compare cast iron frypan+pot combo to dutch oven

[giro53]

The cost factor of the combo is much less than the dutch oven. The frypan lid is not very solid. I have never used either...it seems to me that the dutch oven would be hard to use on a grill. Also useless at home. You guys all seem to tell me that the dutch oven is the cat's meow. I have read the info on this forum , but it is not the cast iron that is in question,but, the format. Please answer my concerns about the feet. thanks

[05Kingquad700]

Re: compare cast iron frypan+pot combo to dutch oven

which combo are you talking about? A dutch oven was made for baking, and a pan for frying, etc. Are you wanting to bake with the combo? I would need to see the lid to make sure it could hold charcoal.

[giro53]

Re: compare cast iron frypan+pot combo to dutch oven

The one I am referring to is the Lodge LCC3 Pre-seasoned cookware. The lid does not hold any charcoal. Is the dutch oven only for baking. Because I don't do much baking and I can not see doing any while camping.

[giro53]

Re: compare cast iron frypan+pot combo to dutch oven

Thanks Hogsnapper. I don't get how you can use the inverted lid as frypan...there's the handle bump in the middle???

[NYCgrrl]

Re: compare cast iron frypan+pot combo to dutch oven

This is what the LCC3 looks like:

http://www.lodgemfg.com/CatalogueRet...&ObjectType=27

From what I can figure out it's a 2 piece set with the skillet doubling as a lid. Can you use it on a grill or at home: sure and why not? It would fit in your average home oven as well as on a grill (even a small one). I do wonder if the skillet lid would fit in the interior of the bottom so that you could use it as a "trail Dutch oven" and put the coals in the skillet (lined with foil so it's easier to clean?).

Haven’t gotten around to buying a Dutch oven to bake on the embers of a fire or with charcoal atop the lid yet. Kinda different since I use a Dutch oven at home frequently. Still, I've limited storage space in my home kitchen and even less to store my camp gear. This makes me opt for multi task tools frequently.
So far I just use 2 pots to cook with under normal circumstances: a 12" CI skillet with domed lid and a 3 qt (more or less) sauce pan. I bet if I wanted to bake say bread in the CI skillet I could though. Just place a ring made of foil around the outer perimeter of the skillet lid and pour hot charcoals atop.

I do think HogSnapper nailed it though. You have to decide what kind of cooking you want to do outdoors. I've little need for baking or meat braising pots at the campground since I keep my on site meat cooking to mostly grilling.

HTH this way too!

[GlitterHiker]

Re: compare cast iron frypan+pot combo to dutch oven

To me, one of the issues with the combo is the long handle on the dutch oven/bottom section. I have two dutch ovens that I use at home, both in the oven as well as on the stove. They don't have long handles, nor do they have feet. (Another fan here - now that I've gained some experience in cooking with cast iron, I absolutely love it.)

[giro53]

Re: compare cast iron frypan+pot combo to dutch oven

Thank you for your replies. Our not having camped for many years means I have no idea what kind of cooking I will be doing. I am not much of a
baker at home so do not expect to be one in camp. We do have a road trip planned for may Starting in north bay Ontario and going to South Dakota. So I will learn.

[tplife]

Re: compare cast iron frypan+pot combo to dutch oven

Now that I have Firestone RideRite air bags installed in my rear springs, I'll finally be able to start bringing my boat-anchor cast-iron pans camping again! Yahoo! :cool:

[Mike]

Re: compare cast iron frypan+pot combo to dutch oven

For what it's worth, I bought a Dutch Oven about 30 years ago that we use at home and at camp

Because I wanted to use it at home, I bought a Dutch Oven without legs. At camp, if I feel I need legs, I just lay down several stones onto the coals and put the Dutch Oven on the stones

Frankly, I never thought the legs provided much of an advantage. It seems like the legs allow the coals to get hotter and hotter and you tend to burn more food. So, the standard flat bottom Dutch Oven seems to be a good compromise

My Dutch Oven has a slightly dome shape lid with drip "stalactites" to let
The moisture drip back into the food

Anyway, you can't go wrong with a good Dutch Oven no matter what the design

[Gdawgs]

Re: compare cast iron frypan+pot combo to dutch oven

I have a Dutch oven camp stove (the kind with legs and bowl shaped lid to hold charcoal). I love the thing! I use it when camping, and I cook with at home(using charcoal as well). I make everything from lasagna to pizza, to cakes in it. Haven't ruined or burned anything in it yet. If you are going to use charcoal, you need the camp stove type. If you are going to be using it in an oven or stovetop, get the regular type without legs.

