A Week of Easy Dutch Oven Recipes • Binkies and Briefcases (2024)

FAQs

Can you make everything in a Dutch oven? ›

Definitely. You can do just about anything in a dutch oven, from a roast chicken to soups to baked beans to desserts. One thing it's good for is baking bread in your home oven.

The Dutch oven is the master of the stovetop. Since it's basically a wider, heavier version of a stockpot, it's a good pick to simmer broth or cook up big batches of beans. The cast iron core can get hot enough to quickly sear chunks of meat and brown veggies.

Typically made of enameled cast iron or stainless steel, dutch ovens heat quickly and maintain temperature effectively, making it an ideal vessel for searing and browning.

But in real life, we make pasta in a Dutch oven, because when you're cooking a pound of pasta, it's the best option you have. If you've never used a Dutch oven to make pasta, that's totally cool. This isn't some new, scary experience you have to prepare for. All you have to do is switch one pot for another.

In a 4- to 5-quart Dutch oven, cook potatoes, covered, in enough lightly salted boiling water to cover for 20 to 25 minutes or until tender; drain. Return the hot, drained potatoes to the hot Dutch oven. Add the 1/4 cup butter. Let stand, uncovered, for 2 to 3 minutes.

In that case, we recommend the infamous Dutch oven prank. For the uninitiated, a Dutch oven involves farting in bed, then quickly pulling up the sheets to trap your significant other with the smell. It's a decades-old trick that has surely ruined countless relationships, yet many dudes still dare to try it.

A 6-quart enamel-coated Dutch oven costs less than $100, and their seasoned Dutch ovens and camp stoves are even more affordable. You can score a 5-quart Dutch oven for just over $50 and a camp stove for $79.95. For an enamel-coated 5½-quart Dutch oven from Milo, you'll pay $135.

Deeper and wider, Dutch ovens are best for deep frying while a shallow skillet or fry pan is ideal for pan frying. Use the right oil – Butter or extra virgin olive oil may sound tasty but they will break down and burn at the high temperature needed for frying.

Can you cook meat in a Dutch oven? ›

One of the best things to cook in a Dutch oven is a tough cut of meat, like pork shoulder or brisket. It's the perfect vessel for handling a large piece of meat that needs to cook low and slow for hours. Give this simple preparation of beef brisket a go.

“A cast-iron Dutch oven will give you better results than an Instant Pot any day,” says Lance Nitahara, an assistant professor at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. In fact, this one pot can replace your slow cooker, stock pot, pasta pot, loaf pan, and deep fryer.

Dutch Ovens are perfect for stovetop and oven use. In fact, our Dutch Oven can function on any stovetop: gas, induction, electric. Plus, it is oven safe up to 550°Fahrenheit. There's a lot of uses that you can get out of this incredible cookware because of how versatile they are.

The expert take

"Both a Dutch oven and a slow cooker can be used to cook foods over a low heat for a long period of time. Both can give excellent results, but generally, dishes will taste better when cooked in a Dutch oven as opposed to a slow cooker," says Fiona.

Use in cooking

Virtually any recipe that can be cooked in a conventional oven can be cooked in a Dutch oven. When cooking over a campfire, it is possible to use old-style lipped cast-iron Dutch ovens as true baking ovens, to prepare biscuits, cakes, breads, pizzas, and even pies.