Dutch oven cooking

[Moxadox]

Two sticks of butter! Geez!!!

I carry two Dutch Ovens, a five quart and one that I think is a quart and a half, both flat lidded for coals.

I have a large collection of various pieces in my S&B.

There’s something so basic and substantial and solid and real about cast iron. Cooks about anything and lasts forever, if you take care of it.

It is one of my loves.

If you're going to have dessert, have dessert! Yum yum yum yum yum yum...........

The Dire Wolfess

 

[Dingfelder]

Same here. When cooking, I just put the handles at an angle to each other so I can lift the two pieces apart easily. I had my first one for years without ever realizing you could do that!

 

[Moxadox]

Mine's similar in that the lid is a skillet, but it has those two small handles rather than the big skillet handle.  Both are really nice IMO.  The skillet lid comes in very handy.

I used to have a chicken roaster they had but stopped making.  I could fit a whole chicken in there, plus potatoes on the bottom.  Haven't tried a whole chicken in my newer one yet, but the same principles apply even if I might not have the room.

Oh, I used to have one of those chicken roasters too! Don't know what ever became of it. It was wonderful. I can cram a chicken into my Lodge that I have now, if I cover the bottom with chopped onions and such. I miss the raised ridges on the roaster, though. Made the bottom get nice and brown.

The Dire Wolfess

 

[rosiemartinez1211]

Classic Mormon Dump Cake 

Spoon it out and eat with tons of ice cream!

OMG Stop it!!
Hope you plan on having us over for desert :exclamation:

 

[SoCaliVanner]

When cooking, I just put the handles at an angle to each other so I can lift the two pieces apart easily. 

It took me awhile to figure that one out, too.  
That said, I found some silicone pot grips at the Dollar Store that fit over just your fingers and thumb and work great for lifting/ removing the skillet lid when the oven is hot.

 

[Moxadox]

It took me awhile to figure that one out, too.  
That said, I found some silicone pot grips at the Dollar Store that fit over just your fingers and thumb and work great for lifting/ removing the skillet lid when the oven is hot.

That's exactly what I use! They are great.

The Dire Wolfess

 

[Moxadox]

OMG Stop it!!
Hope you plan on having us over for desert :exclamation:

That could be arranged....

The Dire Wolfess

 

[wagoneer]

I have a 2 quart with legs and a lid for coals, unknown Mfg.

 

[Hometown Hiker]

I use mine as a camp oven and cook with coals. I usually pull it out to make large breakfast casseroles and desserts when we invite folks to eat with us. It always produces a crowd pleasing meal.
In the past I have cooked everything from bread, pizza, biscuits, stews, and even a leg of lamb.

 

[Beeps and eats]

I use mine all the time they cook just about anything and adding coals to the lid makes it cook evenly.

Sent from my Z981 using Tapatalk

 

[Moxadox]

I recently tried applying a thin coating of Dawn dish detergent to the outside of my Dutch oven to help with soot removal. I can't say it helped and even seemed to be worse, as it seemed like it collected even more soot!

Anybody have an idea what I'm doing wrong?

The Dire Wolfess

 

[highdesertranger]

use coals you don't get soot with coals. highdesertranger

 

[WanderingRose]

I’ve never heard of the Dawn thing, but it seems reasonable that the soap would leave a sticky residue and then attract soot or ash from coals.

I just wash mine down thoroughly with clear water after use, and apply a light coat of vegetable oil periodically to prevent rust and keep them looking nice.

 

[Dingfelder]

I just wonder about the grease-cutting aspects of the dish soap taking off some of the nice protective coating on your cast iron. I put a light coat of veggie oil all over, including the outside.

 

[WanderingRose]

Me, too, and I never use soap.

 

[highdesertranger]

that's true cast iron + soap = big no no. highdesertranger

 

[seak]

that's true cast iron + soap = big no no.  highdesertranger

I have always washed cast iron pans by hand with dishwashing liquid and I have no trouble keeping them well seasoned. However, I season a pan well before first use. But, I never put cast iron in a dishwasher. I also avoid cooking high acid foods like tomatoes in cast iron. Seems to take the seasoning off. That's my experience anyway.

 

[Moxadox]

use coals you don't get soot with coals. highdesertranger

True. I often use whatever fuels are available when I cook over my Solo stove though.

The Dire Wolfess

 

[Moxadox]

I have always washed cast iron pans by hand with dishwashing liquid and I have no trouble keeping them well seasoned. However, I season a pan well before first use. But, I never put cast iron in a dishwasher. I also avoid cooking high acid foods like tomatoes in cast iron. Seems to take the seasoning off. That's my experience anyway.

I cook tomatoes all the time in my cast iron. The secret to not taking off the seasoning is to make sure your seasoning is really well seasoned, ie, that it's "fired" with heat above 500°F. You want to see a slightly pebbled surface. Many people have a coating on their pans that is just accumulated residue from previous meals. It doesn't stand up to acid foods like tomatoes. As an apprentice chef, I learned to season my cast iron with cooking oil and tons of rock salt in a 550° oven. It smoked like hell but you got a beautiful coating that was nonstick and withstood all types of foods. I do something different now that I don't have a commercial kitchen, but I make sure my pans get a good burning with oil every few days. Just be sure you remove every vestige of tomato sauce within an hour of finishing your cooking, because if it sits in there it sure will react with the iron and mess up the surface. I cook my sauce and transfer it into a stainless steel bowl for serving, and wipe the Dutch oven out immediately.

The Dire Wolfess

 

[bullfrog]

Using powered soap in a paste made with a little water to coat stainless steel cookware on the outside before cooking over a wood fire makes a film that disolves in hot water removing the soot with little scrubbing. I believe the brand name was Tetrox. I remembered it because if any of the coating got on the inside with the food one would get what was known as the "Tetrox trots". Never was it used on cast iron. Another trick on stainless steel was to sit it on an ant hill for a few hours before putting it in the boiling soapy water and then rinsing in clean water. Cast iron was wiped out while still hot and reseasoned when needed. Since only red coals were used for cast iron only wipe the ashes off the outside and store.