Foods You Can Only Make Right With A Dutch Oven

Spring is that part of the year when most people love spending their time outdoors. The pleasant winter makes way for fresh and green vegetation that spring up all over the landscape. What better way can you wish than to spend your time with family and friends in your backyard cooking foods you can only make right with a Dutch oven?

The British used Dutch ovens for many years to cook their food. Dutch ovens are large pots of cast iron with matching lids. These huge pots with their lids were placed over burning coals of fire in the open to help them with the cooking process. When the Dutch oven is used for cooking, the food turns out just right. Practically there are no essential nutrients that are lost due to this slow cooking process. The flavors and nutritive value of food is kept intact.

The Dutch oven is actually a simple cooking pot that uses traditional cooking method to cook food. The process of cooking in a Dutch oven is slow and intense. There are a lot of foods you can only make right with a Dutch oven. The popularity of this kitchen appliance is increasing among American households who have realised the value of the same. Foods that need to be cooked on slow fire and uniformly are best cooked in Dutch ovens.

Foods cooked in the Dutch oven ensure that tenderization takes place at optimum level thereby retaining all flavors. With the lid on, cooking gets done effectively as moisture is retained. You can cook a plethora of meat dishes, stew, bean dishes, soups and casseroles using the Dutch oven. All these foods need to be cooked over slow fire to help retain their nutritive value with of course great flavor as well.

Cakes, desserts and bread are some other foods you can make right with a Dutch oven. However, it is not advisable to bake cookies in them due to practical reasons. Roasting in a dutch oven keeps the meat evenly done while it absorbs the juices during the cooking process. The insulated walls of the pot allow for excellent absorption of juices while cooking is in progress.

A stew requires simmering at a slow pace and is perfect when prepared with Dutch oven. When a combination of ingredients like seafood or meat along with various herbs, spices and vegetables are kept in the dutch oven for cooking, the food turns out just right. Casseroles are great when made using a dutch oven with meat and vegetables cut into smaller pieces.

As you cook sticky foods or egg dishes it is better you cover the bottom of the Dutch oven with an aluminum foil to prevent them from sticking to the pot. Foods like fish curry can also be made using Dutch ovens but then the whole appliance will smell like fish and proper seasoning of the oven requires to be done to remove the bad smell. If you do not do this, you will have your other foods smell of fish. Acidic foods are best left out of the Dutch ovens, as they tend to corrode the oven.