Recommendations for my first D.O.?

rickdernberger

rickdernberger

Novice
Now that I actually have my Raindrop, I am going about the business of SLOWLY and CAREFULLY outfitting her. I'm wary of clutter. But I do want to get myself a Dutch Oven. But which one? The 12" seems to be too much capacity for my needs of cooking for 1-4 people most of the time; but it seems to be the size that most recipes are made for. Is it bad to cook in a 12" DO if its only 1/2 full? And then I see recipes calling for "deep" ovens. Should I get a "deep" oven?
 
Rick, I'd also recommend a Lodge - 4qt 10" Dutch Oven. Then you'll need a Mair lid lifter, lid stand, tongs for moving charcoal around, and a tote bag to keep it all in one place.

20592985_260.jpg


Mair lid lifters

Lid stand

Carry bag

And, then you'll need a container to carry your charcoal, like this Kingsford Caddy:
747363000376lg.jpg


You'll be cooking like George in no time!
 
Rick,

The 10 inch is a great size.
Besides where are you going to keep leftovers while camping?

Lid lifter absolutely necessary.

I have two carrying bags and don't use them. Store the Dutchoven wrapped in a towel because that is what works for me. All cookware nested together. Dutch Oven on the bottom.

I carry a much smaller container of Charcoal. Made plywood cookies to use as a cover stand/dutchoven trivet.

I am one of the few who does not keep the cooler in the designated galley space. That space is designated for a rubbermade tub that holds COBB grill, charcoal, tongs, wood cookies, fire starters.

Another option is consider is a deep cast iron "chicken fryer" instead of a dutch oven. The frying pan will be multi purpose, use on stove and as a dutch oven.

Investing in a cast iron lid lifer or gas stove grate to use as legs such as are on the dutch oven. Might consider purchasing a dutch oven lid to place coals on top. Frying pan comes with a rounded lid.

First consider how do you cook while camping? Use stove or over fire. If only anticipate using stove, why add the weight of the dutch oven and related supplies if you are concerned about clutter.

Jean
 
Oven - Ditto on the 10" DO for starters.

Lid lifter - Go with the Mair, as you have much better control with using it to lift the lid as well as move/carry the DO. Size is your preference. I first got the 14" as the 22" was way to long for a short person like myself to use without looking ridiculous. Then I came across the 9" & use that almost exclusively. Inherited a 22" but never use it.

Lid Stand - Not a necessity but I use mine a lot. Have even used it inside the DO to raise up a pan or pie plate.

Carry Bag - Again, personal preference. I have them for most of my DOs & love them. Don't particularly care for the Lodge ones as much as the Sportsman's Warehouse ones, which are padded & have a more rugged feel to them for a way better price.

Wooden Cutout/Trivet - I had Craig cut a circle of plywood to fit in the bottom of each DO bag. He also used a Forstner drill (spade bit works, too) to drill 3 places for the legs to sit in (Holes don't go all the way through the plywood). This serves 2 purposes: Gives support to the bag while traveling, carrying & like Jean's, can be used as a trivet for the DO if you don't have a place to set a hot DO.

Charcoal Box - I use a smaller Rubbermaid box with a handle for carrying. I line it with a kitchen size trash bag & change out the bag occasionally. Keeps things cleaner.

Tongs - A good pair of long handled ones (more like ones for a BBQ - not the short handled ones used in the kitchen) for moving coals around.

Gloves - Again, not necessary but nice for carrying, moving the DO around. If you get gloves, they need to be heavy. Welder's gloves work well.

Charcoal Chimney - Again, nice but not necessary. I made my own to start with but finally bought one as my DO cooking needs expanded.

Fire Starters - You can use lighter fluid but I am not a fan for a lot of reasons. Can also buy fire starters. I'm cheap & make my own & they are much easier to store.

"Stuff Bag" - I found a medium size brand new duffel style bag at Goodwill for $5 to store all the "Miscellaneous" stuff. Keeps things clean & if I really want to, I can always throw the bag in the washer to give it a good cleaning.

ID Tags - Especially important if you are part of a DO pot luck or are cooking with a group of people. Something simple as wiring an old key to the DO handle & to the lid, id tags (you can order these, get them at a locksmith, or there are machines in places like Walmart that will make them). Something that can withstand the heat & will remain intact so you can identify your oven & lid.

Lastly, there is the seasoning of a DO...there are a variety of opinions & techniques. Again, it's what works for you. I'm a huge fan of George's method & prefer using beeswax...that's a whole new discussion!

I acquired things over time, as I tried different things and borrowed from others. That way, I knew what I wanted/liked/would use.

