Cast Iron Camping Dutch Oven,casserole dishes, cocottes, tetsunabe, Potjie, Bedourie oven

Cast Iron Camping Dutch Oven,casserole dishes, cocottes, tetsunabe, Potjie, Bedourie oven 

A Dutch oven is a thick-walled (usually cast iron) cooking pot with a tight-fitting lid. Dutch ovens have been used as cooking vessels for hundreds of years. They are called “casserole dishes” in English speaking countries other than the USA, and cocottes in French, They are similar to both the Japanese tetsunabe a traditional Balkan cast-iron oven, and are related to the South African Potjie and the Australian Bedourie oven.

Bare cast iron

Americans traditionally season their iron Dutch ovens like other cast-iron cookware.

After use Dutch ovens are typically cleaned like other cast iron cookware: with boiling water and a brush, and no or minimal soap. After the oven has been dried, it should be given a thin coating of cooking oil to prevent rusting. Again, whether that should be a vegetable fat or an animal fat (such as lard) is hotly contested. Saturated fats are more stable than polyunsaturated fats, which tend to go rancid more quickly.

Where possible, a cleaned and freshly oiled Dutch oven should be stored in a clean, dry location with the lid ajar or off to promote air circulation and to avoid the smell and taste of rancid oil. If the Dutch oven must be stored with the lid on, a paper towel or piece of newspaper should be placed inside the oven to absorb any moisture.