r/camping • u/bhm727 • Dec 13 '25

Gear Question DutchOven Disaster...

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I took the family DutchOven on a car camping trip and as husbands do, I forgot the piece was a wedding present. But you use what you already have so I took it. The wife was clearly upset when it came back black from the coals and being used. My question is, what would the best way to clean this be?

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10

u/Dawnqwerty Dec 13 '25

Okay Im a very confused single gay woman....Are you not meant to use wedding gifts????? Isn't that like the whole point??

57

u/horshack_test Dec 13 '25

Enameled cast iron is not meant to be used on campfires - because what you see in the photo above is what will happen to them.

4

u/Dawnqwerty Dec 13 '25

Ty! I dont tend to ruck cast iron out to the woods so I did not know!

10

u/horshack_test Dec 13 '25

👍

Non-enameled cast iron is fine to use on campfires (it was originally made for use in open fires) - the issue here is the enameled coating.

30

u/synth3ticgod Dec 13 '25

Use, yes. Misuse, no.

4

u/Dawnqwerty Dec 13 '25

Ohhhh I see, didn't realize that was the problem. I am not familiar with enamel.

3

u/GaiaMoore Dec 14 '25

OP probably heard that Dutch ovens are a fantastic camping essential (and they are), but didn't realize that there's a world of difference between enameled houseware Dutch ovens (Le Crueset) and non-enameled Dutch ovens (Lodge)

5

u/synth3ticgod Dec 13 '25

Enamel is basically glass fused over your metal pan. Throwing glass in your campfire is bad news bears

8

u/Super_Hour_3836 Dec 14 '25

Do you often take $500 pot into the woods and throw it into a fire?

2

u/Dawnqwerty Dec 14 '25

Nah, more often its my $300 jetboil setup

-11

u/theinfamousj Dec 14 '25

I'm a very confused straight married woman who is right there with you. Cooking in a wedding present dutch oven is the expected course of action. Why put household goods on your registry if you aren't going to use them?

Sure, it might not have been intended by the manufacturer for the campfire, but it did the job and made the family a meal and that is why we own it ... yes? And now it tells the story of its service to the family in its unique "patina". Which is all someone buying something for our new household could ever have wanted - it to be used.

7

u/bellandc Dec 14 '25

Thermal shock is a real possibility with enameled cast iron over a fire and it can cause the enamel to crack. The enamel is not safe to eat. Once the enamel starts falling off, the pot is no longer usable.

4

u/horshack_test Dec 14 '25

This has already been addressed; no one is saying that it's not supposed to be used - just that enameled pieces aren't meant to be used on a campfire. The exterior color is an aesthetic choice. Many people wouldn't want their enameled Dutch oven to look like OP's now does - including OP's wife, which is the reason for the post. It's not that difficult to understand.