Has anyone ever cooked in a dutch oven? How is it different then a regular pot and lid and do you know any recipes to use in it?
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Stormy...
ANSWERS: 4
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Usually, the large 5qt. pot is called a dutch oven, and any large, thick pot can be called a dutch oven, according to your brand of cookware, as long as it is oven safe. Some may disagree, but this is essentially true. Here is a website completely dedicated to cooking in dutch ovens and goes over all the differences, sizes, types, offers recipes, etc. They may have different ideas: http://papadutch.home.comcast.net/dutch-oven-intro.htm#Intro
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It's been years, but I used to cook with one while camping a lot. The big difference is the weight. A dutch oven is very heavy and dense and has a heavy tight fitting flat lid. The density allows for a more regulated heat, and the flat lid allows for coals to be placed on it for surround heating. The design of classic dutch ovens were made for versitility. They can be set on fire, in an oven, or in a fire. You can bake in them, fry in them, make soup or stew, pretty much anything. Remember when cooking with one, when you remove them from heat, it will retain the heat for a long time.
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Yes, I'm cooking in one right now as a matter of fact. I have a pot of chili on the stove and soon it will get the put in a 350 degree oven to hold and simmer. A dutch oven will be heavier than a standard pot w/ lid. I like the enamel-coated cast iron ones. Le Creuset makes some of the very best, and the prices show it. But you can find an incredible deal for about 39 bucks on the red one stocked by Target. Some dutch ovens are cast iron only, with no coating and, in my opinion, are best suited for camping and outdoor cooking. Some campers even bake bread in them, but I've never tried that. They're wonderful for anything that requires a nice, even surround of moist heat, like pot roasts and such. Great for braising just about any cut of meat that needs it. You can brown the meat on top of the stove, add the rest of your ingredients and pop the entire thing into the oven or over a campfire.
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We use them all the time. Sometimes outside sometimes indoors. We use it on the stove top and in the oven. It's great for baking, too. But you never want to cook anything that is very acidic in it, like pasta sauce with tomatoes. It will react with the iron and turn funny colors and taste a bit metallic. It is great to cook with, keeps the heat nice and steady. It's great to deep fry, too, because of that. You can do almost anything in it, soup, chili, stews, casseroles, too many to name. Be sure to season it well, never use soap to clean it. Dry it well, over heat before storing, rub a light coating of oil if you think of it. When it's well seasoned, it's almost like a non-stick pan.
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