:cool:
 
Jean W said:
Rick,

The 10 inch is a great size.
Besides where are you going to keep leftovers while camping?

Lid lifter absolutely necessary.

I have two carrying bags and don't use them. Store the Dutchoven wrapped in a towel because that is what works for me. All cookware nested together. Dutch Oven on the bottom.

I carry a much smaller container of Charcoal. Made plywood cookies to use as a cover stand/dutchoven trivet.

I am one of the few who does not keep the cooler in the designated galley space. That space is designated for a rubbermade tub that holds COBB grill, charcoal, tongs, wood cookies, fire starters.

Another option is consider is a deep cast iron "chicken fryer" instead of a dutch oven. The frying pan will be multi purpose, use on stove and as a dutch oven.

Investing in a cast iron lid lifer or gas stove grate to use as legs such as are on the dutch oven. Might consider purchasing a dutch oven lid to place coals on top. Frying pan comes with a rounded lid.

First consider how do you cook while camping? Use stove or over fire. If only anticipate using stove, why add the weight of the dutch oven and related supplies if you are concerned about clutter.

Jean
Click to expand...

Jenn,& Rick we also us a tub in the cooler area. (the cooler we already had was to big) We keep our Cobb in it with the Dutch oven lid holder, (tongs,and 10" pizza pan to put charcoal and set oven on.(cheap at Goodwill))
Becky made a lid cover and oven bag.
We have a Lodge 10" oven with the legs. (American made)
We keep the charcoal in one of the floor storage compartments in the bag it comes in.
I made a starter chimney out of some stove pipe with handles I can easily take off and made it half as tall as the ones you buy. It still holds more than enough charcoal to start and takes up way less space.
 
We carry our Dutch Ovens in this box, in the back of our pick-up, with all of our other toys! Jim cut some packing foam to fit the inside to prevent things from clanging around. We can fit all four of our Dutch ovens (nested), chimney, tongs, lid lifter, lid stand, gloves, lighter, newspaper, and a few other cooking tools. It is heavy duty, and weather proof. When it is packed full, you need to be on steroids to be able to lift it!! Works well for us though!

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Mini-Truck-Box/16795320

We also use this trivet, when baking bread, biscuits, or bread pudding in a pan placed inside the DO.

http://www.lodgemfg.com/cooking-accessories/outdoor/trivet-meat-rack-L8DOT3

And don't forget a good stiff brush and scrapers for clean up.

http://www.lodgemfg.com/cooking-accessories/outdoor/pan-scraper-SCRAPERPK

http://www.lodgemfg.com/cooking-accessories/outdoor/cast-iron-scrubber-K11BRSH
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Rick,
As with the RD, you can go big and fancy, or you can go with the bare mins.

Here is my opinion (everyone has one).
10" Deep. this is a 5qt oven. (the 12" shallow is 6qt)
reason..... baking bread. At most pot lucks, you will have left overs if you fill it.
For a good stew, and feeding 4 it wont be big enough so send 2 people home.
Lid stand? I have 2, and I use them, but actually anything that will support the hot lid with out melting or burning will work, so if you can come up with something that can do multi duties go for it.
Lid lifter The Meir is the best, Lodge makes on (sold at Walmart), and a claw hammer works as well.
BBQ mits or welding gloves, Pot holder mits would work fine, again double duties.
Charcoal, that all depends on how much you are going to cook. 1 meal, a week end, or for the whole trip. I personally wouldn't carry the charcoal in my camper, but that is me. (I also don't cook in my camper either)
If you are inclined toward another DO, I would highly suggest the 2QT 8 inch oven. Can make a terrific MM breakfast for two in it.
The problem with Cast Iron, is it is like Notre Dame, either ya love em or ya hate em. If ya love it, leave room in your vehicle for a 12".
As with anything there are nice to haves and need to have.
As you travel, you will see things you like and learn there are things you dont need.
Don't need a starter chimney, you can buy fire starters at Walmart and start 3-4 fires with just one of the sticks.
If you have any further questions feel free to ask.

I cant emphasize enough on the steps of seasoning your iron b4 you use it. Even if it is seasoned by the MFG.
Oh yeah, buy Lodge they are made in USA.

Have fun.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Jenn said:
*A baggie full of precut, by me, parchment paper liners. Thanks George. Lesson learned! That was funny.
For under the DO's I use 3 layers of heavy duty aluminum foil. Im still on the first set of that. When the charcoal is out I dump the ashes into the fire ring and fold up the foil to use again. I tuck it in the box with the DO.
Click to expand...

What size are the recut parchment paper liners?

What is the purpose for the aluminum foil under the DO?
 
