My enameled Dutch oven is my favorite cooking tool. But only since I graduated from my 20s. The impatient, impulsive, careless me and the Dutch oven were not compatible. I had a date to meet, a show to see, a new bar to check out…and you, Dutch oven, wanted me to stay home all night while you slow-simmered away? No thanks.
Now, taking the three hours to prep, cook, and clean up after an amazing beef stew in a Dutch oven is my idea of a wildly-thrilling evening. Happily married and well past my 20s, mindful acts bring me more satisfaction than impulsive ones.
Maybe you too—whatever your age—are ready to spend $60-$400 for a new pot and embrace the fulfilling act of cast iron Dutch oven cooking. I am here to show you the way.
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Benefits of Cooking In Cast Iron Dutch Ovens
Why cook in cast iron Dutch ovens? Most of the benefits have to do with the material that traditional Dutch ovens are made from—cast-iron. Let’s look at a few scenarios and see how a cast-iron Dutch oven performs compared to the aluminum, non-stick coated pot many beginning cooks own.
Cooking Goal: Deep-Frying
Cast Iron Dutch Ovens
铁的保热特性能帮助你保持油的稳定温度。面糊会变脆,食物也会烤透。
Non-Stick Aluminum Pots
The oil will heat up, but then will overheat unless you turn the heating element down…at which point the oil temperature will drop. You’ll likely burn your batter and leave the food raw.
Cooking Goal: Browning Meat On The Stove
Cast Iron Dutch Ovens
Meat browns relatively evenly.
Non-Stick Aluminum Pots
Thin aluminum surface gets too hot, oil smokes and goes off-flavor, meat burns.
Cooking Goal: Roasting Meat In The Oven
Cast Iron Dutch Ovens
Meat cooks evenly thanks to heat on all sides, achieves keyMaillard reaction temperatures.
Non-Stick Aluminum Pots
Non-stick coating melts and sends out noxious fumes, turning food into toxic poison.
Cooking Goal: Baking Over A Campfire
Cast Iron Dutch Ovens
美味的饼干就像老牧场上的一样。
Non-Stick Aluminum Pots
The pot would melt.
As you can see, cast iron Dutch ovens get some obvious wins. Let’s see why.
Outstanding Heat Retention
Iron takes a while to heat up, but once it does it retains heat very well. An aluminum pot heats up faster—which is why I keep one around for when I want to boil water for dry pasta or corn—but something like oil will get too hot, too fast. For this reason, browning meat evenly in an aluminum pan is almost impossible.
Move Between Oven and Stove
Cast-iron Dutch ovens are designed for the stovetop and the oven. This means that you can start something like a stew or a soup on the stove—browning the meat, simmering the veggies, tossing in the spices—allowing a “fond,” a delicious layer of seasoning, to build up on the bottom of the pan. When you put it in the oven, that flavorful fond is intact.
When you make the same meal using non-oven-safe cookware, you have to do the browning/sauteeing on the stove, then dump everything into a oven-safe casserole. You deprive your taste buds of so much flavor that way.
一旦你的食物被放入烤箱,铸铁荷兰式烤箱就开始发挥作用了。因为锅底、锅边、锅盖都是热的,所以食物实际上是从四面八方被煮熟的。这能进一步促进美味的褐变。
Endures High Temperatures
And when I say high, I mean temperatures that typical cookware would have nightmares about. Cast-iron’s melting point is more than 2000 F, so you can safely use it to sear meat, or bake food right in your campfire.
一些荷兰烤箱是专门为篝火烹饪而设计的。把铝锅放在火上,你煮出来的都是有毒的东西。
By cooking with cast iron Dutch ovens over open flame, you’re reincarnating the cooking styles of your ancestors. For anyone born before 1900, an enclosed oven with a reliable temperature dial would’ve been an unthinkable luxury. For baking, they used cast-iron and coals, relying on years of experience and generations of wisdom rather than exact temperatures.
Can Cook Almost Anything
The Mormon Handcart Pioneers Statue in Salt Lake City includesa cast-iron Dutch oven hanging off a family’s cart. I get why it was such a prized possession. If disaster struck and I had to cram all of my possessions into a handcart to drag across the continent, I’d have my cast-iron Dutch oven riding shotgun.
这是一种真正可以用来烹饪任何食物的烹饪方法。即使你没有被追着翻山越山——如果你要搬进一间小房子,或者只是想要生活得轻一点——一个沉重的铸铁荷兰烤箱也应该随你而去。
Like I said, I’ll bust out my cast-iron Dutch oven anytime. But Ialwaysuse it to cook any kind of roast meat, stew, chili, or sauce. Why?
