Dutch Oven Cookbook

Dutch Oven Cookbook
The Dutch Oven

Legend has it that Paul Revere invented the cast iron oven in colonial times. Settlers from Holland brought large quantities of ovens for barter with the Indians. The name “Dutch Oven” stuck and was indispensable in frontier cooking. Lewis and Clark listed it as one of their most valued pieces of equipment.

Selecting an Oven

There is a wide range of Dutch Oven price and quality. Lodge a the premiere manufacturer and is generally considered top of the line. Camp Chef and Cabelas are new to the market and have produced a number of new shapes and sizes of ovens. These ovens offer consistent quality and durability for a premium price. Cheaper ovens are available at varying grades of quality. When purchasing any Dutch Oven consider the following:

1)The oven should have a consistent thickness in the sides and bottom. Thin and thick spots will cause uneven cooking and may weaken the oven.

2)The lid should fit snugly on the oven. Large gaps will cause the oven to not seal correctly.

3)The lid should also have a loop style handle, not just a tab sticking out of the top. This allows for lifting the lid with a lid lifter while covered with coals.

4)The bail (handle) should be strong enough to handle the weight of the oven plus the food inside. The bail should lay flat against the oven when not in use.

5)For ovens to be used with charcoal or coals, be sure the lid has a large flange and the bottom has three sturdy legs. The flange makes it easy to keep the coals on top and out of the food. There are ovens made for use in a regular oven that have no feet or flange. You don’t need to have one of these to use your dutch oven in your oven at home but it does make it easier.

6)Be sure to check for any small cracks in the oven. Cast iron is very brittle and can easily be cracked during shipping. Any small crack is cause for trouble.

Sample Oven Sizes and Capacities

(based on Lodge Ovens)

Size / Weight / Depth / Main Servings / Side Servings / Cap. in quarts
5” / 3 lbs. / 2 3/8” / 1 - 2 / 2 - 4 / ½
8” / 10 lbs. / 2 7/8” / 2 – 6 / 8 – 10 / 2
10”* / 13 lbs. / 3 ¼” / 3 –12 / 16 – 20 / 4
12”* / 20 lbs. / 3 7/8” / 6 – 18 / 25 – 30 / 6
12” D / 22 lbs. / 5 1/8” / 8 – 25 / 30 – 40 / 8
14” / 26 lbs. / 3 ¾” / 8 – 25 / 30 – 40 / 8
14” D / 28 lbs. / 5 1/8” / 10 – 30 / 45 – 55 / 11
16” / 32 lbs. / 4 ½” / 12 – 38 / 50 – 60 / 12

*Available in aluminum at about half the weight.

Seasoning

Proper seasoning of is critical to the proper function of the dutch oven. Recently factory seasoned dutch ovens have become available and should be the purchase of choice. If you have an unseasoned dutch oven or need to re-season a damaged oven the following steps will help in restoring the finish:

1)Clean oven with soap and water – this is the only time it’s ok to use soap. This will remove the factory rust proof coating.

2)Coat entire oven (inside and out) with a thin layer of vegetable oil.

3)Heat oven to 350 – 400 degrees for 30 – 40 minutes (Outdoor barbecues work well).

4)Coat with another thin layer of oil.

5)Repeat as needed.

(Sticky or pools of oil will turn rancid. Bake longer if necessary. Oven cleaner works well to clean old ovens before reseasoning)

Cleaning

Aluminum can be cleaned like any pot or pan. Cast iron must cleaned while protecting the seasoning of the oven. There are many ways to clean an oven, but there are a few basic steps.

1)Remove any remaining loose food

2)To remove any remaining stuck on food, use a plastic mesh scrubber or dry the oven and use salt and a wad of aluminum foil as an abrasive.

3)Use paper towels to wipe out the oven.

4)Heat the oven and very lightly coat with oil.

5)Store with a paper towel inside to absorb any moisture during storage.

Things to Never Do

1)Never allow cast iron to sit with standing water in or on it. The cast iron will rust, even with a good seasoning.

2)Heat and cool ovens gradually. Sudden changes in temperature can warp or crack the oven. Don’t pour cold water into a very hot oven.

3)Never scrap the bottom or sides of an oven with a metal utensil. This will remove the seasoning.

