Complete Dutch Oven Cookbook: 105 Recipes for Your Most Versatile Pot

By Katie Hale

Make the most of your Dutch oven with classic and creative recipes
Forget the extra pots and discover all the different dishes you can make with a single Dutch oven. This comprehensive guide covers all the basics, from crucial cleaning tips to tons of mouthwatering recipes.
Maximize your Dutch oven with:

- 105 delicious recipes—Discover a versatile collection of simple weeknight dinners, quick breads, and desserts.
- Comprehensive guide—Learn the ins and outs of shopping for, cooking with, and cleaning your Dutch oven so you can enjoy it for years to come.
- Simple ingredients—Enjoy easy Dutch oven recipes with easy-to-find ingredients.
Use The Complete Dutch Oven Cookbook to make mealtime simpler, tastier, and more exciting.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Sep 14, 2021
• ISBN: 9781638079729

Katie Hale

Katie Hale is an internationally recognised poet and novelist, who has held residencies and fellowships around the world. Her novel, My Name is Monster, was shortlisted for the Kitschies Golden Tentacle Award and has been translated into multiple languages, and her second pamphlet, Assembly Instructions, won the Munster Chapbook Prize. She is a former MacDowell Fellow, Hawthornden Fellow, and winner of the Palette Poetry Prize, and was awarded a 2021 Northern Debut Award for White Ghosts. She lives in Cumbria, where she also writes for theatre and immersive digital performance, and mentors emerging poets.

Book preview

1

CHAPTER ONE

THE MOST COMPLETE POT IN YOUR KITCHEN

The Dutch oven is a beloved classic, but there are many ways to use this versatile pot. I’ll share with you the best ways to clean and care for your Dutch oven, how to cook with it on the stovetop, and when to use it in the oven for best results. I’m even including a list of pantry essentials to help as you experiment with recipes in your Dutch oven.

This cookbook is designed to give you tips for use and showcase a variety of meals and cooking techniques, including baking, braising, roasting, searing, and slow cooking.

ONE VERSATILE VESSEL

Every chef, whether home cook or professional, has a few tools they reach for regularly. In my kitchen, the Dutch oven is right next to my chef’s knife as the most commonly used item. One reason for this is the pot’s versatility—there is so much you can do with it.

The first thing to know about using a Dutch oven is that it produces even cooking better than a typical pot. Its design allows the surface to hold a regulated temperature more efficiently than other vessels. This feature is what makes the Dutch oven ideal for slow-cooking stews, braising meat, and slow-roasting meat and vegetable dishes.

When using the Dutch oven on the stovetop, you will find that your foods cook evenly, and because the pot holds heat better, foods cook faster without burning as easily. In the oven, you have the option of cooking with or without the lid, offering a way to hold in flavor and moisture while keeping the temperature even. When braising meats, you are given a chance to seal in that flavor on the stovetop, then move the food right into the oven so no flavor or heat is lost in the cooking process.

Because the Dutch oven is typically made with a cast-iron base, it is sturdy and long lasting. A Dutch oven is a wonderful investment that can be used for your needs, then passed down to future generations. Today, most Dutch ovens are enamel coated, and that is what I used for the recipes in this book.

KNOW YOUR DUTCH OVEN

A large pot with a fancy name can be intimidating, but it is a wonderful tool, and I’m confident you will find that a Dutch oven replaces other cookware and makes your cooking experience easier and more satisfying. It is worth taking time to get to know your Dutch oven. Learning its unique properties can offer even experienced cooks more freedom and confidence to use this tool daily. The following tips can also serve as a handy guide should you decide to invest in additional Dutch ovens to add to your kitchen cookware arsenal.

Size and Shape

Dutch ovens come in a variety of sizes, and though the recipes in this cookbook are designed for a 5½-quart Dutch oven, that size is not the only choice that will suit your needs.

Dutch ovens are available in sizes as small as 1 quart—ideal for preparing 1 or 2 servings—all the way to the 13¼-quart capacity, capable of holding upwards of 10 servings. Although the 1-quart Dutch oven is popular as a decorative serving dish, it is best suited for whipping up sauces or gravies. The most common sizes for general-use cooking are the 3-quart Dutch oven, which holds enough food to serve 3 or 4, the 5½-quart pot that can serve 4 to 6, and the 7-quart option that serves 6 to 8.

Dutch ovens come in both oval and round shapes. The traditional round Dutch oven is most popular and best for stovetop recipes. The oval Dutch oven is an excellent choice for anything baked but does not work quite as well on the stovetop because the oval shape usually means that the whole pot cannot sit on a single burner. Many bakers prefer their bread to look loaf-like (and less round), and thus opt for an oval-shaped Dutch oven. The longer, oval shape is also great for preparing large turkeys or chickens. That said, both shapes can function well in your kitchen and are interchangeable, in most cases.

