Cast Iron Cookware - there's no escape!

[tplife]

Just when I thought it was safe to pack up my gear for a desert trip, somebody gives me a Once-Used Lodge 10" Dutch Oven...Time to break out the Mettler scale and see what this heavyweight will ding my Prius mileage by. As you can see below, my first dish was a disaster - no amount of dialogue seems to convince Lambchop that my intentions are good. :confused:

[05Kingquad700]

Re: Cast Iron Cookware - there's no escape!

I don't believe you actually have a Dutch Oven. With the "spikes" on the lid like that, it is a soup pot. A Dutch Oven would also be flat, so you could put coals on it.

[tplife]

Re: Cast Iron Cookware - there's no escape!

It's the Lodge 10.25" Dutch Oven with Loop Handles and Iron Cover, $ 59.95...Kind of goes with my set of 3 Frying pans. With the Prius and me being somewhat weight-conscious, my pans get more duty baking cornbread inside or frying catfish outside than on any camping trips, but I'm always good for at least one College Try again!

[Mike]

Re: Cast Iron Cookware - there's no escape!

I have that exact same Dutch oven. It works very well.

The dimples on the underside of the cover help keep moisture in the Dutch oven

The lid is slightly domed, but you can still put coals on it just fine. I have baked excellent bread in this Dutch oven as well as just about anything else you can imagine.

I have had mine for more than 25 years. We use it at home and at camp. I think you are going to like it

[ppine]

Re: Cast Iron Cookware - there's no escape!

There are two types of cast iron pots, both referrred to as Dutch Ovens. The first is the outdoor version with three legs, a flat lid and a rim for coals. The second, the modern indoor version with no legs, a domed cover often with dimples or ridges and no rim on the lid.

[Mike]

Re: Cast Iron Cookware - there's no escape!

I prefer the Dutch oven without legs. The legs make the pot gangly and scratch counter-tops. The legs also make the pot difficult to pack.

I have used both and it does not appear to me that the legs really offer much of an advantage from a cooking standpoint

[ppine]

Re: Cast Iron Cookware - there's no escape!

Mike,
They do on a fire. The outdoor pots work fine on a gas range with grates over the burners. They don't work at all on electric ranges. I have pots for outside and inside.

[Mike]

Re: Cast Iron Cookware - there's no escape!

Mike,
They do on a fire. The outdoor pots work fine on a gas range with grates over the burners. They don't work at all on electric ranges. I have pots for outside and inside.

Ya, ruined my glasstop electric range using cast iron. Oops. Expensive lesson learned.

What I find is that a lot of folks set cast iron on a bed of hot coals or hang it so that the flames are licking the pot. That is OK for stews and soups, but it is easy to burn breads and other bakery by too much heat - even with cast iron. After the fire gets hot enough to make coals, often the dirt underneath the fire with just a thin layer of hot ash on top of the earth is just about right. Then, of course, a few coals on top. One thing is for sure, you don't want to over-do it when baking in a Dutch Oven.

[markkee]

Re: Cast Iron Cookware - there's no escape!

We cook nearly everyday with cast iron cookware. I made sourdough grilled cheese sandwiches with salmon on a large cast iron skillet yesterday. We make omelets in our cast iron griddle. I bake cinnamon rolls in the cast iron skillet.