The Amazing Cast Iron Dutch Oven

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Several small stones, placed in the bottom of the oven, will make an even baking platform.
Several small stones, placed in the bottom of the oven, will make an even baking platform.
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Dig a hole large enough to hold the iron utensil for slow underground cooking.
Dig a hole large enough to hold the iron utensil for slow underground cooking.
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The
The "tools of the trade" for Dutch oven cookery include a pair of curved pliers (for removing the lid and lifting the pot), a wooden spoon (for stirring), and a shovel (for digging the pit and moving coals). 
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LEFT: For a delicious dessert, sliced apples are placed in the oven... RIGHT: ...and topped with a mixture of cinnamon, flour and raisins.
LEFT: For a delicious dessert, sliced apples are placed in the oven... RIGHT: ...and topped with a mixture of cinnamon, flour and raisins.
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Heaping coals on the lid will help food bake faster.
Heaping coals on the lid will help food bake faster.
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You can make stew in the versatile cooker.
You can make stew in the versatile cooker.

With the autumn leaves–in many parts of the United States–showing off their most dramatic colors (and with midsummer’s insects and crowds already things of the past) a good many folks will be heading to the great outdoors for camping or hunting trips. Now there are few better ways to work up a hearty appetite than tramping around in the fresh fall air, but all too often the hungry outdoorsman or -woman can expect no more enticing fare than the usual pan-warmed, freeze-dried backpacker’s foods.

Imagine, instead, walking into a campsite that’s filled with the savory odors of a tasty slow-cooked supper! Well, such a scenario is actually quite possible if you take a cast iron Dutch oven along on your next wilderness excursion. Since the hefty kettles warm slowly and then retain the heat in their thick walls, they can cook food steadily and evenly all day long (while you’re out in the woods). Your meal will simmer unattended for hours … and–when dinnertime rolls around–you’ll have only to lift the lid and dish out a steaming trailside feast!

The sturdy iron utensils are practically maintenance-free, easy to work with, and amazingly versatile, too. You can use a Dutch oven–with only a few alterations in cooking procedures–to fry fish, make soups and stews, broil meat, or bake bread. And depending on the kind of dish you’re preparing, the pot may be hung over an open fire, set on top a bed of hot coals, or buried in an ember-bottomed pit.

Accept No Substitutes

The Dutch oven’s adaptability is due mainly to its simplicity of design. In fact, when choosing such a kettle, your only real concern will be that you select a “wild” (or outdoor) rather than a “tame” (or indoor) model. Although it’s easy to confuse the sturdier trail units with the home versions (which are designed for kitchen range cooking only), several details distinguish the two types.

  • Published on Sep 1, 1980
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