Dutch Oven Cooking Basics
by:
Robin Shortt
Pioneer Cooking
When you think of a cast iron
Dutch oven, what comes to your mind? Pioneer cooking? Stews over the
open fire?
Of coarse both are true, but
they are still very much in use today and as for the Dutch oven, the
possibilities are endless.
Dutch ovens can be used for
frying, baking, boiling, and steaming as well.
Purchasing Your Dutch Oven
When purchasing your Dutch oven,
make sure the lid has a raised ridge.
This is to hold your heat
source, which will be briquettes.
This will help you to reach the
proper temperature needed for whatever cooking you are wanting to do ,
with the exception of boiling or frying.
In which case you would want all
the heat on the bottom.
Heating Fundimentals
If you are planning on baking,
you need more heat on the top than on the bottom.
Put one briquette on the bottom
for every 3 on the top of the lid.
For preparing stews, use one on
the top for every 4 on the bottom. When roasting, put briquettes on the
top and bottom evenly.
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Best Temperature
To understand the temperature
and number of briquettes needed takes a little math.
Each briquette adds about 25
degrees of heat.
A good starting temperature is
350 degrees F.
To figure out how many
briquettes to use, take the size of the oven in inches, and subract
three to get the number of briquettes for under it, and add three to
get the number of briquettes for the top.
Preparing To Cure Your Dutch
Oven
Now that you understand the
basics of using your Dutch oven you need to prepare or cure your oven
before using it.
Some cast iron ovens have a
protective covering which you will need to remove .
You will need to do some
scrubbing with a non-abrasive scubber.
Once the covering is removed,
rinse and dry the oven and then let it air dry.
Curing It
To cure your oven, pre-heat your
kitchen stove to 350 degrees. Place the Dutch oven on the center rack,
with the lid open slightly.
Allow it to heat slowly until it
is too hot to handle. Apply a thin layer of salt free cooking oil with
a clean cloth to the Dutch oven inside and out.
Place your oven back inside the
stove with the lid slightly open. Bake your oven for about an hour.
.Repeat
After baking , allow the Dutch
oven to cool slowly.
When it is cool enough to
handle, repeat the oil again the same as before and bake again.
When cool enough apply a third
layer of oil, but this time it is ready for use.
Preparing your Dutch oven in
this way prevents rust and makes for much easier cleaning as well
Cleaning
To clean your oven after use,
scrape it out, add warm water, without soap, and heat it in the oven
until the water is almost boiling.
For any food that sticks a
little, use a non-abrasive scrubber.
Protect your Dutch oven again by
warming it in the stove, applying a thin coating of oil and letting it
cool. Its now ready for storage.
