Roy&Lynne wrote: So can you also cook with a dutch oven using a campfire and not useing briquets? I mean when we do campfires, we don't use briquets in the fire..
Sure can, the only difference is that the temp is harder to control. At times, depending on the dish, an exact temperature isn't that important. when cooking something like biscuits you'll simply have to stay close and check early. The original users of the DO, the ones who depended on them daily, didn't have any choice.
A lot of the fun in DO's is their simplicity. The contest involving DO's involve outstanding recipes more than technique in my opinion.
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Just to do a slight highjack of the thread. A while ago we were camping with friends and as usual it came down torential rain just when they were ready to start cooking using their DO. Listening to them complain they couldn't cook I laughed and took the full DO into their trailer and fired up the oven. A little turning so the legs fit the oven grill and dinner saved and another "here's your sign" moment when their DW said "I didn't know you could use them like that. Who'd of thought you could use a dutch oven in an oven?".
Roy&Lynne wrote: So can you also cook with a dutch oven using a campfire and not useing briquets? I mean when we do campfires, we don't use briquets in the fire..
Certainly.
I can't remember the last time I used charcoal. BUT I don't get fancy with DO's. I'll do biscuits, cornbread- it takes practice . But I pretty much stick to stuff that has a minimum cooking time but no hard and fast maximum. Things like stews and other dishes with enough liquid to stand a bit of extra cooking without drying out or burning. If I ever want to make a cobbler, pie or cake- I'll use a normal oven. Maybe someday I'll experiment more , but for now...
I am planning on getting a bag of briquets when I try a no knead bread recipe outdoors. I probably should try it at home first.
SoCalRailFan wrote: ...But I hear people brag about them and what they can do. So tell me, what can they do, recipes, words of wisdom, should I go buy one tomorrow, etc! LOL I like doing something different and exploring new foods and tastes.
With a DO can bake virtually anything you would in a home oven. Any recipe that you have at home, will work in a DO.
That being said, Dutch Ovens are HEAVY, and they get HOT. There is a bit of a learning curve to adapting your recipes, and the heating, handling, washing, and regular maintenance required so that they do not rust. They are also addictive, like potato chips, one is never enough!
I have Lodge 12" and 14" ovens, and a Camp Chef Ultimate Dutch Oven. They each have their uses and special applications. But one brand is NOT any better than the other.
I use an aluminum DO and love it. I have cast iron skillets and love them as well, so I know I would love the cast iron DO. Just have to remember that the aluminum will lose heat quicker than the cast iron ones. You use the same number of briquettes on top and bottom of the aluminum as well.
Okay Im going to give it a try. DH doesnt mind "burned" food as our first few years together he at a lot of "burned again" and it sounds like fun to try it.
Joes has a couple of DO online. Click here
WalMart has the Lodge for $48.?? so I think Ill go for that
mike4947 wrote: Just to do a slight highjack of the thread. A while ago we were camping with friends and as usual it came down torential rain just when they were ready to start cooking using their DO. Listening to them complain they couldn't cook I laughed and took the full DO into their trailer and fired up the oven. A little turning so the legs fit the oven grill and dinner saved and another "here's your sign" moment when their DW said "I didn't know you could use them like that. Who'd of thought you could use a dutch oven in an oven?".
Priceless story! Good one! I bet dutch oven takes on a whole new twist for them now!
To the OP, cooking in our dutch oven is THE MAJOR Event of camping weekend. Don't leave home with it!
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I love my cast iron DOs. Got my first one 25 or 30 years ago. One is a really old antique with legs that's in better condition than any new one and the other is just a little newer with no legs. Both of them have bales and I have iron tripods in two different heights that I've hung them from over open fires. Never have used either with charcoal. The two most popular dishes I ever fixed in them were at Pow Wows. One was buffalo stew and the other was a dump cake. I also have a small selection of cast iron skillets, a griddle, a cornbread skillet (divided) and a cornbread pan for an oven. Guess you could say I like cast iron.
I looked at the Lodge DO's the other day at Bass Pro Shops, not that I would buy there, but pretty much determined that the 12" seems best as far as size for me. Seems like you could fit soem good size pork ribs in there.
Thanks,
Dave www.SoCalRailFan.com
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I have four Dutch Ovens. Two of them are Lodge, and the other two are Camp Chef ovens. I have not noticed any quality issues with any of them. They are all nice quality in my opinion. One nice feature on the Camp Chef Dutch ovens that I like are the deep lids with feet cast on top. You can turn the lids upside down and use them as a skillet. They sit nice and level on the little legs cast into the top. My latest Camp Chef oven is what they call the Ultimate Dutch Oven. This one actually has a cone in the middle kind of like a bundt cake pan. The cone distributes heat into the center of the oven, like a convection oven so it cooks pretty quick. It also comes with a rack inside of it so you can layer food....meat on the bottom, and veggies or rolls on top. Cooking with a Dutch oven is one of my favorite things to do when we go camping. My wife loves it too, since she doesn't have to do the cooking!
Me, my wife & 2 DD's, plus the yellow camping labs
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. But I pretty much stick to stuff that has a minimum cooking time but no hard and fast maximum. Things like stews and other dishes with enough liquid to stand a bit of extra cooking without drying out or burning. If I ever want to make a cobbler, pie or cake- I'll use a normal oven. Maybe someday I'll experiment more 
, but for now...
