These 25 Dutch Oven Recipes Are Ideal for Both Camping and Home Cooking (2024)

FAQs

Is a Dutch oven good for camping? ›

A camping Dutch oven is a versatile, durable piece of outdoor cookware for car camping and outdoor meals you want to cook over coals or a fire—particularly dishes that require a big vessel, like stews, pot roasts, lasagna, or even fresh bread.

Dutch Ovens are designed to conduct heat and transfer it to the food inside from all directions. This cookware is known for its ability to hold heat, which means that less energy is required for long and slow cooking methods.

Seasoned and enamel cast iron are two of the most popular types of Dutch oven, so let's look at a side-by-side comparison of these two options. Seasoned cast iron and enamel cast iron are two of the most popular types of Dutch oven, so let's look at a side-by-side comparison of these two Dutch oven options.

Dutch ovens can also be suspended over a campfire using a tripod, placed on a campfire cooking grate over a fire, or placed directly on top of embers. Depending on your stove, it is also possible to use a Dutch oven on a camp stove.

A Dutch oven gets hot and stays hot, meaning it can accommodate a wide range of cooking techniques. Of these techniques, the most common are braising, stewing, browning, frying, and baking.

As mentioned, 2–3 hours in a Dutch oven generally equates to 6–8 hours on low or 3–4 hours on high in a slow cooker. Additionally, 1–2 hours in a Dutch oven usually translates to 4-6 hours on low or 2–3 hours on high in a slow cooker. Many Dutch oven recipes start by browning or searing meat.

Dutch ovens are multi-taskers by nature. Their broad base offers plenty of space for browning, and they're deep enough to hold a family's worth of soup. The original Dutch ovens (also known as cocottes) were made with plain cast iron, but most these days are coated with enamel.

A Dutch Oven is a a cast iron, aluminum or ceramic cooking pot with a thick bottom, thick sides, and a heavy and tightly fitted lid that locks in moisture and flavor. The thick bottom prevents hot spots and retains heat while the heavy lid keeps flavors from escaping.

Because they're cast from a mold, Dutch ovens can be made in a whole range of shapes — some much more useful than others. If versatility is your goal, round is the best shape for a Dutch oven. Round Dutch ovens heat more evenly and can be used for your favorite stew recipe and even to bake breads, cakes and dessert.

A stock pot, also known as a soup pot, is a great Dutch oven alternative to consider for stove-top cooking, ideal for making larger quantities of soups, broths and sauces. You can even use a stock pot to instead of a Dutch oven to make bread.

What is equal to a Dutch oven? ›

You can use an oven-safe pot with a tight-fitting lid, a slow cooker, an Instant Pot, a lidded casserole dish, or a roasting pan covered with foil as alternatives to a Dutch oven confidently.

Don't cook acidic foods

If your Dutch oven is enamel coated, then you can easily use it to cook homemade tomato sauce or any other acidic foods. However, it's not a good idea to simmer these types of foods when you're using any type of kitchen kit made from cast iron.

Scrape out all of the food and wash your Camp Dutch Oven by hand with hot water. You can use a small amount of mild detergent. Dry your Camp Dutch Oven and lid thoroughly with paper or cloth towels. While the cookware is warm, rub a very light layer of cooking oil or our seasoning spray onto the surface.

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.

Material and Finish. Home Dutch ovens (such as those made by Staub and Le Creuset) are made of cast iron and sealed in enamel. This enamel, which is beautiful and makes for easier cleaning, can become damaged when exposed to the high direct heat of an open campfire.

The most prominent difference between the two is the lid. While a dutch oven lid is domed and typically has drippers for self-basting, a camp oven's lid is thick, mostly flat, smooth-bottomed, and has a ridge around the top edge. The massive lid helps maximize heat retention.

What makes Dutch ovens (also sometimes called French ovens) so enduring is their versatility. The sturdy build helps store and maintain heat, the heavy lid traps condensation and allows for more efficient heating, and the single-piece construction means Dutch ovens move easily between the cooktop and the oven.