Curing is a very simple process, which it’s important you do properly; this process applies to all non cured cast iron pans.

What is this process of curing? Why is it necessary?

Curing helps cast iron cookware avoid becoming rusty and as a bonus,because it coats the cookware, it stops food from sticking to it. A well seasoned ‘ Dutch oven is the perfect non stick pan!

But let me step back a minute. Perhaps you haven’t bought a new piece of cast iron cookware, maybe you’ve picked up an old piece that was a real bargain at the local market. Or perhaps you’ve found Grandmother’s old skillet lying forlorn in the garden shed. Whatever, fear not, in almost any state a quality piece of cast iron cookware is nearly always suitable for simple renovation and subsequent curing.

Lets start with your old piece of cast iron cookware. No matter what state its in give it a really good rub down with sandpaper so that you can see the original surface; thats to say as it was when it first started out in life.

Summers are made for getting outdoors, setting up the grill and inviting family and friends around for a meal. Can’t you just smell the beef coking and imagine the joy to be had. Its easy to see why most people in outdoor cooking surveys say that they love grilling the most.

But wait, yes the grill is very important but if you’re serious about entertaining outdoors then its really important to set your grill within a well planned outdoor kitchen.

How big or small this will be will be down to you and the available funds. My advice, if the budget will take it, is to go for a simple but comprehensive set up including: a grill and a stove; a cabinet for storage; a work top, a sink; a refrigerator and a well positioned seating area.

Your outdoor kitchen will bring in its wake many benefits. you’ll be free of walking in and out of the house so many times you’re going dizzy, you’ll have everything to hand when you need it; your family will be seriously impressed and enjoy your entertaining and you’ll be far more relaxed…. that is of course, assuming you’ve planned it all well in advance of starting the project.

The time for BBQs & outdoor living is upon us. In this short article I’ve gathered together 20 important tips to help you enjoy to the full your outdoor cooking.

1. You have a choice when cooking outdoors, will you use gas or charcoal? Chose charcoal if you love those wonderful flavors that come from the smoke; chose gas if prefer cleanliness, control and convenience. If you go for charcoal always start the fire naturally, never use lighter fuels or you’ll pick up those ugly chemical smells, no matter how long you wait!

2. Ask yourself, are you making an investment for the future when buying your outdoor cooking equipment? Cheap equipment just won’t last and it will disappoint! Make it an investment, go for quality.

2. Ask yourself a simple question when buying outdoor cooking equipment. Is my money going towards an investment or something that just won’t last. If its an investment you’re after, don’t go for something cheap, it simply won’t pay off in either the short or long term; and maybe worse, it will soon become a great disappointment! Go for quality; you know it makes sense.

Cast iron cookware is ideal cookware for outdoor cooking; indeed I’d venture to say its the best. But why?

1. Cast iron cookware is inexpensive when compared to its alternatives, given the length of time it will be in use. Most well cared for cast iron will last a family for generations and in of itself it becomes an heirloom;

2. Cast iron cookware is a superb cooking medium to cook with outdoors. With its ideal heat conduction as well as heat retention and its lack of hot spots its an outside cooks dream tool;

3. Cast iron cookware can be used to cook nearly all types of food;

4. Its really healthy to cook with cast iron cookware. Why? Because you can cook fat free! …Impossible?… No! A properly seasoned skillet or pan is ‘stick-free’ so requires no oil for cooking. [Note: Seasoning means filling the cracks, holes and small cavities in the pan with grease in a hot oven. The grease then gets cooked in providing a smooth surface on both the inside and outside of the pan.

5. In cast iron cookware your food slides easily & freely in the pan.

Dutch ovens lie at the heart of the American tradition and whilst many these day spurn them for modern ‘tat” many are now returning to these wonderful tools that lie at the very heart of great cooking outdoors;

Its easy to get it wrong when buying a Dutch oven; it really is important that you buy the best you can; quality counts. For the best choice and value its advisable to go online.

First decide whether you want to use your Dutch oven on a campfire or on a grill. For the campfire chose a Dutch oven with 3 legs and a lid that allows coals to be put on the top; but for the grill chose a flat bottomed version.

So what makes for a good Dutch oven?

1. The oven must be a standard thickness throughout; inconsistency in the walls of the oven can lead to hot or cold spots, warping or cracking! Don’t worry about a rough texture in the cast iron; this is not a problem; over time it will flatten as you continue with the seasoning; if the ovens surface is too smooth the seasoning will not take so a smooth is not good!

What is the force that is driving the move towards ever bigger, ever more technical, ever more sophisticated outdoor cooking equipment?

Yes, its true that outdoor cooking takes slightly more time than cooking indoors, but don’t you think theres something magical about it? Speaking for myself I think that its well worth the extra effort as nothing tastes better than food cooked outdoors!

We run the e-commerce Outdoor Cooking Equipment Store providing cooking equipment to people who enjoy outdoor cooking. The reason I’m writing is because I’m becoming evermore concerned about the technology, the scale and the gadgetry that comes with the latest outdoor cooking equipment. I have to ask whether its worth cooking outdoors given the fact that what they’re cooking on is a bigger scale and more technically sophisticated that that which they cook on indoors! What on earth is it that we are trying to create in our gardens?

The days of simple outdoor cooking are threatened by those who would have us believe that the next technology horizon is the patio! Even as a retailer of outdoor cooking equipment I have to ask, what is the point of cooking outdoors if technology has taken over? Where has the flair gone; where is the initiative; where has the creativity gone?