Dutch Oven Cooking

As long as you're traveling by car, you can bring along a Dutch oven... an old-fashioned device that brings gourmet cooking to the campsite.

Dutch ovens are a type of cast-iron pot that is used to cook while camping, or even in your backyard. And it sure will impress your friends. You can hang them from a tripod or cooking crane over an open fame, or bury them in hot coals from your cooking fire. If you want the food to cook most evenly, it is best to bury it in the hot coals and make sure there are also hot coals or ashes on your Dutch oven's lid. This cooks the food more evenly, while the closed kettle locks in the natural juices and flavors.

Dutch oven camping

A Dutch oven can cook pretty much anything that will fit inside. It is the perfect way to produce your favorite home-made dishes while you're all out camping. Some people use these cast-iron cookers to bake damper or even cakes... others cook up desserts, but I have only ever used mine for roasting meat and vegetables. If you can cook it at all, you can cook it in a Dutch oven.

You will need to take proper care of your Dutch oven to protect it from rust. This is done by "seasoning" the iron pot and lid with a thin layer of glazed (cooked-on) fat, which seals the metal. It also makes it a natural non-stick surface.

Avoid soap or detergent when cleaning the oven because these agents will wash off the "seasoned" coating inside your oven, and it will start to rust. Just fill the dirty pot with water, bring it to the boil and scour with a long-handled dishwashing brush. Rinse, wipe well and dry.

Aluminum Dutch oven

There is also a new type of camping Dutch oven which doesn't rust. These are made out of aluminum, which makes them lighter to carry and easier to clean and care for.

Cooking in an aluminum Dutch oven is different because they heat up much faster, so there's more risk of burning your food. And they lose their heat just as quickly too. Some people believe the cast-iron Dutch oven are better for your long-term health, because aluminum (aluminium in the UK) may contribute to Alzheimer's disease.

If you do decide to take along an aluminum Dutch oven on your camping trip, look out for recipes that were written especially for the aluminum variety. This will minimise your learning curve.

Remember, it is much easier to burn your food in an aluminum Dutch oven than an iron one, and it's easy to get distracted while camping and burn the food. Few things can destroy a camping trip more quickly than burnt and blackened food; and what's worse, you are unikely to have brought enough to food make a replacement meal.

How to eat well at camp

Plan your meals at home before you set off on your camping trip. That way, your cooking skills and your Dutch oven will allow you and your family to all eat like a king.

You need to have enough briquettes or charcoal with you to cook all the dishes you have planned, so count how many briquettes each recipe calls for and add a bit extra to stay on the safe side.

And don't forget some of the cooking accessories you're going to need for your Dutch oven cooking and camping trip. You'll need thick oven gloves, metal tongs, some wooden spoons and some sort of lid lifter-upper so you don't get burned.

If you are new to cooking with a Dutch oven, then it is a really good idea to give yourself a trial run at home before you set off on that camping trip. You'll find that — with a little practice — Dutch oven cooking will add a whole new dimension to your family or group's next camping expedition. Enjoy!