Hansen - Stop, Drop, and Cook: Everday Dutch Oven Cooking with Food Storage

Also by Mark Hansen

Best of the Black Pot: Must-Have Dutch Oven Favorites

Black Pot for Beginners: Sure-Fire Methods to Get a Great Dutch Oven Dish Every Time

Around the World in a Dutch Oven

Dutch Oven Breads

contents

Introduction

Welcome to the Madness!

Ive been blogging about Dutch oven cooking (at http://marksblackpot.com) for about eight years now, and been cooking at gatherings and judging competitions. In the process, Ive managed to meet a lot of really cool people. Id like to tell you a quick story about one of them.

One day, a few years ago, as I was surfing the Net, looking for more Dutch oven sites and recipes, I came across a new blog called Dutch Oven Madness (http://dutchovenmadness.blogspot.com/). The lady who was doing the blogging had set herself up with a challenge to learn to use her Dutch ovens by cooking every evening meal in themoutdoors and using coalsfor an entire year. She would then blog the recipes.

I was intrigued. I just did my cooking on Sundays, so it would be really interesting to see someone do it daily.

Well, day by day, week after week, she went, posting more and more recipes. It was fascinating to read about which ones her family liked and which ones they didnt so much. It was really fun to vicariously live her challenge. During that year, I also got to meet her face-to-face at some Dutch oven activities, which was wonderful.

Well, she finished the year, and her blog continued, though not daily.

Now, heres where we get to the point of the story: A few months after she finished her year-long challenge, her stove died. Suddenly, she could no longer cook in her kitchen. Now, imagine if that happened to you! I think most people would be in a panic. That stove would be replaced quickly! Well, I dont know her circumstances, but she said that it would be a long time before they would be able to afford a new stove.

However, she was able to continue cooking for her family, because she was prepared. She knew how to use her Dutch ovens, and had developed confidence in them. She was still able to feed her family.

Now, Ive never had to face that kind of a challenge. But with my skills with a Dutch oven, I know that in the event of an extended blackout or some other local emergency, I can feed my family well.

There are lots of different kinds of emergencies. There are personal emergencies, where the family breadwinner loses a job or is sick and cant work. There are natural disasters, like floods and tornadoes. There are long-term emergencies and short, immediate crises. Its tricky to prepare for it all.

An important part of any food storage plan is a way to cook and prepare all that shelf-stable food youve been storing. There are lots of ways to do this: on a grill, with a solar oven, with small hiking stoves.

The Dutch oven works well because its flexible and adaptable. It can be used with different fuels and heat sources and can cook a wide variety of things. They are heavy, though, making them difficult to transport, but that also makes them durable. Their simplicity makes them reliable as well.

First, lets talk a little bit about Dutch ovens: how to buy one, how to prepare and care for it, and what accessories you might need. Then, well talk a little bit about food storage, and, finally, well get to the recipes and how to cook with it! Even though there are some tips to acquiring and using food storage, this book is more about cooking it than gathering it.

Another one of my books is called The Black Pot for Beginners and it covers much of the information here, plus more detail. Its a great book for learning how to cook in a Dutch oven. Well just cover some basics here.

How to Shop for a Dutch Oven

If youre going to cook in a Dutch oven, of course, youll need to have one. This alone can be an intimidating proposition. Dont be overwhelmed by it. Really, you can cook in any Dutch oven. Read on, and youll make a smarter first purchase.

There are four basic variables that youll want to consider when youre deciding which kind to buy: the type, the size, the material, and the quality.

THE TYPE

You have two basic options here: camp Dutch ovens, or stove Dutch ovens. Which you choose will depend on what youre going to do with it.

A camp Dutch oven is primarily designed for outdoor cooking using wood coals or charcoal briquettes. Its got a lip around the perimeter of the lid that keeps the coals on the lid and prevents ash from falling down into the food when you lift it. Its also got legs on the bottom that elevate the Dutch oven above any coals you want to put underneath.

A stove Dutch oven is designed primarily for use indoors, in a conventional oven or on your stove top. It doesnt have legs because youre setting it in your oven or resting it directly on your stoves burner. It doesnt have the lip around the lid because there are no coals to be put on top. Some of these will even be coated in colored enamels.

It is possible to use a camp Dutch oven indoors, but its not as convenient. Its possible to use a stove Dutch oven outdoors, but its tricky.

THE SIZE

Dutch ovens are primarily measured by diameter and sometimes by quart capacity. Common sizes are 10 and 12 inches. You can buy them as small as 5 inches or as large as 22 inches (which take considerable effort to lift, even without food in them). Which one you end up buying will depend largely on who youll be cooking for. If youre cooking for yourself, or you have a small family, you wont want a big one. If you have a larger family, or if youre thinking youll end up cooking for groups of friends, youll want a bigger one.

If this is your first oven, and youre just interested in experimenting a little, Id recommend a 12-inch shallow oven. This will have the capacity to feed a family of four with some leftovers, and can easily cook for a gathering of as many as eight, depending on what youre cooking. Breads, stews, chilis, desserts, and even small roasts can easily be done in a 12-inch Dutch oven.

Larger and smaller ovens will come in handy in more specialized situations. For example, I use my 14-inch ovens to cook turkeys and larger specialty meats. My 8-inch Dutch oven I use for sides, like rice or sauces. In the recipes in this book, I often use the 8-inch to heat water for reconstituting dehydrated foods.