Before slow cookers and Instant Pots and super-powered blenders, there was the simple, unassuming Dutch oven. This big, clunky pot with its tight-fitting lid has been cranking out stews, braises, roasts and even bread for 400 years or so. And if you don't have one, you need to get one. It can travel from your stove to your oven and back again. It's low-maintenance and virtually indestructible. But, you say, they're expensive. Yes, it's true that some are quite expensive. But once you know what you're looking for, we promise you won't have to sell your house, your car and most of your belongings to have one of your very own. Read on below for tips on how to buy and care for your new Dutch oven and what you can do with it.
Healthy Recipes for a Dutch Oven
What Is a Dutch Oven?
Pictured recipe: Vegetable Stock with Kitchen Scraps
A Dutch oven is, in essence, a big pot with a lid designed to let very little steam escape. (This is useful when you're braising or stewing something and don't want a lot of evaporation.) While Dutch ovens can be ceramic, aluminum or stainless steel, they are most commonly made of cast iron, which makes them heavier than your average pot. Cast iron holds onto heat more readily and more evenly than other metals, which is a huge advantage in a pot that is designed to go from your stove into your oven, and this is why we recommend going with cast iron.
What Can I Make in a Dutch Oven?
Pictured recipe: Whole-Wheat Sourdough Bread
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. (Most all cast-iron Dutch ovens are oven-safe; check your manual for temperature limitations.) Cast-iron Dutch ovens are also the cooking vessel of choice for sourdough and no-knead bread.
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That all depends on how many people you'll be cooking for and also how much storage space you have in your kitchen. If it's too small, you run the risk of not everything fitting in the pot, and if it's too big, you could struggle to heat it properly. For most people, going with a 6- to 8-quart Dutch oven is a safe bet for most occasions.
Enameled or Not?
The coating on the inside of some pots is there to prevent sticking and to slow down the wear and tear on the cast iron. You can live without it, but you will have to make sure your pan is "seasoned" now and then with a thin layer of oil that's baked onto the pan. With an uncoated pot, you'll also need to thoroughly dry it before storing it (iron rusts at lightning speed).
How Much Will I Have to Spend?
While it's true that a big pretty pot in your favorite color can cost you a few hundred dollars, you can also find one that will perform just as well for much less. Our best-tested Dutch oven is $100, and another top pick is $70. Both high-end and middle-of-the-road manufacturers often offer lifetime warranties on Dutch ovens too, so, in theory, you'll only have to make this purchase once. But make sure you read the fine print to understand what's covered and what isn't.
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How Do I Care For My New Dutch Oven?
Pictured recipe:
So, you've got your nice new pot, and you want it to last a lifetime. That's not hard to do if you care for it. Each Dutch oven will come with specific care instructions but, in general, one very important rule of thumb is not to heat your cast-iron Dutch oven on high. Cast iron is slow to warm up and equally slow to cool down. Cooking with high heat makes it very hard to prevent burning and can damage the enamel coating and even void that generous lifetime warranty. If your Dutch oven has an enamel coating, avoid scratching it with abrasive cooking and cleaning tools. If it's not coated, don't leave it wet for prolonged periods of time.
A Dutch oven is, in essence, a big pot with a lid designed to let very little steam escape. (This is useful when you're braising or stewing something and don't want a lot of evaporation.)
"A good quality Dutch oven is perfect for everything from slow-cooking dishes like beans or coq au vin, baking desserts like fruit crisps or artisan-style bread, braising meats like short ribs and lamb shanks, roasting and browning whole chickens or turkey leg, and making hearty stews and soups," says Shiza Shahid, co- ...
Dutch ovens are all-purpose pots that can effortlessly go from stovetop to oven. They're great for searing, frying, braising, and baking. Even better, they come in a rainbow of colors to complement any kitchen. Our top picks are the Le Creuset 5.5-Quart Dutch Oven and Staub 5.5-Quart Dutch Oven.
Explore versatile alternatives to Dutch ovens for your cooking needs: stock pots, casserole dishes, slow cookers, roasting pans, cast iron skillets, and clay pots. Adjust cooking techniques and monitor closely when using substitutes.
You can use a dutch oven on any kind of cooktop, including induction, as long as the dutch oven is cast-iron or another induction-compatible material. When you are using the dutch oven on a direct heat source, just make sure that the temperature does not get too hot and scorch it.
In an enamel-coated Dutch oven, prolonged cooking with acidic ingredients may discolor the interior coating but doesn't erode it. The bottom line is, if using a seasoned cast iron Dutch oven with highly acidic foods, ensure the pot is well seasoned and limit cooking to short periods.
A Dutch oven is, in essence, a big pot with a lid designed to let very little steam escape. (This is useful when you're braising or stewing something and don't want a lot of evaporation.)
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.
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.
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.
In a slow cooker, you select a high or low setting and let the machine do the work, while a Dutch oven braises on a stovetop or in an oven. Because the two methods are so similar, they're easily interchangeable.
That said, you can use a casserole dish in place of a Dutch oven, but you cannot use a Dutch oven in place of a casserole because of its physical construction.
Soups and stews: Dutch ovens are ideal for cooking things low and slow, which makes them perfect for hearty soups and stews. And they're typically generously sized, which means they can hold a lot of liquid.
Step 1: Rinse New Dutch Oven. Prior to its first use, rinse and dry the dutch oven pot and lid thoroughly with hot water to remove any remaining residue from the manufacturing process. ...
Your Dutch oven will preheat more slowly than your oven thermostat reading. When your oven reaches the desired preheating temperature setting, your Dutch oven may be 100F/60C coolerthan the oven temperature. “Longer” preheating is the equivalent of “hotter” preheating when using a Dutch oven.
In cooking, a Dutch oven is a type of heavy pot with a lid. But in slang, a Dutch oven is when you pass gas in bed and pull the covers over someone else's head, trapping it in like a Dutch oven traps heat. How is Dutch oven pronounced?
The main difference between a chef's oven and a Dutch oven lies in their design and construction. A chef's oven features a wide, flat bottom and tall, straight sides, while a Dutch oven has a round, deep shape with a heavy lid.
Enamel has an extremely long life and is very easy to clean and maintain, making it the perfect coating for iron cookware. Lastly, it comes in endless colors and textures.
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