- Less waste: Saute and simmer all in one place—no wasted fat.
- Better flavor: Dutch ovens get hotter in the oven than slow cookers, so the slow-cooked food develops deeper flavor. Once I discovered this my slow cooker use shot way down—I may start using it to store beer coozies since I only bring it out every few months.
- Easier cleanup: Yes, you have to hand-wash a Dutch oven. But when you cook in it, that’s theonlycooking dish you have to clean.
Types Of Cast Iron Dutch Ovens: Enameled vs. Non-Enameled
To be clear—I’m not going to be talking about the aluminum pots and other impostors you’ll sometimes see pretending under the name “Dutch oven.” These objects are not true Dutch ovens, they are soup pots with fancy names.
当你购买铸铁荷兰烤箱时,你可以选择:搪瓷或不搪瓷。My recommendation is this:
- Are you going to be using the Dutch oven primarily in your home kitchen? Definitely buy enameled.
- Are you are going to be using the Dutch oven primarily for outdoor cooking? Definitely buy non-enameled.
Enameled Dutch Ovens Are Best For Kitchen Cooking
Cast-iron is unforgiving when it comes to rust. It only takes one slip-up—just one night when you’re too exhausted to clean up—and you’ll wake up to find your gleaming black non-enameled cast-iron turned into a petri dish for rust. I know, I’ve done it.
搪瓷铸铁荷兰烤箱让你更放松。搪瓷可以保护铁不生锈,而不会失去铸铁的保温性能。I wouldn’t leave mine full of water for a week, but I also know that I can leave a puddle of uneaten soup in there overnight without a giving myself a refurbishing job.
珐琅也给了锅子一点不粘锅的保护。它不是聚四氟乙烯,但它主要会保持食物的流动。不上釉的荷兰烤炉会经过调味以防止粘锅,但这不如上釉的效果好。如果你犯了一个错误,烧糊了什么东西,你会花一个不愉快的晚上刮掉你的没有珐琅的荷兰烤箱。
就像不粘锅上的涂层一样,荷兰烤炉上的珐琅也容易刮花。在搪瓷荷兰烤炉中烹饪时,一定要使用木制或硅胶器皿——千万不要用金属器皿,否则会刮掉搪瓷。
Non-Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Ovens Are Best For Outdoor Cooking
如果你打算在户外烹饪,那就选择不上釉的。你可能会把你的锅置于极端的温度下,这会融化珐琅,使锅完全无法使用。当你在露营的时候,腾出时间打扫不应该是一个问题。
Cast-iron Dutch ovens for camping are also sometimes called “camp ovens.” These have some modifications specifically for cooking with coals:
- An edged lid, so you can put coals on top of it and they’ll stay there.
- 底部有小腿,所以你可以直接把它放在上面,而不是直接放在煤上。
- A thin handle for hanging on a cooking tripod.
Cast Iron Dutch Oven Maintenance
Seasoning Cast Iron Dutch Ovens
The “seasoning” of a Dutch oven is the process of baking oil into the iron at high heat to build up a layer of protection against rust. You only have to season non-enameled pans.
Until the 1990s, cast iron Dutch ovens were sold unseasoned. This appealed to old-timers who liked seasoning their pans themselves, but for most people, it was a confusing start to cast-iron ownership. Now, nearly every cast-iron product is sold pre-seasoned—which has beena difficult transition for cast-iron purists.
That doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. If you buy an unseasoned cast-iron Dutch oven, you’ll probably have to season it at some point, either because you use it so much the seasoning wears off in places, or because you mess up and let it rust a bit.
Seasoning is pretty simple: You rub oil into the iron and bake the hell out of it. Because you’re essentially baking oil, you’ll throw off a lot of smoke. In the Good Eats he did about Dutch ovens,Alton Brown recommends seasoning cast-iron on the grill.
当我重新给一个生锈的、没有珐琅的铸铁荷兰烤箱调味时,我花了五六轮的时间把它擦干净,再加上调味,才让它恢复原状。用铸铁做的一切都有点慢,但我喜欢这样。
Cleaning A Dutch Oven
Cleaning any cast-iron pan is a little tricky, just because they weigh so much. They also suffer from the weight of mythology—specifically, the myth that you should never clean them with soap.
