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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 > > > |
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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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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?" |
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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 |
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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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