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  #1 (permalink)   Report Post  
LenS
 
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Default Dutch oven novice questions

I've just acquired a new cast iron Dutch Oven. It's made by Lodge
Manufacturing Company of South Pittsburgh, TN which company makes a
line of cast iron utensils. I believe they have a web site which I
will seek out after posting this.

My Dutch oven is round, about 10" in diameter and roughly 5" deep. It
has a strong wire bail, and the heavy lid has little "nipples" inside
which, I'm told by a neighbor, helps condensed steam drip back into
the food evenly rather than run down the sides of the pot.

Having never used one before, I did a Google search for information on
Dutch ovens, and recipes. for cooking in them Virtually everything I
found described outdoor use, ignoring the notion of putting the thing
on the range top or in the oven for cooking.

I don't believe mine is made for camp cooking. For one thing, it
doesn't have legs. And the lid is just slightly convex (domed), but
doesn't have a rim which my neighbor also tells me is to hold hot
coals heaped on top of the oven.

Anyway, can anyone suggest what kind of indoor cooking lends itself to
Dutch ovens? I'd think braising would be good, but what about baking?
And, where might I find some recipes for indoor Dutch oven cooking?

Oh, one more thing. There is a tag hanging on the bail with
"Seasoning Tips" provided by the good folks at Lodge Mfg.. It
describes the way to season the utensil, and how to clean it. I'm
puzzled by the next-to-last instruction which reads: "To prevent
stress breaks, pre-heat in oven items larger than eye being cooked
upon."

Can anyone tell me what this means? What (or whose) eye?

Any comments, suggestions, or ideas will be welcomed.

-Len



  #2 (permalink)   Report Post  
Edwin Pawlowski
 
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Default Dutch oven novice questions


"LenS" > wrote in message
>
> Anyway, can anyone suggest what kind of indoor cooking lends itself to
> Dutch ovens? I'd think braising would be good, but what about baking?
> And, where might I find some recipes for indoor Dutch oven cooking?


Pot roast, stews, brisket, etc. See a recipe at the end. You can bake
cakes in them.


>
> I'm
> puzzled by the next-to-last instruction which reads: "To prevent
> stress breaks, pre-heat in oven items larger than eye being cooked
> upon."
>
> Can anyone tell me what this means? What (or whose) eye?


They mean the burner or heating element. If you were to heat it too fast in
a small spot, it would expand at different rates and could cause a crack.

.. Dutch Ovens are generally used at low heats. We do, however, use a high
heat to brown meat. When doing a pot roast, it is best to sear all surfaces
on a relatively high heat. Put a little oil in the bottom, heat, then put
the meat in to brown. Don't touch it for a few minutes until it starts to
release on its own. Turn to another side, repeat. This adds a lot of flavor
to the meat and gravy.
--
Ed

http://pages.cthome.net/edhome



Carbonnade De Boeff Flamanade


Ingredients:

2 lbs. beef, cubed

1 lb. sliced onion



Salt

Pepper



1/4 Cup Butter

2 TBS of Flour

1 tsp. Brown Sugar

1 TBS Wine Vinegar



2 1/2 Cups Dark Beer or Stout

Bouquet Garni



Season meat generously with salt & pepper. Melt the butter in a flame-proof
casserole and quickly brown the meat on all sides. Remove and set aside.



Add onions to the casserole, lower the heat and fry until golden brown.

Remove and set aside.



Sprinkle flour into casserole and cook over a moderate high heat, stirring
well, until it is dark golden brown. Add sugar and vinegar. When the
vinegar has evaporated, add the beer slowly, stirring well to loosen any
sediment and make a smooth sauce.



Return meat and onions to the casserole in alternate layers, add the garni,
and bring to a boil. Cover and cook in the oven until meat is very tender
and the sauce has thickened.



Remove the garni and serve very hot.



Cook time: 2 1/2 to 3 hours

Oven temperature 300 degrees







SOURCE: Don Fregeole








  #3 (permalink)   Report Post  
hw
 
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Default Dutch oven novice questions


"LenS" > wrote in message
news
>
> Any comments, suggestions, or ideas will be welcomed.
>
> -Len
>

I have a killer recipe for Basque sheepherder's bread that is baked in a 5
quart dutch oven....I'll find it and post it in a few days.....it was
originally in a Sunset magazine in 1976.

Harriet & critters


  #4 (permalink)   Report Post  
George
 
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Default Dutch oven novice questions


"LenS" > wrote in message
news
> I've just acquired a new cast iron Dutch Oven. It's made by Lodge
> Manufacturing Company of South Pittsburgh, TN which company makes a
> line of cast iron utensils. I believe they have a web site which I
> will seek out after posting this.
>
> My Dutch oven is round, about 10" in diameter and roughly 5" deep. It
> has a strong wire bail, and the heavy lid has little "nipples" inside
> which, I'm told by a neighbor, helps condensed steam drip back into
> the food evenly rather than run down the sides of the pot.
>
> Having never used one before, I did a Google search for information on
> Dutch ovens, and recipes. for cooking in them Virtually everything I
> found described outdoor use, ignoring the notion of putting the thing
> on the range top or in the oven for cooking.
>
> I don't believe mine is made for camp cooking. For one thing, it
> doesn't have legs. And the lid is just slightly convex (domed), but
> doesn't have a rim which my neighbor also tells me is to hold hot
> coals heaped on top of the oven.

We have the same one. The first thing you should do is season it. They you
should never use or need to use soap to clean it.



> Anyway, can anyone suggest what kind of indoor cooking lends itself to
> Dutch ovens? I'd think braising would be good, but what about baking?
> And, where might I find some recipes for indoor Dutch oven cooking?


