5 Great Dutch Ovens And 18 Recipes to Put Them to Work (2024)

FAQs

What is good to cook in a Dutch oven? ›

No matter the style or size, any Dutch oven will open up endless recipe opportunities. Create beautifully braised meat, pot roasts, hearty beef stew, healing chicken soup, or the creamiest mac and cheese. Use it like a slow cooker, a bread cloche, or a pot for frying.

Some dutch oven cooks use the "three up, three down rule." For 325 degrees in a 12-inch diameter iron oven you need 12 briquettes + 3 = 15 briquettes for the top and 12 briquettes - 3 = 9 briquettes for the bottom. To get 350° F, add one more coal on both the top and bottom.

These versatile cooking vessels can be transferred between the oven and stove top, or vice versa, to eliminate the need for multiple dishes. They withstand high temperatures and, due to their thick walls and tight lid, do well maintaining an even heat.

What Is a Dutch Oven? Essentially a Dutch oven is a heavy-duty cooking pot with a lid. You can use a Dutch oven to cook delicious meals in a wide variety of cooking methods: Dutch ovens can sauté, simmer, braise, sear, fry, and even bake food. Not only are Dutch ovens heavy-duty; they are virtually all-purpose.

You may need to take the lid off part way through the cooking process. However, some recipes may call for the lid to be off from the beginning, so consult your recipe. If the lid is not oven-safe, you'll need to leave it off no matter what. Tip: Most Dutch ovens come with oven-safe lids, but not all do.

If you're using your Dutch oven to bake or braise, you will want heat coming from the top and the bottom. And to do that, you will need to use either charcoal or wood embers. Charcoal Briquettes: The consistent shape of briquettes make it easier to evenly distribute heat.

In that case, we recommend the infamous Dutch oven prank. For the uninitiated, a Dutch oven involves farting in bed, then quickly pulling up the sheets to trap your significant other with the smell. It's a decades-old trick that has surely ruined countless relationships, yet many dudes still dare to try it.

But in real life, we make pasta in a Dutch oven, because when you're cooking a pound of pasta, it's the best option you have. If you've never used a Dutch oven to make pasta, that's totally cool. This isn't some new, scary experience you have to prepare for. All you have to do is switch one pot for another.

The lid fits good and tight, with concentric circles on the underside to help condensation drip down to the center of the food during cooking. The metal knob is safe in the oven up to 500 degrees, so I have no qualms going from stove to oven. I think what I like most is the pot's pretty paint job.

Can I use my Dutch oven as a frying pan? ›

Deeper and wider, Dutch ovens are best for deep frying while a shallow skillet or fry pan is ideal for pan frying. Use the right oil – Butter or extra virgin olive oil may sound tasty but they will break down and burn at the high temperature needed for frying.

Eggs fall into the category of sticky foods that are not ideal for cast iron skillets that haven't built up their seasoning yet. While cast iron can become non-stick with sufficient use over time, a newer skillet will almost certainly cause your eggs to stick to its porous surface.

Cracks may form if the heat is too high, i.e. cooking above medium-low heat, especially when cooking dry or semi-dry recipes. It's best to cook these kinds of recipes (like stir-fries and sautés) after the pot is fully seasoned.

To preserve it, avoid cooking acidic foods in your cast-iron pan for longer than a few minutes, or letting acidic foods sit in the pan for a while after cooking. Just finishing pan-fried chicken cutlets with a spritz of lemon juice? Should be fine.

The Dutch oven is the master of the stovetop. Since it's basically a wider, heavier version of a stockpot, it's a good pick to simmer broth or cook up big batches of beans. The cast iron core can get hot enough to quickly sear chunks of meat and brown veggies.

Dutch ovens are great for stews, sauces, soups, braises or any other moist-heat cooking method. This pot can cook a casserole or a whole chicken. You can brown meat and vegetables on the stove and let them simmer away or transfer your pot to the oven to finish cooking there.

The Dutch oven is a must-have for home cooks—it's something you'll use almost daily. Heavy-bottomed, with a tight-fitted lid to help retain heat and moisture for cooking flavorful and tender meals like soups and stews, it's a kitchen workhorse.

The Dutch oven—or as I like to call it, the analog crock pot—is a favorite among those who love cooking. The hype around Dutch ovens exists for good reason: They are highly effective, beautiful, dynamic, and durable pieces of cookware.