heard of hunters that smear shortening (or bear grease) on their wood-stoves during the  off season to prevent rust.  Then you burn it off next season.  It's a bit messy, but you could rap them in a newspaper, while they're in storage.


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## ben cartwright2 (Feb 4, 2016)

I decided to move the dutch ovens to my den in a corner below my stamp collection.  It is a bit further to the outside but they won't rust.  I think I will try the plastic grocery bag idea on a off brand skillet and see what happens.  Of course in Massachusetts I have to hurry up and lay in a stock of plastic bags, more and more towns are banning them because the cows will eat them.  Brookline which is on the edge of Boston and hasn't seen a cow in 200 years banned them by showing pictures of poor cows eating plastic bags, it was protect the cattle ranches in Brookline and Boston.

I am going to scrub the outside of the DO's, the insides are fine and reseason them on the grill this weekend.


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## dirtsailor2003 (Feb 4, 2016)

Ben Cartwright2 said:


> I decided to move the dutch ovens to my den in a corner below my stamp collection.  It is a bit further to the outside but they won't rust.  I think I will try the plastic grocery bag idea on a off brand skillet and see what happens.  Of course in Massachusetts I have to hurry up and lay in a stock of plastic bags, more and more towns are banning them because the cows will eat them.  Brookline which is on the edge of Boston and hasn't seen a cow in 200 years banned them by showing pictures of poor cows eating plastic bags, it was protect the cattle ranches in Brookline and Boston.
> 
> I am going to scrub the outside of the DO's, the insides are fine and reseason them on the grill this weekend.


Don't bag them in plastic if they aren't seasoned extremely good. They will rust up fast.


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