Cast Iron Dutch Oven Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What not to cook in a cast iron Dutch oven? ›

Raw cast iron needs to be seasoned to make it nonstick and rust-resistant, while enameled Dutch ovens are somewhat nonstick and protected out of the box. High-quality enamel coatings are expensive, which is why enameled Dutch ovens cost more than their standard cast iron counterparts.

They can be used for braising and soups; basically, we love them for a lot of things, including as a kitchen tool for winter recipes especially. What makes an excellent Dutch oven? Lahey prefers cast iron over ceramic because it is more durable and less sensitive to thermal shock.

Sautéing is designed to enhance the flavours of a dish by browning the surface of ingredients. The Dutch Oven's enamelled cast iron construction makes it ideal for this cooking technique, offering superior heat retention to ensure ingredients get properly cooked.

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.

Use dish soap and a nylon scrubbing pad or the scrubby side of a kitchen sponge to remove any food or residue that's left and rinse well with running water. Never use steel wool or steel sponges! Dry immediately with a dishcloth and heat. If water sits on a cast iron Dutch oven it can cause surface rust.

Acidic Foods

If you're making a rich tomato sauce, wine-braised meat, or a lemon-based marinade, you might want to consider using a stainless steel or ceramic pot or pan. Acidic foods will strip away metals in even the most seasoned cast-iron cookware, and those metals will get into whatever you're cooking.

Your cast iron skillet needs to be well-seasoned in order to prevent sticking with scrambled eggs. You can tell if your pan is well-seasoned if other food you've been cooking has been lifting away nicely, and also by looking at it.

Another versatile alternative to a Dutch oven is the classic pot or stockpot - and the best thing about this substitute is that every kitchen should already have a large pot! Stockpots work particularly well, as they have high sides and a lid that will allow you to simmer your ingredients for an extended time.

A Dutch oven is, in essence, a big pot with a lid designed to let very little steam escape. (This is useful when you're braising or stewing something and don't want a lot of evaporation.)

Why is Le Creuset so expensive? ›

I put that down to the quality of the craftsmanship. Each Dutch oven is cast in sand, polished and finished by hand, then coated with porcelain enamel for durability and fired for heat resistance. I've made a lot of meals in my Le Creuset pot, from simmering stews on the stovetop to baking bread in the oven.

But in slang, a Dutch oven is when you pass gas in bed and pull the covers over someone else's head, trapping it in like a Dutch oven traps heat.

The lid of the Le Creuset isn't exactly lightweight—cast iron never is—but it's manageable, and the phenolic plastic knob doesn't heat up nearly as fast as a metal one would on the stovetop. For super high-heat baking projects like bread you do need to replace the phenolic knob with a stainless steel one lest it melt.

Its cast-iron walls are better at retaining heat than stainless steel, which helps keep temperatures more stable. It also redistributes that heat efficiently, so the oil can rebound quickly after temperatures drop when food is added.

The Best Foods to Cook in Cast Iron Pans

Pan-seared veggies and proteins. Fatty foods like bacon. Burgers.

A Dutch oven is a heavy-duty pot with lid designed for browning meat and veggies and then simmering on the stovetop or braising in the oven. It can also be used for soup and more simple tasks like boiling pasta. It's often used to make bread as well.

To deep fry like a pro, you need a sturdy vessel with even heat distribution. Le Creuset enameled cast iron Dutch ovens are ideal for deep frying because the excellent heat distribution and retention of cast iron keeps the oil temperature even and consistent, even when adding larger items like bone-in chicken.