You can 'go dutch' and buy a dutch oven or let some one else to buy you a dutch oven. The choice is yours but this post is more like the 'uses of dutch oven' for dummies. If you know everything about dutch ovens, then great, have a nice day. If you don't know much, continue reading, you'll find it useful.

What is a Dutch Oven?

It is a thick cast iron cooking vessel that comes with a firmly fitted lid. Some commercially manufactured dutch ovens also come in aluminum. It is the most popular outdoor cooking utensil in history. The funny thing is that the Dutch call this a doufeu.

What can you do with a Dutch Oven?

Keep your old shoes in it. What? You can do that, but the primary use of the dutch oven is to cook food or boil liquids over open fire.

How to cook using a Dutch Oven?

A dutch oven is designed mostly for outdoor cooking. They come with tripod legs, a concave lid and a wire or metallic handle. You can place hot charcoals on top of the concave lid, close the lid and then place the oven on top of a open fire. Do not use the dutch oven inside your home unless and until you have a kitchen designed to support a dutch oven. You really don't want to torch your house accidentally, do you?

What are the typical foods that can be cooked with a Dutch Oven?

You can cook just about every thing. And, no, you can not make Ice cream or lemonade with it. And you definitely cannot recharge your phone with it. Instead, you can make cakes, lasagna, pizzas, cobblers, gumbos, stews, dumplings, etc. I think that I have given you enough information and you should get the drift as in what can be cooked using it. You can brew, broil, steam, bake and boil with the dutch oven.

What to look out for while buying a Dutch Oven?

1. Check if the surface of the dutch oven is uniform. Do not buy uneven surfaced ones because heat distribution will not be even.

2. Do not buy rusted ones.

3. Check if the handle and the tripod are firmly attached to the vessel.

4. Make sure the lid fits perfectly. Do not pick the ovens that have either loose or extremely tight lids.

    

Finally, make sure that you clean the oven regularly with soap and grease the inside of the oven before starting to cook.

Now that I have given you enough tips on how to use a dutch oven, can I expect to be invited to one of your camping expeditions or cookouts?

Image Courtesy: campinggearstop.wordpress.com