When you think of a cast iron Dutch oven, what comes to mind? Pioneer cooking? Dishes on the fire? Side of both are true, but they are still very much in use today as Dutch oven, the possibilities are endless. Dutch ovens can be used for frying, baking, boiling, steaming, and so on. The purchase of your Dutch Oven Dutch Oven When purchasing, make sure that the lid has a raised edge. This is to keep your heat source, which briquettes. This will help you reach the proper temperature needed to cook what you are wanting to do, with the exception of boiling or frying.
In this case you want all the heat on the bottom. Fundamentals of Heating: If you are planning on baking, you need more heat in the top than at the bottom. Put one briquette on the bottom of every three in the top of the lid. For the preparation of stews, use one at the top of every 4 in the background. When roasting, briquettes put on the top and bottom evenly.
To understand the temperature and the number of briquettes you need a little math. Each briquette adds about 25 degrees of heat. A starting temperature is 350 degrees F. To find out how many briquettes to use, have the oven size in inches, and subtract three to get the number of briquettes in the frame, add three to get the number of briquettes for the top. Preparing To Cure Your Dutch Oven Now that you understand the basics of using your Dutch oven you need to prepare or cure the oven before use. Some smelters have a protective cover that is needed to remove. You will have a wash with a non-abrasive Scrubby. Once cover is removed, rinse and dry the oven and allow to air dry. Cure To heal the oven, preheat the kitchen oven to 350 degrees. Place the Dutch oven on the center rack, with the lid open slightly. Allow to heat slowly until it is too hot to handle. Apply a thin layer of salt free cooking oil with a clean cloth to the Dutch oven inside and out. Place back in the oven of the stove with the lid slightly open. Bake the oven for about an hour. Repeat After baking, allow the Dutch oven to cool slowly. When cool enough to handle, repeat the oil again and cook same as before again. When cool enough apply a third layer of oil, but this time it is ready for use. Prepare the Dutch oven in this way prevents rust and makes it much easier for cleaning and Cleaning To clean the oven after use, scrape, add hot water, no soap, and heat in oven until the water is almost boiling. For any food that sticks a bit, use an abrasive scrubber. Protect your Dutch oven again by warming in the oven, applying a thin layer of oil and let cool. Its now ready for storage. . Official site: Starbucks.