Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven

You might ask, why use a Lodge cast iron Dutch oven when I could just use my big stainless steel pot? It may seem at first that the lighter, thinner, and possibly cheaper stainless steel pot is a more practical choice for cookware, especially inside your home kitchen. Well, rest assured, the classic image of a large black pot steaming over a fire is not archaic. Cast iron is a time-tested material that has many benefits. It is versatile, durable, conducts heat evenly and consistently.

A cast iron Dutch oven, sometimes called stockpot, round oven, French oven or casserole, is great for long, slow dishes such as stews, soups, beans and sauces. It can be used for braising, boiling, steaming, and really any other task that a stainless steel pot or Dutch oven is used for. Another, perhaps less obvious use, is baking breads, dinner rolls, biscuits and desserts. Not only does cast iron avoid the health controversy that comes with other products such as Teflon, it is said to actually improve the mineral content of your food by adding a bit of iron.

Cast iron can last for generations because of its heavy weight and strong material. Unlike modern materials like stainless steel, or even porcelain coated iron, it wont chip or burn and can be refinished after weeks, months or years of wear and tear. True, unlike stainless steel, it can rust—but that rust can be sanded off with a little steel wool, and the pot re-seasoned with oil.

Cast iron is manufactured by pouring into a mold so there are essentially no seams in the object—the feet (on campfire models) and the lip, as well as the handle on the lid, exists as an extension of the rest of the oven, so there is no risk of these components breaking over time. Be careful, though about putting a hot pot into cold water. This can cause the metal to crack, making the oven rather useless.

The “cast” characteristic of cast iron also conducts heat evenly, since there is no variation or breaks in the texture. In stainless steel, especially the cheaper varieties, you will often find a plate that functions as the “thick” bottom, but since this surface is not integrated into the rest of the pan heat stays on the bottom. The cast iron Dutch oven truly acts as an oven, with heat emanating from all sides.