For years I followed this false God, using only hot water on my cast-iron. Removing caked-on food meant boiling water, pouring it into the pot, and scalding my fingers as I scraped away at the offending morsels. Happily, I came across J. Kenji Lopez-Alt’smyth-busting post about cast-iron. He explains that soap does not weaken a cast-iron pan’s seasoning, and in the process saved my fingers from torture.
You do need to take a few precautions, though. When cleaning enameled cast-iron, always use nylon sponges and plastic scrapers—never metal or steel wool, which would scratch off the enamel.
当清洁非搪瓷铸铁时,水分是你的敌人。永远,永远不要让铸铁浸泡在水中,那是对铁锈怪物的邀请。用热水和肥皂清洗它,然后彻底干燥,给它涂上一层薄薄的油。我用纸巾擦干,然后喷上帕姆。
Deep-Cleaning A Rusty Dutch Oven
If your Dutch oven has a little rust, don’t panic. Rust is easy to deal with—it just takes a little time. What you need to do is wash the rust off the best you can, then bake a nice little layer of oil on top of it. When my cast-iron skillet lid showed a little rust, I usedthis heating/oiling/cooling methodfrom Noel Christmas at Allrecipes. Took a few rounds to disappear the rust, but after an hour or so my lid was as good as new and hasn’t showed any signs of rust since.
A truly beaten-up cast-iron pan may require more drastic method. Cast-iron collectors refurbish classic pans byhooking a tub of water up to a car battery—performing electroshock therapy on the rust. I’d be too afraid of electrocuting a thirsty neighborhood cat, but it does really work—this guy reclaimed an 1870s muffin pan:
Cast-Iron Dutch Oven Brands
Lodge
Lodge has been making cast-iron cookware since 1896. In 1991 they started selling pre-seasoned cast-iron, a move that dismayed purists but made cast-iron cooking much easier and eventually became an industry standard. All their non-enameled cast-iron products are forged at their foundry, which is in South Pittsburg, Tennessee, as it has been for more than 100 years.
In 2005, Lodge partnered with a manufacturer in China to sell enameled cast-iron Dutch ovens. They’ve been a runaway success, offering enameled cast-iron at an affordable price. I own a Lodge Dutch oven.
Tramontina
This Brazilian manufacturer makes a variety of cookware products, including enameled cast-iron Dutch ovens. Their version sells for around the same price as Lodge’s enameled cast-iron Dutch ovens, and seem to be of a similar quality. I’ve never used one, but Emma Christensen of The Kitchn loves hers—andhas good things to say about Tramontina’s customer service.
Cuisinart
另一家大型厨具制造商,也销售搪瓷铸铁。Their productgot high marks in this SweetHome review.
Le Creuset
If money’s no object…Every Le Creuset enameled Dutch oven is cast from a unique wet sand molding, which is destroyed after use—no two Le Creuset pots are exactly the same. The lids are hand-finished, and every pot is inspected by at least 15 craftsmen for quality before leaving the company’s factory in France,according to this photo essay by The Guardian.
Le Creuset Dutch ovens sell for around $300, around six times the cost of a Lodge or Tramontina Dutch oven. You’re paying a premium for the company’s old school style of manufacturing. Really, this is like choosing a Rolex over a Casio—if you value uniqueness and craftsmanship, by all means choose Le Creuset.Some folks collect them.
Staub
和Le Creuset一样,Staub也在法国的一家工厂生产高端厨具。在我看来,斯陶布家更像战前的样子,但我不是室内设计师。Commenters on Chowhoundhave debated the differences between the two.
Griswold
You won’t be finding Griswold cast-iron Dutch ovens on any store shelves unless you’re antiquing. The once world-renowned companyfolded in the 1940s, but collectors still prize Dutch ovenswith the recognizable Griswold cross logo. Some go for as high as $700.
Cast Iron Dutch Ovens: Sizes and Styles
The most popular Dutch oven size is the six-quart. That’s the one I have. The only times I’ve cooked up to the rim have been making big batches of soup—but I should probably be using a thinner aluminum pan for soup anyway.
A six-quart Dutch oven weighs about 16 pounds, which isn’t hard to lift, but isn’t easy to manipulate for cleaning.
当我在我的6夸克荷兰烤箱里做一批辣椒时,我可以做足够12个人吃的——这是我曾经为12个人做过的,或者想要做的。它也适合我的标准加热元件。
Lodge, the biggest cast-iron manufacturer, doesn’t make any cast-iron Dutch oven larger than 9 quarts for home use. They do make a 10-quart version for camp cooking.
