They also make dutch ovens in aluminum. For backcountry camping where you can bring some gear, but not a lot, they've made aluminum ones for decades. They're lighter and as such their heating properties are different but not dissimilar to cast iron. I found that baking in aluminum was okay, as you can turn it into an 'oven' type thing by raising your pie plate inside and just creating an oven. Things tend to burn more in aluminum and you get hot spots where you place the coals sometimes, so you should practice with cast iron, then try plying your skills to aluminum.
I'm not sure that you could polish the outside of an aluminum dutch oven with nuvite, but I'm sure someone would try it if they didn't think the nuvite would seep through the pores of the metal and get into the eating area.
There, get yer fix on cooking with aluminum.
(I for one, would prefer cast iron in almost any situation for this. Aluminum is good for things like canoing and boating trips or those things where weight is a primary factor)
I'd like a dutch oven but afraid it will end up not being used much. It's not a big investment, I might suprise myself! Maybe at Branson, Nancy will change my thinking. JB
I'd like a dutch oven but afraid it will end up not being used much. JB
For me, they don't take all that much use to be worthwhile. A couple cobblers, a few biscuits, and a stew or chili or two and you won't give up your dutch oven at gunpoint.
__________________
Rodney
Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny. - Thomas Jefferson
I'd like a dutch oven but afraid it will end up not being used much. It's not a big investment, I might suprise myself! Maybe at Branson, Nancy will change my thinking. JB
Uh oh ... no pressure there. I need to buy (and read) a "Dutch Oven Cooking for Dummies" (if there is such a book)) and most assuredly get the book Davenpow mentioned earlier in this thread -- "Lovin' Dutch Ovens" by Joan S. Larsen ISBN #1-880415-03-8. I have to admit that this thread made me get some cast iron pots out of the cabinet that hadn't seen the light of day in a few years. They look good.
Don't overlook using cast iron skillets for cooking breakfast etc... over an open fire. Mmmm good!
or a weapon for people trying to kidnap your flamingos.... sorry wrong topic just got my mind thinking. We use a cast iron skillet for steak, peach grunt (hubby makes a great one) and duck.
Last edited by Mel; 03-05-2008 at 12:54 PM.
Reason: fixed quote
I'd like a dutch oven but afraid it will end up not being used much. It's not a big investment, I might suprise myself! Maybe at Branson, Nancy will change my thinking. JB
If you can keep a dutch oven seasoned properly, it will hold a lot of its value. So if you change your mind, you can get a decent price for it, I am sure.
I've also used a Kampers Kitchen, or Kampers Kitchun, before. On a long canoe trip in Maine when I was in scouts, we used them for making some darn good cornbread.
They're light, have some of the good characteristics of a dutch oven, and they act like they're two other pots and pans as well. So this might be something easier for someone to stow in their trailer.
Thanks for your encoragement, I'll be looking for recipie books and tips for selecting a good (us made) dutch-oven. This thread has been a lot of help!
Thanks for the follow up info on the Lodge Logic finish, Jim. On the Cabela's versus Lodge cast iron question , I personally would go with a Lodge "Made in USA" product. I don't mind my Asian tea service being made in Japan or China yet I want my cast iron to be made in America.
Forty plus years ago I bought an 11 inch cast iron griddle at the Air Force Base Exchange in Elmendorf, AK. The griddle is still going strong and is used every Friday night in our home for nachos. I can't even tell what brand it is any more -- but it does still clearly say "Made in USA."
Nancy
Nancy - I feel the same way. I'm getting a Lodge. Who knows what goes into a Chinese one and how it is processed for pre-seasoning!? Lodge has been great with answering my questions so I also want to give them my business.
Reasonably priced and pretty. Very pretty. They also specialize in larger ovens that Lodge simply doesn't make.
I have found that the lodge cast iron of today is not the same as of 20 years ago. They're one of the few manufacturers though, so I like to support them. I have read tons of good things about Maca. I am contemplating buying one, particularly if I keep saying to myself "this would be easier with a bigger oven... " when I'm cooking things.
I say that a lot when I'm inside cooking, in the dutch oven (a classic (Um, I mean vintage!!) Griswold from the 60's) - that one doesn't have the legs on it. Easier to use on the cooktop and in the oven.
Reasonably priced and pretty. Very pretty. They also specialize in larger ovens that Lodge simply doesn't make.
I have found that the lodge cast iron of today is not the same as of 20 years ago. They're one of the few manufacturers though, so I like to support them. I have read tons of good things about Maca. I am contemplating buying one, particularly if I keep saying to myself "this would be easier with a bigger oven... " when I'm cooking things.
I say that a lot when I'm inside cooking, in the dutch oven (a classic (Um, I mean vintage!!) Griswold from the 60's) - that one doesn't have the legs on it. Easier to use on the cooktop and in the oven.
Great information - thanks for posting it. That one with the ram on it that has a divider may have to come to my house.
Uh oh ... no pressure there. I need to buy (and read) a "Dutch Oven Cooking for Dummies" (if there is such a book)) and most assuredly get the book Davenpow mentioned earlier in this thread -- "Lovin' Dutch Ovens" by Joan S. Larsen ISBN #1-880415-03-8. I have to admit that this thread made me get some cast iron pots out of the cabinet that hadn't seen the light of day in a few years. They look good.
Nancy:
I have a recipe for Almost No Knead Bread from a recent Cook's Digest magazine that is baked in a dutch oven. It features a crust and texture to "die for". I will bring some copies to Branson if anyone is interested.
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