Material and Coating

In addition to varying in shape and size, Dutch ovens are also made using different materials. Although most Dutch ovens are made with a cast-iron base, there are some aluminum and ceramic varieties available. These aluminum and ceramic pots are often called French ovens, and although they are durable and shaped similarly to a cast-iron Dutch oven with a sealing lid, they do not hold heat as well as cast iron does.

Cast-iron Dutch ovens are sometimes left uncoated, and sometimes sealed with an enamel coating. The traditional uncoated cast-iron Dutch oven is a great choice for those who may not only want to use their pot in their home kitchen, but also when cooking over an open flame. An uncoated cast-iron Dutch oven can be used in hot coals, over a campfire, or inside a wood stove. The potential downside to a solid cast-iron Dutch oven is that it retains flavors and smells from past meals (like a cast-iron skillet will), and the material has the potential to rust if not cared for properly.

Enamel-coated cast-iron Dutch ovens have benefits in the kitchen and can be very beautiful. Not only are these sometimes brightly colored pots aesthetically pleasing to look at, but they are easy to clean with soap and water. You will also find that the enamel-coated options do not rust or retain flavors or smells from past meals.

The Lid

All Dutch ovens come with a well-fitting lid. Not only is the fit important, but most enamel-coated Dutch ovens have ridges or spikes on the inside of the lid. This allows the lid to help return moisture in the pot or food being cooked. In essence, the lid acts as a baster for the food. If the lid on your Dutch oven does not fit well, contact the manufacturer for a replacement.

If you have an uncoated cast-iron Dutch oven and are interested in accessories for outdoor cooking, you can find attachments anywhere that sells camping equipment and supplies.

Brand and Budget Considerations

The most widely used brands of Dutch ovens include Cuisinart, Le Creuset, Lodge, and the less-expensive brands available on Amazon. Each has its benefits and price point, depending on your needs.

The most common brand and model, with the overall best reviews, is the enamel-coated Le Creuset Dutch oven. At the time of writing, this model cost between $300 and $400 for the 5½-quart model. The Cuisinart enamel-coated Dutch oven is a more affordable option, at $80 to $100 for the 5½-quart pot. If you want the ability to use your Dutch oven both indoors and outdoors, the Lodge solid cast-iron Dutch oven costs around $50 for a pre-seasoned 5-quart version.

CARING FOR YOUR DUTCH OVEN

The Dutch oven, although larger than most kitchen pots and pans, is one of the easiest to clean. Because I primarily use an enamel-coated Dutch oven, I simply wipe any food debris from the surface with a damp cloth and hand wash the pot and lid in hot soapy water. Sometimes, I will place it in the dishwasher on the normal wash setting. This next section walks you through some basic guidelines for treating and cleaning your Dutch oven, whether it is enamel-coated or uncoated cast iron, and includes a few tips and things to keep in mind as you go.

Enamel-Coated Cast Iron

The enamel coating on a Dutch oven is beneficial because it allows you to clean your Dutch oven more easily. It is almost always safe to wash your enamel-coated Dutch oven in the dishwasher, or it can be cleaned by hand with hot water and soap.

Food that sticks onto the coating can be scraped off easily with a rubber spatula or scraper. You can also add hot water to the pot, bring it to a boil, and boil for 5 minutes to loosen the stuck-on food, then use a spatula to scrape it off the pot. Make sure, whether cooking or cleaning, that you do not use any metal utensils on your pot, as they will damage the coating and potentially mix it into the food.

To dry your enamel-coated Dutch oven, wipe it with a dry cloth, or let it air-dry (with the lid off) until completely dry.

Uncoated Cast Iron

The uncoated cast-iron Dutch oven needs additional care when cleaning it. As your pot has a seasoned cast-iron coating, do not use soap to wash the pot. Use hot water and a clean, damp cloth to wipe any food from the surface.

Just as you should not use soap on an uncoated cast-iron pot, do not place it in the dishwasher, either. This will remove the seasoning (the quality that makes cast iron a nonstick surface) and will require you to go through the seasoning process again.

When caring for your Dutch oven, check the manufacturer’s recommendations as some brands have special care instructions. For example, some generic brands of Dutch ovens have a Teflon nonstick coating, rather than the traditional cast iron or enamel-coated cast iron. In those instances, it is extra important to follow the brand-specific recommendations for cleaning the Dutch oven.

COOKING WITH YOUR DUTCH OVEN

The Dutch oven truly is a versatile piece of cookware. Great food textures, even heat distribution, and the ability to cook large