如果你想要更小更可爱的东西,你可以买迷你荷兰烤箱。你可以用它来烘焙单品,也可以用它来装餐盘。
If you buy an enameled cast-iron Dutch oven, you can choose from a rainbow of colors. The American manufacturer Lodge tends to offer bold primary colors. The French manufacturer Le Creuset offers more muted tones.
Non-enameled cast-iron is iron-colored.
Cast-iron Dutch ovens come in two shapes: circular and oval. Oval Dutch ovens are traditionally used for poultry.
What To Cook In Cast Iron Dutch Ovens
Chicken In Cast Iron Dutch Ovens
My favorite chicken recipes start with browning the chicken, to crisp the skin andgenerate the critical Maillard reaction,然后在烤箱里与蔬菜和香料一起烤,这样肉就能吸收味道,同时保持湿润。
Before I had a cast-iron Dutch oven, I’d do these recipes by browning the chicken and sauteeing in one pan, then dumping the contents into a glass baking dish. I’d stare sadly at all the flavors left stuck on the browning pan, knowing that they’d never make it to my mouth. Because you can brown and then bake the chicken in the Dutch oven, you retain all the delicious chicken flavor. And, as it’s being cooked from all sides, it will cook faster and more evenly, too.
Camping Recipes In Cast Iron Dutch Ovens
Whether you want to experience a sliver of the lives of your ancestors, who cooked over open hearths, or just want biscuits while you’re camping, outdoor cooking in a Dutch oven is rewarding—andfor some people, becomes an obsession.
Related Post:20 Dutch Oven Camping Recipes For Your Next Outdoor Adventure
With a campfire and cooking coals, you can make anything in your cast-iron Dutch oven that you could at home. Most people like to use them for making baked goods—especially biscuits. But you can also make more advanced bakery items—as you can see from the dessert entries in the International Dutch Oven Society’s 2016 World Championship Cookoff.
Pot Roast In A Dutch Oven
这是另一道菜,当你把肉放在同一锅里烤的时候会更好。我喜欢在烤的肉周围放很多胡萝卜、洋葱、芹菜和土豆。这些也烤了——我几乎和肉一样喜欢它们。
Beef Stew In A Cast-Iron Dutch Oven
As J. Kenji Lopez-Alt points out inthis outstanding comparison of slow cookers vs. Dutch ovens在荷兰,食物在荷兰烤箱中煨煨会达到更高的温度,并会发生美拉德反应——肉表面的褐变使其闻起来和尝起来更美味。You want this in a beef stew, and you aren’t going to get it from any other cooking pot.
Chili In A Dutch Oven
Another browned meat and vegetables dish that’s going to taste much better if you do it all in the same pot. Let the chili simmer all day over the campfire, or in your oven at around 300 F to allow that Maillard reaction to get going.
Cast-Iron Dutch Oven Life
我喜欢用铸铁荷兰烤炉烹饪,但不像有些人那么喜欢。Motivated by the chance to continue the tradition of Dutch oven cooking, aficionados of the style haveformed societies,created competitions, anddeveloped Dutch oven cooking classes.
These events are usually the passion projects of a few Dutch oven enthusiasts. If you want to get involved, the website of theInternational Dutch Oven Societyis a good place to start.
Cast-iron Dutch oven cooking is a way to make amazing food, yes—but it’s also a form of expression. For me, prepping, chopping, and stirring something I can taste and smell, is a nice change from the more less-tactile practice of writing. For others, it’s a gateway to a new community of friends and supporters. Either way, I’m confident that if you buy and use cast-iron, you’ll get more fulfillment from it than you’d get from 100 cheap aluminum pots.
Brackensays
Hi Seth, really like the article and I agree that cast iron is the bee’s knees.
I currently have a cast iron skillet and Dutch oven from a UK based manufacturer and the surface of the inside of the pot is full of pits and lumps from the casting process. I’ve put 10+ coats of seasoning on it and it just isn’t filling in the holes for a smooth surface, have you had any experience of this? Would you recommend sanding down the surface with a Dremel or something?
Thanks,
Bracken
Seth Kolloensays
Hi Bracken — Glad you liked it! Gotta say, that’s something I’ve never experienced before. But it seems like sanding it down could work…here’s a YouTube video of a guy actually doing it.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy9tpZOhkDc
Good luck — would love to see before and after pics if you end up trying it!
Arasays
Great article, Seth. As for me, I can’t seem to decide whether I should get a Le Creuset (https://goo.gl/bQbbV3) or a Staub (https://www.dasallas.com/products/staub-cast-iron-4-quart-round-wide-oven-brick-red). It’s so hard to choose between these two…