Cooking Articles Article:
Dutch Oven Cooking Basics
Pioneer Cooking
When you think of a cast iron Dutch oven, what comes to your mind? Pioneer cooking? Stews over the open fire?
Of coarse both are true, but they are still very much in use today and as for the Dutch oven, the possibilities are endless.
Dutch ovens can be used for frying, baking, boiling, and steaming as well.
Purchasing Your Dutch Oven
When purchasing your Dutch oven, make sure the lid has a raised ridge.
This is to hold your heat source, which will be briquettes.
This will help you to reach the proper temperature needed for whatever cooking you are wanting to do , with the exception of boiling or frying.
In which case you would want all the heat on the bottom.
Heating Fundimentals
If you are planning on baking, you need more heat on the top than on the bottom.
Put one briquette on the bottom for every 3 on the top of the lid.
For preparing stews, use one on the top for every 4 on the bottom. When roasting, put briquettes on the top and bottom evenly.
Best Temperature
To understand the temperature and number of briquettes needed takes a little math.
Each briquette adds about 25 degrees of heat.
A good starting temperature is 350 degrees F.
To figure out how many briquettes to use, take the size of the oven in inches, and subract three to get the number of briquettes for under it, and add three to get the number of briquettes for the top.
Preparing To Cure Your Dutch Oven
Now that you understand the basics of using your Dutch oven you need to prepare or cure your oven before using it.
Some cast iron ovens have a protective covering which you will need to remove .
You will need to do some scrubbing with a non-abrasive scubber.
Once the covering is removed, rinse and dry the oven and then let it air dry.
Curing It
To cure your oven, pre-heat your kitchen stove to 350 degrees. Place the Dutch oven on the center rack, with the lid open slightly.
Allow it to heat slowly until it is too hot to handle. Apply a thin layer of salt free cooking oil with a clean cloth to the Dutch oven inside and out.
Place your oven back inside the stove with the lid slightly open. Bake your oven for about an hour.
Repeat
After baking, allow the Dutch oven to cool slowly.
When it is cool enough to handle, repeat the oil again the same as before and bake again.
When cool enough apply a third layer of oil, but this time it is ready for use.
Preparing your Dutch oven in this way prevents rust and makes for much easier cleaning as well
Cleaning
To clean your oven after use, scrape it out, add warm water, without soap, and heat it in the oven until the water is almost boiling.
For any food that sticks a little, use a non-abrasive scrubber.
Protect your Dutch oven again by warming it in the stove, applying a thin coating of oil and letting it cool. Its now ready for storage.
Val and Robin Shortt are experienced campers and own three outdoor websites. For more tips like these and to register for their Free newsletter visit:
Related Perfect Cooking News and Articles From ezinearticles.com
How many times have you stood gazing into the fridge or pantry wondering what you are going to make for dinner? Your family is hungry and hovering. What to do? Meal planning is one option. It's not as hard as you think.
Chicken is one of the most versatile meats you can put on the grill or in the smoker. Easy to cook and capable of taking on almost any flavor, it also has the added attraction of being low fat and able to take most any seasoning.
Baking can be an intimidating process when one is first learning. Images of smoke pouring out of the oven and rock hard rolls can haunt thoughts of preparing a Thanksgiving dinner. But have no fear; there are a few simple ways to avoid the confusion and stress that comes with baking. The first key is to gain a basic understanding of what you are looking to make such as ingredients, and the baking process.
With so many solar cookers available on the market today, how can I know which one will best fit my needs? Which kind of solar cooker is considered the best?
The kitchen can be a busy place, and accidents can and do happen. Follow these tips and avoid problems from cutting yourself with your knives.
Coffee cakes aren't really cakes at all, they're a type of quick bread; a bread dough that doesn't contain yeast. Coffee cakes are made by the simple method of mixing the dry ingredients together first, then cutting the cold fat (butter or shortening) into the dry ingredients, and lastly mixing the wet ingredients into the dry. This is also the way that biscuits and most quick breads are made.
Angel food cakes are basically sponge cakes that have no fat or egg yolk in them; they are leavened with air and steam instead of the more common leavenings such as baking powder and baking soda. This means that the egg whites need to have the greatest amount of air beaten into them that's possible.
To consistently achieve a task in hand, a person needs careful planning. This rule applies to all aspects of life, even for vegans and their vegetarian diets. To make sure that a new vegetarian would not have a "relapse", a careful and efficient vegetarian meal planning plus a solid determination is needed.
Not all guests at your backyard grilling or barbecue party will be meat and fish eaters. Find out here how to cater for the vegetarians.
A non traditional turkey recipe for non traditional people. The subtle twist of tangerine makes this a bird to remember.
