A Beginners Guide to Dutch Ovens


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A Beginners Guide to Dutch Ovens


Beef Stew and Biscuits	Strawberry - Rhubarb Cobbler

Proponents of Dutch oven cooking proudly proclaim that cooking with these pans can result in some of the best meals known to mankind. A lofty claim to be sure, but with a bit a practice, an imaginative cook is more likely to become a supporter rather than a skeptic. So what's the big deal about Dutch ovens?

First, what is a Dutch oven? Well here are pictures of a several different varieties.

(Click on each of them to see more details about them.)


Universal Camping Dutch Oven	ColorCast Enamel Cast Iron Dutch Oven	John Wright Bean Pot Dutch Oven

Dutch ovens are versatile pieces of cookware that can be used in ovens, on range top burners, on gas grilles or in the coals of a campfire. They can be made of good old cast iron, enamel cast iron, aluminum, stainless steel tri-ply or other materials. They can be small enough for cooking meals for two or large enough to feed a small army. You can buy them very cheap or very expensive and everywhere in between. Some don't cook worth a darn and others can cook a meal so evenly and tasty that they would impress a French gourmet chef. And they can be used to cook breakfast, lunch or dinner dishes along with breads, rolls, pies, cakes and a host of other culinary delights, too.

So after reading this, you would think that just about every pan in the world with a lid is a Dutch oven, right? Ok then, let's narrow this down a little. My idea of a dutch oven is a heavy metal pan with a tight fitting lid that has a bottom, top and sides that will all radiate heat into the food fairly evenly and that do a great job on slow cook recipes. That still leaves a lot of territory, so let's start digging into this a bit further.

Generally, Dutch ovens can be broken into two types - Camping or outdoor ovens and Bean Pot or kitchen ovens.

The Camping ovens generally have three stubby legs on the bottom of the pan that are part of the basic cast iron construction. These legs keep the oven above the campfire coals and allow air to circulate under and around the pan. The legs should be thick enough to support the weight of the oven, the contents and any additional weight on the top without risking breaking through the bottom of the oven. In addition, there is a ridge around the outside of the top of the oven. This allows coals or briquettes to sit on the top all the way around the outside edge of the oven to evenly radiate heat downward to the food. A Camping oven also has a wire bail, or handle, that goes from one side of the oven to the other side and will allow the lid of the oven to be easily removed and replaced during the cooking process. A good bail will be make of heavy gauge wire, be able to rotate all of the way down the pan on one side while sitting at a 45 degree angle on the other side, which keeps the bail cooler and easier to locate to lift the oven when necessary. A good Dutch oven has a handle on the lid that is a loop of cast iron that is part of the lid, not attached after the casting took place. This allows the cook to poke a stick or a metal hook through the loop to lift it off during cooking. Also, a good Dutch oven will have "outcroppings" or "nubbies" ( to use a highly technical term) around which the wire bail is connected as opposed to steel rivets, which may break with age and under a load. This type of structural failure would normally occur at such times as when dinner is being lifted off the fire, thereby spilling the contents into the fire and often results in the cook being tossed in the lake as punishment for his poor judgment.

The Kitchen, or indoor ovens, have several differences. As they are used in an oven or on an indoor range, they do not need some of the features found on the outdoor ovens. They don't need to have a wire bail to lift the oven from the top, so they usually have extended handles on the sides. They don't need a loop on the lid so a knob is usally used in its place. Since the Dutch oven is going to sit in an oven or on a burner, the stubby legs get in the way, so they are gone, too. A flat bottom is needed for an even contact on a burner. And while good ol' cast iron is often used inside, being away from a campfire allows for other materials to be used safely, such as enamel cast iron and aluminum.

There are several common characteristics to watch out for in any Dutch oven that you purchase. first the thickness of the metal should be even all the way around the pot. Uneven thickness will result in hot spots and burned food. Second, the lid of the oven should fit securely and evenly. An uneven fit will allow ashes to go in and too much steam or moisture to come out. The former results in an ugly taste and the latter leads to overly dried out food, neither of which are particularly appealing to the cook or to those eating the final product.

Second, the interior of a cast iron Dutch oven may be either rough or smooth. While there is no right or wrong, one does need to be aware of the implications. As will be discussed a bit further along in this article, any piece of cast iron cookware needs to be "seasoned". As this seasoning gets thicker with more cooking, the crusty seasoning will adhere better to a rough surface than to a smooth surface. If the interior is too smooth, a well aged interior will start to flake off, leaving both bare metal and seasoned metal, that will require a thorough scouring and re-seasoning.

