How to Cook Outdoors Using Dutch Ovens by Gary House

Dutch ovens can be used practically on any type of cooking. May it be for baking bread or biscuits,for roasting, for steaming or boiling or even for frying, your Dutch oven can surely be a fun way toprepare your meals outdoors.

Here are some helpful tips on how to cook with your Dutch oven:

Use preheated briquettes

Always use preheated briquettes or charcoals to increase your cooking efficiency. You can do thisfast and safe in a charcoal starter or ?chimney? and no lighter fluid is necessary. Besides, makinguse of lighter fluids leaves a smell in your Dutch oven that may affect the taste of the food beingprepared.

Just place your charcoals in the chimney and underneath, place 4-5 pieces of wrinkled paper. Lightthe paper with a match through the vent holes and in about 10 minutes, your coals are ready for use.

Watch your oven while cooking

It?s always best to check on the food once in a while. You need to do this to prevent your food fromburning especially if it?s your first time to cook outside with your Dutch oven. Just always be carefulwhen lifting your lid and a pair of leather gloves should always come in handy.

Cooking techniques

A Dutch oven lid can also be used as a skillet for frying. This is a very convenient substitute forfrying pan because the food stays at the center. You will need more heat at the bottom than on topwhen doing so and this is also true for stewing, boiling, or simmering. For baking, more heat isneeded on top while for roasting, there should be an equal amount of heat both on top and at thebottom.

Seasoning your Dutch oven

If it?s your first time to use a Dutch oven, youhave to ?season? or ?cure? it in order to avoidrusting and to create a nonstick surface. Thiswill make cooking and cleaning up moreconvenient and easier. It is also proven to add a unique flavor that you can?t achieve from usingother types of cookware (See link below on A Step by Step Guide for Dutch Oven Seasoning).

Cleaning your Dutch oven

The best way to clean your Dutch oven is byheat. Just pour water in the pot and bring itboil while scraping out the oven, then rinse.You need to repeat the process until it iscompletely clean. It is not advised to makeuse of soap in a Dutch oven because thesmell stays long, you might even taste it fordays. Before storing, your oven needs to becompletely dried to prevent it from rusting.

There is no better way to enjoy your outdoorcooking than to make use of your Dutch oven. Formore cooking tips and Dutch oven recipes, pleasevisit our website at:http://www.cooking-outdoors.com.