There are few things better than cast iron food cooked over a fire. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner can all come from the same dutch oven and each provide an abundance of flavor.

There are also few things worse than ruining your cast iron cookware. Damaging the seasoning or allowing rust can take time to recover from. If the piece can be restored.

So, here are some of the things not to do.

The worst thing you can do to a cast iron pan is to put it in a dishwasher. This is an absolute no. It bears repeating: Do not put it in the dishwasher. Or use soap. Cast iron is a porous surface which will absorb what is used on it. That means, what you use to “clean” it with, you will be eating soon. So harsh chemicals and abrasives should be avoided.

You should also never use abrasive metal-style cleaning tools, like steel wool. It will inevitably scratch the surface and create opportunities for rust to develop. Before the rust will be the food that gets stuck to the bottom because of the rough, unseasoned surface.

Another thing to never do is soak your skillet in water. You may have the need to use boiling water to loosen material from the skillet over the fire or on a stove. That water is disposed of right after and your surfaced gets seasonsed.

And one thing, you must do.

Make sure you have your cast iron dry, and still warm. Then wipe the pan on both the cooking surface and outside with a high-temperature oil. I prefer grapeseed oil. It has a high tolerance for heat and its coating thickens better (to me) which maintains the finish.