Going Camping? Bring a Campfire Dutch Oven And These Delicious Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What can you cook in a Dutch oven camping? ›

Sear, pan-fry, sautee: A camping Dutch oven is also a great stand-in for a cast-iron skillet. Anything that can be cooked in a cast-iron skillet can be done in a Dutch oven too, like searing steaks, browning chicken thighs, sauteing vegetables, etc. We find the high sides help prevent grease from splattering.

Dutch ovens, like the Camp Chef Classic Dutch Oven, have been used for wilderness cooking for ages and are a wonderful way to cook nourishing food in the great outdoors. They retain heat and enhance the transfer of heat through the food.

Achieve a cooking temperature of 350°F

For an 8-inch oven, place 11 briquettes on the lid and 5 underneath the oven. For a 14-inch oven, place 21 briquettes on the lid and 11 underneath the oven. For a 16-inch oven, place 26 briquettes on the lid and 13 underneath the oven.

Unlike a home Dutch oven, which has a flat bottom and sealed in enamel, a camping Dutch oven is made entirely from cast iron, has support legs on the bottom, and comes with a flat flanged lid. Coals or embers can be placed underneath and on top of the lid, allowing you to heat from both sides.

For this dish, place your Dutch oven over a fire on a metal grate or rack, which will be hotter for sauteeing. If you don't have a grate, let the fire burn down, and then bury the oven well into the coals so there's plenty of heat.

Scrape out all of the food and wash your Camp Dutch Oven by hand with hot water. You can use a small amount of mild detergent. Dry your Camp Dutch Oven and lid thoroughly with paper or cloth towels. While the cookware is warm, rub a very light layer of cooking oil or our seasoning spray onto the surface.

When time allows, you can reach for the same Dutch oven to turn out perfectly crusty bread or tender braised meat. A Dutch oven is one of the most reliable pieces of cookware in your kitchen, and when properly cared for, it should also last a lifetime.

We don't recommend using an enamel cast iron over open flames, or putting it directly in the campfire. However, it's entirely safe to use an enameled Dutch oven over coals with a grate—like the ones more campgrounds have for grilling.

Take your oven's diameter in inches and double it. This is the number of high-quality, standard-size charcoal briquettes you will need to heat your oven to 325 degrees every time. For a 10-inch oven, you need 20 briquettes. For a 12-incher, you need 24 briquettes, and so on.

What makes Dutch ovens (also sometimes called French ovens) so enduring is their versatility. The sturdy build helps store and maintain heat, the heavy lid traps condensation and allows for more efficient heating, and the single-piece construction means Dutch ovens move easily between the cooktop and the oven.

Can Dutch oven go on stove top? ›

You can use a dutch oven on any kind of cooktop, including induction, as long as the dutch oven is cast-iron or another induction-compatible material. When you are using the dutch oven on a direct heat source, just make sure that the temperature does not get too hot and scorch it.

Be Mindful When Cooking Acidic Foods

In an enamel-coated Dutch oven, prolonged cooking with acidic ingredients may discolor the interior coating but doesn't erode it.

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.

You can easily use it on a stove top or in a standard household oven.

A Dutch oven gets hot and stays hot, meaning it can accommodate a wide range of cooking techniques. Of these techniques, the most common are braising, stewing, browning, frying, and baking.