Don't do any baking but it is good for braising and also stews etc. Google
gave a lot of hits on recipes and techniques.

>
> Oh, one more thing. There is a tag hanging on the bail with
> "Seasoning Tips" provided by the good folks at Lodge Mfg.. It
> describes the way to season the utensil, and how to clean it. I'm
> puzzled by the next-to-last instruction which reads: "To prevent
> stress breaks, pre-heat in oven items larger than eye being cooked
> upon."
>
> Can anyone tell me what this means? What (or whose) eye?
>
> Any comments, suggestions, or ideas will be welcomed.
>
> -Len
>
>
>



  #5 (permalink)   Report Post  
jmcquown
 
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Default Dutch oven novice questions

LenS wrote:
> I've just acquired a new cast iron Dutch Oven. It's made by Lodge
> Manufacturing Company of South Pittsburgh, TN which company makes a
> line of cast iron utensils. I believe they have a web site which I
> will seek out after posting this.
>
> My Dutch oven is round, about 10" in diameter and roughly 5" deep. It
> has a strong wire bail, and the heavy lid has little "nipples" inside
> which, I'm told by a neighbor, helps condensed steam drip back into
> the food evenly rather than run down the sides of the pot.
>
> Having never used one before, I did a Google search for information on
> Dutch ovens, and recipes. for cooking in them Virtually everything I
> found described outdoor use, ignoring the notion of putting the thing
> on the range top or in the oven for cooking.
>
> I don't believe mine is made for camp cooking. For one thing, it
> doesn't have legs. And the lid is just slightly convex (domed), but
> doesn't have a rim which my neighbor also tells me is to hold hot
> coals heaped on top of the oven.
>
> Anyway, can anyone suggest what kind of indoor cooking lends itself to
> Dutch ovens? I'd think braising would be good, but what about baking?
> And, where might I find some recipes for indoor Dutch oven cooking?
>
> Oh, one more thing. There is a tag hanging on the bail with
> "Seasoning Tips" provided by the good folks at Lodge Mfg.. It
> describes the way to season the utensil, and how to clean it. I'm
> puzzled by the next-to-last instruction which reads: "To prevent
> stress breaks, pre-heat in oven items larger than eye being cooked
> upon."
>
> Can anyone tell me what this means? What (or whose) eye?
>
> Any comments, suggestions, or ideas will be welcomed.
>
> -Len


You really are a novice at this, aren't you? It can be used outdoors even
without "feet". This sort of cast iron was designed for pioneer cooking.
But it doesn't matter if you use it indoors our out.

The "eye" they are talking about is the burner on your stove.

Now, I don't know about the pot you got but mine is one of their
pre-seasoned variety. I made a pot of soup on the grill last weekend using
the dutch oven - brought it to a boil over the coals on one side, then
shifted it to the other side to simmer indirectly. Turned out great.

Baking? Absolutely! I bake all kinds of things in cast iron. I use my
Lodge 8" skillet exclusively for cornbread. You can bake in the dutch oven,
too. Check the recipes on the Lodge website.

Never use soap nor soak cast iron in soapy water- it will rust. Just rinse
it out and wipe dry with a paper towel. If it needs to be reseasoned, you
gently heat some cooking oil in it, swirl it around and then stick it in a
warm oven for an hour or so. Then wipe it dry.

Jill




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Darryl L. Pierce
 
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Default Dutch oven novice questions

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

<snip>

> Dutch Ovens are generally used at low heats. We do, however, use a
> high
> heat to brown meat. When doing a pot roast, it is best to sear all
> surfaces
> on a relatively high heat. Put a little oil in the bottom, heat, then put
> the meat in to brown. Don't touch it for a few minutes until it starts to
> release on its own. Turn to another side, repeat. This adds a lot of
> flavor to the meat and gravy.


This was my oldest son's first piece of cooking science information. The
above described browning action is called the Maillard Reaction. He *loves*
to point that one out to show his knowledge of cooking...

--
Darryl L. Pierce >
Visit the Infobahn Offramp - <http://mypage.org/mcpierce>
"What do you care what other people think, Mr. Feynman?"
  #7 (permalink)   Report Post  
 
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Default Dutch oven novice questions

In rec.food.cooking, LenS > wrote:

> Anyway, can anyone suggest what kind of indoor cooking lends itself to
> Dutch ovens? I'd think braising would be good, but what about baking?



I use mine for stews, braising pot roasts, frying, deep frying, etc.
Generally anything where a big massive heat-holding chunk of iron would
be a good thing.

Use it either on the stove top or in the oven.



--
....I'm an air-conditioned gypsy...

- The Who
  #8 (permalink)   Report Post  
 
Posts: n/a
Default Dutch oven novice questions

In rec.food.cooking, Edwin Pawlowski > wrote:

> . Dutch Ovens are generally used at low heats. We do, however, use a high
> heat to brown meat. When doing a pot roast, it is best to sear all surfaces
> on a relatively high heat. Put a little oil in the bottom, heat, then put
> the meat in to brown. Don't touch it for a few minutes until it starts to
> release on its own. Turn to another side, repeat. This adds a lot of flavor
> to the meat and gravy.


Ed - I remember, many years ago, when I got my Dutch Oven at the Lodge
factory outlet in Tennessee. I posted here, or in afb, that I had the
damn thing and didn't know what the heck to do with it.

You posted some stuff like you posted up above, and I've been a happy
camper ever since. Indeed, not two weeks ago, I saw a beautiful
underblade chuck roast at BJs. I did exactly what you describe, and got
it all nice and brown and crispy on all sides, and then threw in some
root veggies, etc and braised it in the oven for a long while. I ate WAY
too much beef later that evening.

--
....I'm an air-conditioned gypsy...

- The Who
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