George said:
Don't need a starter chimney, you can buy fire starters at Walmart and start 3-4 fires with just one of the sticks.
Click to expand...

With a chimney, you can start your coals over a gas stove...just ask Darrel! ;) ;) ;)

I also use a hog feeder pan to start the coals. It allows me to use the DO pretty much anywhere. I also set the DO in it for cooking (helps with the coals when it's windy). You can also make a windscreen out of old license plates. Folds flat for easy storage.

:cool:
 
Thank you for all of the helpful suggestions! I was touched by all of the links and photos many of you embedded in your posts as well. I had forgotten about all of the accompanying tools and supplies that were necessary. I'm not much of a cook, and will confess to camping with a micro-wave with my kids in the pop-up. But I really want to learn at least some of the basics of D.O. cooking. It seems to compliment the TearDrop lifestyle so much more than the microwave (Sayeth the man who has in his Raindrop A/C, Furnace, Television, Kick Ass sound system with satellite radio and power antenna.) But, hey, life is full of contradictions and irony, right?
 
Hey, Rick.

I just use a 10 inch chicken fryer and a lid snitched from one of my dutch ovens. The long handle makes it easy to move around as I cook on an open fire. No charcoal, no stands, a rock works just fine for hot lids and a small branch can hook that lid as easily as a heavy pot holder...which I also use.

One pan, one lid and you can fry, stew and bake to your hearts content. This is bare bones cast iron and I find it works just dandy.

But season that baby or you'll be in the world of scrape and scour without a road map out.

And most of all, have fun and buy American made.

Camp On

Sue
 
I just picked up this old chicken fryer last week - once it gets cleaned and seasoned it will be getting all kinds of use, for all kinds of food.

148503284.GXdDq9pX.IMG_5862chickenfryerchf.jpg
 
Sue: I like the way the "chicken fryer" option would keep things simple. Because that is what I'm trying to do here.

However, I took the plunge and ordered a few things on-line last night:

10" 5-quart (deep) Lodge Dutch Oven

Mair 9" lid lifter

Lodge Lid stand

10" Lodge Cast Iron Skillet with glass lid (Not related to DO cooking, but something I wanted for my Raindrop.)

I know I will still need to pick up a few more things, but this should get me started! I'm hoping to practice a bit here at home over the next few months.

Thank you again for the wisdom of the tribe here!

Now onto my next question - any particular kinds of meals or recipes that are especially easy and would be confidence building to a DO newbie? Conversely, any recipes or kinds of DO cooking that might be better done with more experience???
 
Rick that sounds like a good start - here are a couple bread recipe's (both very similar) I've done in the DO that are just awesome.

No Knead Artisan Bread

Recipe:

3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon of any yeast
2 teaspoons of salt
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients in large bowl. Add water, and thoroughly mix with spoon. Dough will be sticky and wet.
Cover with plastic wrap, and let sit for 12-18 hours. (yes, hours!) Flour your preparation surface, and remove dough from bowl onto floured surface. (Check out those gluten strands--wow!!). Flatten the dough slightly with your hands making a semi-rectangle shape. Fold two of the sides/edges to the middle, repeat with the other two sides. Sprinkle some corn meal on your preparation surface, flip the loaf over, seam side down. Cover with a cloth, and let rise for two hours. 1 1/2 hours later, preheat oven (with dutch oven and lid inside) to 500 degrees for 30 mins.
Place loaf into dutch oven (using your hands, a pizza peel, etc.), cover with lid, and bake at 500 for 30 mins. Remove lid, and bake another 10-15 minds depending on how caramelized/crispy you want your bread. Remove loaf from dutch oven and let cool 15-20 mins.
Eat and enjoy!!!


No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread
1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting. You may use white, whole wheat or a combination of the two.
1 1/2 tsp salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran for dusting
1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the flour and salt, stirring until blended. The dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at least 8 hours, preferably 12 to 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it. Sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface or to your fingers, gently shape it into a ball. Generously coat a clean dish towel with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal. Put the seam side of the dough down on the towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another towel and let rise for about 1 to 2 hours. When it’s ready, the dough will have doubled in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least 20 minutes before the dough is ready, heat oven to 475 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in the oven as it heats. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven and lift off the lid. Slide your hand under the towel and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up. The dough will lose its shape a bit in the process, but that’s OK. Give the pan a firm shake or two to help distribute the dough evenly, but don’t worry if it’s not perfect; it will straighten out as it bakes.
5. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 15 to 20 minutes, until the loaf is beautifully browned. Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.
Yield: One 1 1/2-pound loaf.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top