Cast Iron Dutch Ovens

!±8± Cast Iron Dutch Ovens

Cast iron Dutch ovens can help you cook some of the best tasting food you could ever imagine. It has excellent heat retention which means it is perfect for cooking some of the slower cooking foods. Seasoning is required to protect the bare iron and to stop food from sticking to the interior. So whether you are cooking chicken or pot roast inside for a family meal or shrimp and fries outside around the campfire, a cast iron Dutch oven is the prefect fit for your cooking needs.

This is about the most popular cast iron oven that you will find online. It is the Lodge Logic Dutch Oven. It has loop handles on the sides for easy carrying and is a little more than 10" in diameter and is 4" deep. It holds up to 5 quarts which is perfect for good helpings of chili, soup, and cobbler. It is pres-seasoned with vegetable oil which means that it is ready for use immediately, but it does cook better if you spray or coat it lightly with a touch of oil yourself.

The great aspect about cast iron cookware is that it cooks very evenly which makes it great for slow-cooking foods. This particular over has a flat bottom and is made for sitting on the stove. It does not have legs on the bottom or a wire handle for campfire cooking. Cleaning is a cinch - just scrub it with a brush using water only and dry it quickly.

If you need a slightly bigger Dutch oven and one that looks nice while sitting on the stove, you want to take a look at this 6-quart, color enameled oven. This one is 11" in diameter and can take heat up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. It has a beautiful porcelain enamel outer coat and a cream colored interior. It is really a great looking piece and can add decoration to your kitchen even when you are not using it.

It is no wonder that over 100 people have reviewed this product on Amazon and it has an average of 5 out of 5 stars. Amazing! It just proves that people are really happy with this product. People rave about the way it evenly holds heat and how the enamel coating makes it a breeze to clean up. You can also purchase this cast iron oven in various colors including emerald and blue.

Do you do more boiling and steaming rather than backing when cooking? If so, take a look at this 8 ½ quart Bayou 7460 Dutch oven with perforated lid. This is absolutely perfect for gumbo, chili, fish, chicken, fries, etc. It is the perfect cooking companion around the campfire or while tailgating. Guaranteed you will draw a crowd with the excellent tasting food that this oven will produce.

This cast iron oven is 12" wide and 5" deep. It has the usual camping legs and wire hanger for cooking outdoors. This product does ship without the seasoning formula so you will need to season it before use. If you order this oven today, chances are pretty good that it will be delivered within 4-5 days.

Another option that you have is the Pre-seasoned Combo Cooker by Lodge. It has a 3-quart regular Dutch over but also a 10" skillet that is used for a lid. This really has no limit to the types of food that can be cooked with this oven. It has handle holes for hanging and storage, and only needs to be cleaned with a bit of warm water.

It seems that with this unique and functional design that engineers thought of everything. Cook apple pies, pancakes, or eggs with the lid, and then roast a chicken or pot roast in the oven. This oven is just like all of the other Lodge products - they will last a lifetime if properly taken care of.

Now let's talk about the Lodge manufacturing company that produces this great cast iron cookware. It is located in the small town of South Pittsburg, Tennessee close to the Alabama / Georgia borders. They make skillets, griddles, and Dutch ovens.

Lodge was founded by Joseph Lodge back in 1896. Interestingly enough, the company claims that some of the original cookware is still in use today. They have spent years perfecting the metal formula, molds, and thickness that allows you to cook that great tasting food.

While many of their products are made in America, some are now imported from overseas. The enamel coated cast iron that was mentioned above comes from China.

Now this cast iron cookware needs to be maintained properly, and you can read the exact steps at Lodge's website. Some of the tips they give is to never wash with soap - always use warm water. Also dry the cookware quickly. Before you begin cooking, apply vegetable oil to the pan and slowly pre-heat the pan. You need to take these steps even with pre-seasoned pans.

Other manufacturers of cast iron cooking products are Griswold, Wagner, and John Wright. Emeril Lagasse and Rachel Ray also promote their pre-seasoned cast iron line.