Seasoning Your Cast Iron Dutch Oven

Seasoning is the process that needs to be performed on a new piece of cast iron cookware to keep it from rusting and to give it that well used surface that is smooth, easy to cook on and easy to clean. There will be further articles to explain in detail how to season you pan from start to finish that are too long to cover here. But in a nutshell, a new pan is thoroughly cleaned and dried and then wiped down, inside and out, with cooking oil. The piece is then placed in a hot oven for an hour or so. In this process, the oil fills in the pores of the metal and coats it with a water tight surface that will resist rust. It is now that the piece is ready for cooking.

For cleaning, one removes excess food and wipes it clean with a rag and hot water. Soap should not be used as this will remove the seasoned coating and will lead to rust. Over time, the seasoning will build up into a heavy layer and will act almost like a non-stick surface.

As I have noted in another article, a well cared for piece of cast iron cookware will last for many years and can be handed down from one generation to another. I regularly use cast iron pans that go back to my grandparents close to one hundred years ago and they still can cook a meal that wows the folks at the table.

Other Materials for Dutch Ovens

Traditional cast iron is not the only material used to make Dutch ovens. While cast iron does a great job in slow cooking the food and is almost indestructible, there are times when other materials achieve certain objectives that cast iron just can't do.

Aluminum Dutch ovens provide one alternative. Certain foods need to be cooked quickly or need to cool down quickly. As aluminum heats up and cools down fast, it is better for this purpose. Also, when weight is a issue, as in a hiker's camping needs, aluminum is the way to go as it weighs about 65% less than cast iron. Aluminum is able to be cleaned with soap and water and can be scoured as you don't season an aluminum pan to prevent rust or to promote a non-stick layer.

However, aluminum's melting point is much lower than cast iron. And while this may not mean much in the kitchen, it is a concern on the campfire where placing an aluminum directly on a hot coal could result in burning through the bottom of the pan. This happened to me when I was young and trying to use an aluminum pan to bake directly on very hot coals. Trust me, it wasn't a pretty picture for the rest of the trip as we no longer had a large pan for cooking the rest of our food.

In addition to the aluminum alternative, there are a wide variety of enamel cast iron Dutch ovens. By applying a porcelain enamel coating to the inside and outside of the Dutch oven and baking it on in high temperature kilns, the resulting product is not only very functional but very attractive, as well. These pans do not need to be seasoned, can be cleaned with soap in the sink or they can be placed in the dishwasher. Being a form of glass, these pans are very durable and are made in a myriad of colors, too. Some care does need to be shown the enamel can chip if treated roughly or exposed to fast temperature changes as in going from the freezer directly to a hot burner or gas flame. But with common sense usage, these Dutch ovens will last as long as their cast iron cousins.

Dutch ovens come in a wide variety of sizes and capacities ranging from small to huge (22" diameter and 158 lbs). Here are some specs on common cast iron Dutch ovens. The numbers are representative and will vary from brand to brand.

Oven Size

Oven Capacity	Depth	Weight	Types of Dishes
8"	2 qt	3"	11 lbs	Side dishes, veggies, desserts, sauces. Ideal for 1-2 people.
10"	4 qt	3.5"	15 lbs	Side dishes, veggies, beans, small roasts, desserts and sauces.
12"	6 qt	3.75"	20 lbs	Roasts, poultry, fish, stews, potatoes, beans, rolls, breads and desserts.
12" Deep	8 qt	5"	23 lbs	Standing rib roasts, hams, whole chickens, stews, potatoes, beans, rolls and breads.
14"	8 qt	3.75"	26 lbs	Larger roasts, hams, hens, stews, potatoes, rolls and breads.
14" Deep	10 qt	4.5"	28 lbs	Standing rib roasts, hams, hens, stews, potatoes, rolls, and breads.
16"	12 qt	3.75"	32 lbs	Large quantites of meat, stews, potatoes, rolls breads and desserts.

If I was stuck in the woods or in a kitchen with only one type of pan, I know that it would be a Dutch oven. Cooking with Dutch ovens can produce great foods for any type of meal. There are hundreds of great recipes which we will be exploring in other articles and in our Recipe section. Also, you will be able to find a number of books on Dutch ovens and Dutch oven cooking in our developing Cookbook section.

We hope that you enjoy the endless possibilities of Dutch oven cooking and we look forward to helping you in your efforts. We also look forward to hearing from you with your own favorite recipes, successes, stories, ideas and suggestions.