Like most cooks, I love my cast iron. Particularly my 5-quart Lodge Dutch Oven. Unfortunately, not everyone in my house loves the 14-pound black bohemeth, especially when it comes to cleaning up time. Not to point any fingers, but someone seems to have used soap in washing this pot (a big no-no for cast iron, as it removes the seasoning), because when I pulled it out shortly before the holidays to make a coq au vin, I noticed some rust spots.

It wasn’t until last weekend that I decided to tackle the re-seasoning. I turned to the instructions on theLodge web sitebecause, hey, they know their stuff. After scrubbing the pot in hot, soapy water and scouring off all the rust, I rubbed melted solid vegetable shortening over every inch of this black beauty. I baked the pot, upside down, in a 350° F oven for one hour. (It smelt horrible.) Then I turned off the oven and let the pot sit in the oven for another hour to cool. Tada! It was back to its nonstick finest.

The best part was, Mr. Dishwasher witnessed most of this process, thereby gaining a new understanding of why soap is the sworn enemy of cast iron.