4)Treat your ovens with care. Cast iron is brittle and will break. Don’t bang ovens together. Protect your ovens during transportation.

Temperature

Use full size briquettes evenly spaced for gauging temperature. The formula for 325 degrees is: diameter of oven + 3 briquettes on top, -3 on the bottom (A 12” oven would have 9 coals on bottom, 15 coals on top to bake at 325 degrees).

Each additional pair of coals (one on top and one on bottom) adds 25 degrees to the temperature of the oven. Be sure to replenish coals as they get smaller. Wind can affect temperature dramatically.

Cooking Techniques

There are a number of cooking techniques for Dutch Ovens. Unlike grilling the source of the heat (oven, charcoal, gas grill, etc.) makes no difference in the taste of the food the oven produces so feel free to try recipes you oven at home before going camping.

Roasting: The heat source should come from the bottom and top equally. Coals should be placed on top and bottom at a 1 to 1 ratio.

Baking: Usually done with more heat from the top than from the bottom. See section on Temperature.

Frying, boiling, etc.: All of the heat should come from the bottom.

Stewing, simmering: Almost all heat will be from the bottom.

The Lid: The lid can be placed upside down and used as a skillet or griddle. Using the lid in the fashion, you can make virtually error free pancakes and eggs that don’t run all over.

Feeding a Crowd

Item / Serving Size / Servings per lb.
Potatoes / 2/3 to 1 cup / 2 – 3
Corn, Peas, Beans, Carrots / 1/3 to ½ cup / 5 – 6
Pasta / 1 cup cooked / 7
Macaroni / 1 cup cooked / 10
Rice (2 oz. raw) / 1 ¼ cup / 8 (main dish)
Rice (1 oz. raw) / 5/8 cup / 16 (side dish)
Ground Beef / 4 – 5 oz. / 3 – 4
Boneless Roast / 5 ½ oz. raw / 3

Equipment Lists

General Items:

Dutch Ovens

Cooking Stand

Chairs

Stove

Lantern

Wind screens

Pots and Pans:

Paper goods, utensils

Mixing bowls

Tin Foil (heavy duty works best)

Coffee pot

Wash pans

Paper towels

Starter Box:

Charcoal starter

Matches

Newspaper

Whisk Broom

Pliers, Crescent wrench

Garbage bags

Gloves

Lid lifter

Serving stands

Charcoal tongs

Hand shovel

Spices:

Salt

Sugar

Cinnamon

Flour

Corn Starch

Bullion, chicken and beef

Pepper

Brown sugar

Baking soda

Baking powder

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Utensils:

Serving spoons

Cutting board

Long fork

Vegetable peeler

Can opener

Ice cream scoop

Perfa-tape knife

Cloths pins

Wooden spoons

Knife, large and paring

Tongs

Ladle

Grater

Measuring spoons, cups

Spatula

Soft spatula

Linens:

Hand towels

Apron

Dish soap

Wash cloth

Table cloth

Hot pads

Recipes

Breakfast

Pull-a-parts

4 Cans biscuits (pop and fresh tubes)

2 sticks margarine

2 cups brown sugar

1 ½ tsp. Cinnamon

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Melt margarine, sugar, and cinnamon in sauce pan. Mix well. Add nuts. Quarter biscuits and place ½ in a foil lined dutch oven. Pour ½ of the sugar mixture over the biscuits. Place the rest of the biscuits in the dutch oven and pour remaining mixture on top. Bake at 325 for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Invert on a sheet of tin foil and enjoy.

Main Dish

Chicken and Rice

1 ½ cup raw rice

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of celery soup

1 square margarine

One chicken (cut up)Mix melted margarine, rice, and soups together (don’t add water to the soup). Lay chicken pieces on top. Sprinkle with parsley flakes if desired. Bake 1 ½ hours at 350 degrees

Parmesan Chicken

Mix:

1 cup bread crumbs

½ cup Parmesan cheese

Onion salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

Dip chicken in one square melted butter and then in bread mixture. Put in dutch oven. Drizzle chicken with remaining butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cooking time will be longer for chicken still on the bone.

Parmesan Potatoes

6 medium potatoes

1 square butter melted

garlic powder, onion salt

2 cups Parmesan cheese

Sprinkle 1 cup Parmesan cheese over melted butter. Add seasoning to taste. Wash potatoes, cut length wise. Place potatoes cut side down in dutch oven and sprinkle with the rest of the Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until potatoes test done.

