Choosing the right size oven

Dutch ovens today are available in a variety of sizes.  You can get ovens ranging from 8 inch to 22 inch and the depths of the ovens will run from about 3 inches deep to nearly 12 inches keep.  As you can see, with that kind of variety to choose from, you want to get the right one for the right job.

One of the most frequently asked questions is “what size oven should I buy?”  I would suggest that if you are starting out, get a 12 or 14-inch oven 4 inches deep.  You can then add other ovens of different sizes as you can afford to and have a need.

 

As you expand your stable of Dutch ovens you can save on fuel by stacking them on top of each other. The coals that you place on top of the bottom Dutch oven are the heat source for the next higher pot, up as high as you want. Well, maybe not as high as you want as it is impracticable and not safe to go over about 4 Dutch ovens high.

 

For the people who do not think that you will ever use a Dutch oven out side OR that you will want to use it a lot on your electric stove, there are totally flat bottom which gives good contact with the heating element. All of the advice given earlier for picking it out and the care of it is the same. If you have only the totally flat bottom ‘modern’ Dutch ovens and you need to use it outside on a real fire, you can use it with 3 rocks or bricks to hold it up off the coals.

 

Strange as it may seem Dutch ovens are not always the best tool for the job in cast iron cooking. Some times you want or need something with shorter sides like fry pans and griddle.

 

Currently we have some cast iron that came into the family with our great grand parents and will easily be handed down to our grand kids who are teens already or we may give some of it to their kids. Some of it is known to be at least 100 years old and are still used almost daily.

HEALTH ISSUES

 

People who use cast iron often, seldom IF ever, have iron poor blood. The best foods to make the iron in the pot more bio-available have acidic ingredients such as tomatoes. Foods like chili and spaghetti sauce are great.

With my OB patients especially, I would advise them to start cooking in cast iron to maintain or increase the iron in their blood to replace what they had lost during and after delivery and to help them build ‘better’ blood during their pregnancy as the baby grows and blood volume increases.

Is there such a thing as having TOO much iron in your body? Yes, there is! But not very often, only lab work can tell you for sure. There are conditions that cause you to hold onto iron too much, but those are rare.

Seasoning the New Dutch oven and other cast iron.

 

Well, you just bought your first Dutch oven and the clerk at the store told you to remember and season it before you use it.  And the clerk is right.

I am sure that if you asked 100 Dutch oven cooks how to season an oven you will probably get 122 different answers.

When you are seasoning a new oven, Lodge Manufacturing Co. recommends the following procedure:

1. Warm the Dutch oven and peel off the label.

2. Wash, rinse and dry thoroughly.  Use mild, soapy water (NEVER an abrasive detergent) and a stiff brush.

3.  Grease the Dutch oven with a thin coating of vegetable oil or fat.  Do not use salad fat (margarine or butter).  Warm the oven and then spread oil or fat over the entire surface with cloth or paper towel.  Be certain that the entire surface of the oven has been coated thoroughly.

4. Place the oven in your home oven and heat to 300-350 degrees for 30-60 minutes.  Allow the cast iron  to remain in the oven until it cools to room temperature.  This completes the seasoning process.

Remember that the most important thing is that you do season it.  It is the seasoning on the oven that protects it from rusting while not in use and it is also the feature that gives your oven a stick-free surface.

If you haven’t used your oven for some time, and it smells ‘that’ way (rancid), you can re-season your oven and bring it back into service.  Just start over again with the seasoning process. Wipe out your oven, heat it up again and oil it good.  Then enjoy the good cooking.

 

Cleaning Your Dutch oven

I like to clean my ovens right after I use them whenever possible.  You can clean your oven by first scraping out any leftover residue from your cooking, then put it back on the heat.  Let it go until all of the food that was left is burnt free, and then scrape it clean.  After you have the oven clean, oil it and store it for your next use.  This is the same idea as a self-cleaning oven.

One tip is to not put too heavy of a coat of oil at any one time.  It will just get sticky.  Keep it thin.

You will have to try some of the various ways of cleaning your ovens to find out which way you prefer to do it, just like you will have to try a few different ways of seasoning your ovens before you decide on a way that is right for you.

If your Dutch oven gets rusty, just clean off all the rust you can and then rub with oil, heat it and rub with oil some more, re-seasoning it as before.

Storing your Dutch oven

After you finish a meal and the ovens are cool and ready for storage, you want to take some precautions in storing them.

Store you ovens with the lids a-jar.  This will let the air circulate and you should try to keep them in a warm dry place.  You can also put a piece of newspaper wadded up inside which will help absorb any moisture that builds up.

Always be careful with your Dutch ovens.  They are breakable, so don’t drop them or bang them into other hard surfaces.  Treat them like glass and you will be safe.

When your oven is hot, never add cold water to it or it might break just like a glass bowl would.

Take care of your ovens and they will last your lifetime and most likely your grand kids lifetimes as well.

 

Cast iron has been around a long time.  In fact, for centuries.  Early settlers who came to America brought black iron pots with them and used them as their primary cooking utensil.  When Lewis and Clark made their famous expedition to the Northwest, they depended upon the tried and true Dutch oven.

In the early days of the West, the black iron Dutch oven played a very important role.  To the mountain man it was one of his most prized possessions in which he cooked stews and wild game to perfection in his black iron kettle.

The pioneers who came across the plains to the Rocky Mountains also prized their Dutch ovens.  As they traveled to Utah, California and Oregon, they always had a Dutch oven on their wagons.  Sometimes it would be tied on the side of the wagon, or perhaps you would find it swinging from the tailgate of the wagon, but you could count on finding at least one.

Another important part of the early history of the West was the numerous cattle drives that went across the country in the late 1800’s.  Nearly every drive had a chuck wagon which followed along to feed the cowhands, and they always had several Dutch ovens stored in the “boot” of the wagon.

In later years the Dutch oven became the standby utensil for the sheepherder.  He would cook his lamb stews, sourdough breads and dishes famous of the Basque.

Dutch oven cooking is more than just dumping food in a black pot and putting it on the fire hoping that it will be good to eat.  Choose the type of cooking that fits a food and you will have much better results.

There are several types of cooking you can do in the Dutch oven.  Some are stewing or boiling, steaming, roasting, baking, poaching and drying.  Each of theses types of cooking have their place depending on the recipe.  Learn to use them all and your group or family will enjoy your cooking even more.

You can cook anything in your Dutch oven that you would normally cook in your home oven, like bread, rolls, homemade pies, pizza, crown roasts, meat-loafs, lobster and even prime rib.  I have never tasted anything that didn’t seem to taste better cooked in a Dutch oven.  As you become more proficient at Dutch oven cooking, you will become aware of the scope of recipes available to you which will leave your family and guests in awe.  Remember, anything that can be fried, boiled, baked, steamed or poached can be cooked in a Dutch oven.

Another important point in favor of the Dutch oven is its versatility in times of emergency.  Just think, if your power or gas were off for a prolonged period of time, you could still fix great meals for your family using your Dutch ovens in the fire place, on a camp gas stove, an open fire or in the BBQ outside.  That is a comforting thought.  So as you use your Dutch ovens regularly, you will be able to become proficient enough to do just that.

The Dutch oven has another great feature.  You can take off the lid and turn it upside-down and level it on three rocks or bricks, and use it like a griddle or crepe pan.  This way you can cook bacon and eggs, hot cakes, French toast, or even fancy crepe.