The Dutch oven is a versatile piece of cooking equipment that dates back to the early frontier days. The actual inventor of the Dutch oven is thought to have been Paul Revere!
This handy cooking device looks like a large frying pan made of cast iron. It's great for cooking on an outdoor trip. But don't feel restricted to using it outside exclusively. It's fun to use in your own kitchen. You'll feel like one of the original pioneers as you prepare you delicious meals!
The Dutch oven can be used to roast, fry, stew, steam,and bake over an open fire. Here are some general guidelines for applying heat to your Dutch oven to get best results.
Stewing
To stew food in your Dutch oven, you want to apply the majority of the heat from the bottom of the kettle. Coals should be placed in an approximate 4 to 1 ratio favoring the underneath layer relative to the lid.
Frying
Coals are placed under the oven only.
Baking
Use a 3 to 1 ratio of coals favoring the lid relative to the underneath layer.
Roasting
Coals are placed under the oven and over the lid in an equal ratio.
If you'd like to use your Dutch oven on your home stove, set the burner to medium or medium-high to get best faster with the goal of maintaining temperatures of between 300 and 330 degrees.
A quick internet search will reveal a variety of interesting recipes that can be prepared with a Dutch oven.
As you can see, a Dutch oven is not just for the outdoors, but can be a versatile tool that's sure to add a novel touch to your home prepared meals!