Youth Conference Potatoes

2 sticks butter

1 32 oz package large hash browns

10 cubed potatoes

Italian seasoning

Salt

2 cups Parmesan cheese

Melt butter in oven. Add Italian seasoning to taste. Add potatoes and stir until well coated. Cook for 30 minutes. Add Parmesan cheese and salt to taste. Cook another 30 minutes or until potatoes are done. Be careful not to stir too much if using hash browns or you’ll end up with mashed potatoes.

Sprite Potatoes

1 lb bacon diced and browned

1 onion diced

2 cups mushrooms

1 ½ cups grated cheese

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 can Sprite

10 potatoes sliced

Brown bacon and add onions. Cook until onions are clear. Drain grease. Add potatoes, sliced mushrooms, salt and pepper, Sprite, and mix together until coated. Cook at 350 for 40 minutes or until potatoes are done. Add cheese and cook another 5 minutes. Serve.

Dessert

Dump Cake

1 large can peaches

1 pkg white cake mix

margarine

cinnamon

Pour in whole can of peaches and juice into foil lined oven. Add dry cake mix on top of the peaches. Place several pats of margarine on top and sprinkle with cinnamon. Place lid on oven and bake about 45 minutes. Serve with Cool Whip.

Variations:

Use different kinds of fruit and cake mixes - one of our favorites is a spice cake mix with pears. Drain the fruit and use a 12 oz can of soda instead. Vary the kind of soda. Sprite, Cream Soda, etc.

Fruit Cobbler

½ cup soft butter

2 cups sugar separated

2 cups sifted flour

4 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup milk

Drain 2 quarts of fruit saving 2 cups of liquid (any kind of fruit will do). Add ½ to 3/4 cup sugar to liquid depending on sweetness. Cream together butter and sugar, stir in dry ingredients. Pour into a foil lined dutch oven. Spoon fruit over batter. Sprinkle with sugar. Pour sweetened juice over the top of the fruit and batter. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until done.

Turtle Cake

Chocolate cake mix (with required ingredients)

1 cup chopped Pecans

1 cup chocolate chips

Filling:

14 oz caramel

3/4 cup butter

½ cup evaporated Milk

Mix chocolate cake according to directions omitting half the water. Pour 1/3 of the cake batter into a foil lined dutch oven. Bake 15 minutes. Heat three filling ingredients together until creamy. Pour filling into center of cooked cake leaving 3/4 of an inch away from the edge of the cake. Add pecans and chocolate chips. Cover and seal with remaining cake batter. Cook an additional 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with Cool Whip. (This is a great recipe to experiment with. We have used spice cakes, candy bars, etc.).

Peach Cinnamon Spice Cobbler

(From Lovin’ Dutch Ovens)

12" Oven lined with foil - 10 - 12 bottom briquettes

Coat foil with butter or margarine. Add: 1 29 ounce can sliced peaches with juice

Top with: ½ square of butter, cut into pats

½ - ¾ cup brown sugar

1-1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

Sprinkle on top (do not mix): 1 package Duncan Hines Spice Cake mix

Add second: 29 ounce can of sliced peaches, with juice

Dot again with: ½ square of butter, cut into pats

Sprinkle with: ½ - ¾ cup brown sugar

1- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

Mix 1 spice cake mix as directed on package. Pour over other ingredients and level top.

Place over heat. Cook from bottom, using more of a slow, “bubbly-boil.” Cobbler is finished when cake bakes through, about 1-1 ½ hours. Cool and serve with generous dabs of whipped cream.

Dutch Oven Resources

Cookbooks:

These are just a few of the many great books available.

Lovin Dutch Ovens - Joan S. Larsen

Dutch Oven Cookin’ - Dick Stucki

Friends of Old Deseret Dutch Oven Cookbook

Dutch Oven Cooking - John G. Ragsdale

Internet:

There are very many resources on the net.

- International Dutch Oven Society.

- A giant collection of Scouting resources. At least two online cookbooks are available for download.

Google for the words “Dutch Oven”.

Other:

With a little experience and creativity, almost any recipe can be modified for a dutch oven.