A fantastic recipe book for the camp stove is "The Scout's Outdoor Cookbook". Along with the recipes, it tells you exactly how many coals to put underneath and on the lid and for how long to cook. Great book.
http://www.amazon.com/Scouts-Outdoor.../dp/0762740671

Here are some things I made recently. Bluberry Pecan coffee cake, coconut cake, pepperoni pizza.

[Mike]

Re: compare cast iron frypan+pot combo to dutch oven

I have seen and been intrigued by the cast iron combos that have a Dutch oven with a lid that can be used as a fry pan.

After checking them out, I just don't see that much weight savings and these days, I am trying to scale back on weight and volume.

I have cast iron frying pans of all diameters and I have a cast iron Dutch Oven that has seen a lot of action both in the field and at home.

I am thinking that a good compromize is a deeper dish fry pan with a fitting cast iron lid. The truth is that I rarely need to fill up a Dutch Oven to the top, so I am lugging around a couple extra inches of cast iron that I don't need.

What do you think of something like this?

[Gdawgs]

Re: compare cast iron frypan+pot combo to dutch oven

great book recommendation gdawgs. I'm going to order this book right away.

The same people also wrote a book just for Dutch ovens, and one for backpacking as well. I do not have the Dutch oven book, but I did get the backpacking one for the next time I head up to the Boundary Waters. The backpacking one is really slick because each recipe has a "Preparation at Home" section where it tells you to mix ingredients a, b, and c into one bag, and ingredients d, and e (or whatever) into another bag. Then the "Preparation on the Trail" section tells you how to finish it off when you are camping. It too is a great book.

"The Scout's Outdoor Cookbook", has a ton of recipes, and most are for the dutch oven, but there are quite a few others in there that use a skillet, open fire, grill, or no cooking at all.

[ppine]

Re: compare cast iron frypan+pot combo to dutch oven

The frying pan is like cooking on the stove top at home. A Dutch allows you to cook the same way plus use the oven at home. Most people don't bake in the woods because they don't have a Dutch oven.

An oven with feet can be used at home on top of a gas stove with few problems, but not on a flat electric stove.

A Dutch oven is one of the greatest outdoor tools ever invented. It is very rewarding and a lot of fun. Anything you can make at home you can make in the outdoors including stir fry, pizza, bread, or anything else.

If no one in your family is much of a cook, it won't matter. If someone likes to cook get them a Dutch and you will never look back.

edit-
The 3 legs and the flat lid with a ridge are a huge advantage in cooking outdoors. The standard routine is to make a warming fire and use the coals that are produced separately away from the warming fire. The lid is designed to hold coals from the fire. Charcoal is a recent fad made popular in places like Utah and Boy Scout camps. Some people like to count briquets and subtract 2. I never run out of wood, even in Nevada here in the Sagebrush Ocean.

If weight is an issue, try an aluminum DO in a size like a 10 inch. I take one on canoe trips.

For Nevada Day on Oct 26 we will be cooking with a lot of ovens and will be able to serve 30 people with one average campfire.

[Mike]

Re: compare cast iron frypan+pot combo to dutch oven

If someone likes to cook get them a Dutch and you will never look back.

There is a LOT of cast iron available at thrift stores around here and the cost is nothing - couple of bucks each.

Here is a quick tip on how to recondition old rusty cast iron: Fry table salt in the cast iron and keep stirring it around until the rust is gone. Pour out the salt, then, apply a coat of light vegetable oil - not too much - best to apply the oil to a cloth, and wipe the cast iron. Some folks over-do-it with the oil and it goes rancid on them. Makes the pots stink.

Anyway, wouldn't it be a great idea to start collecting used cast iron pots, pans, and Dutch Ovens now. Clean them up, and give seasoned cast iron as gifts to friends and family this Christmas!