Dutch Oven Cookware - A Brief Introduction

For those of you who have never included a few pieces of Dutch oven cookware in your camping cooking equipment, you've come to the right place to be inspired. Cooking with coals and the process of "seasoning" may have you scared off, but really they are only part of cooking with this fabulous type of cookware. The benefits of cooking with a Dutch oven really lie in its amazing characteristics and cooking abilities.

To start off, you may want to know what classifies cast iron Dutch ovens... A real camp Dutch oven will be a cast iron pot. There are aluminum ovens, but these have problems with hot spots that tend to burn food a lot easier than their cast iron relatives.

These cast iron pots can range in size from 8 to 22 inches around. Your oven should have a flat bottom with three legs that stand about one and a half inches in length. The lid should have a flange to it, so that it will be able to hold hot coals while in the cooking process. The lid should have a low handle in the center of it, besides the bail of the oven, which is similar to the bail of a bucket. This is usually made of a stout wire. All of your oven's features are designed with the purpose of cooking over an open fire in mind.

Your Dutch oven cookware has a multitude of different uses which makes it invaluable to the modern camper. Even things that can be hard to cook - baked Alaska and candies, to name a few - can be made in this cookware. Your oven can be used to bake and roast, just as you might do in a home oven, with an added benefit...it is self basting. Also, use it to make anything you cook in a stew pot on the stove at home.

It's a deep fryer, crock pot, steamer, and turn the lid upside down and you have a marvelous grill to make your favorite grilled delicacy.

Okay, so how does it work? The lid of your oven has enough weight to create a sort of moisture seal and build up pressure for a pressure cooker effect. Because your Dutch oven cookware is made of heavy cast iron, it should heat evenly and hold the heat longer. This keeps the food that you're cooking from sticking to your oven and also cuts down on the heat you use.

Now that you know a little about Dutch oven camp cooking, you just might be ready to get an oven or two. Remember, the result of your purchase should be many happy years of use, so make sure and find the right one with all the important qualities that have been mentioned. After you try Dutch oven cookware, your camp cooking ventures are bound to be double the fun!