Dutch Oven Usage

[Trevorum]

NEWS FLASH! The Dutch Oven is now the official cooking implement of the State of Texas! And the BSA gets some of the credit!

 

 

WHEREAS, The State of Texas traditionally has recognized a variety of official state symbols as tangible representations of the proud spirit and heritage of our state; and

 

WHEREAS, The bluebonnet, the pecan tree, the Guadalupe bass, and the lightning whelk are examples of some natural specimens that serve to symbolize the great diversity of the Texas landscape, while the state dish, chili, fittingly represents another aspect of our shared culture as Texans; and

 

WHEREAS, In keeping with this custom, the designation of the cast iron Dutch oven as the official State Cooking Implement would provide suitable recognition for this sturdy utensil; and

 

WHEREAS, A welcome and dependable fixture at campfires across the Lone Star State, the Dutch oven was used extensively by Spanish explorers, early settlers, ranchers, and chuckwagon cooks over the course of Texas' history; and

 

WHEREAS, The Dutch oven has also remained a popular item with a vast number of Texans today, and in January, 1995, the Lone Star Dutch Oven Society was founded to promote its use throughout the state; and

 

WHEREAS, Ideal for use in moist-cooking methods, such as braising and stewing, the Dutch oven's versatility has made it the food preparation implement of choice of both the Boy Scouts of America and the Girl Scouts of America; and

 

WHEREAS, Renowned for its portability and durability, the cast iron Dutch oven has been a cooking mainstay of Texans from the time of the pioneers to the current day, and it is indeed appropriate that it receive special legislative recognition for its role in our state's history and culture; now, therefore, be it

 

RESOLVED, That the 79th Legislature of the State of Texas hereby designate the cast iron Dutch oven as the official State Cooking Implement.

 

 

[orennoah]

"Ideal for use in moist-cooking methods, such as braising and stewing . . . ."

 

Hey! Why this limitation?! Dutch ovens are great for dry methods, too. What about baking breads? How about those famous Texas cowboy sourdough biscuits? Not to mention cakes.

 

Seriously, congrats to the Texans, who now join Utahans in having an official cooking vessel, the wonderful Dutch oven.

 

- Oren

[AnneinMpls]

Well, so I dug out my appelskiver pan from the depths and discovered in the last couple years it had developed some rust and one of the indentations had some kind of dark liquid goo in it.

A scrubbing of Kosher salt did the trick! It absorbed most of the goo and cleaned up the areas starting to rust. Amazing stuff. Then I dumped the salt, rubbed in a tiny bit of oil, and set it on my gas stove with a high flame. The remains of the goo emitted the lovely scent of lingonberries....ahh...mystery solved. Burned and scraped off the remains of the lingonberries and my pan is good as new The seasoning is intact and ready to go.

Anne in Mpls

 

[gwd-scouter]

We never re-oil our ovens after we use them. Hot water and a plastic scrubbing pad or wadded up aluminum foil to clean and remove food debris. Hot water to rinse. Paper towel dry and then on the coals a bit to make sure it's completely dry. Put away for next time.

 

I've tasted too many cobblers made by other troops at camporee competitions that tasted like rancid oil. Perhaps the troops using those ovens did not clean them properly to begin with. Or maybe coating with oil is OK if you use your oven frequently which would not allow the oil to go rancid.

 

Our ovens have been in use for about 5 years since their initial seasoning. Even without re-oiling each use, our foods don't stick, there is no leftover taste and the ovens are rust free.

 

 

 

 

[AnneinMpls]

Yup, that's why I put it over a hot flame for a few minutes. If that oil isn't heated up sufficently it's going to go bad.

Anne in Mpls

[LongHaul]

Kenk,

I see youre from NE Illinois, I'm out of Chicago so I'll add a few things to what has been said. If it's cold and your D.O. is cold heat it slowly if you use a gas stove. In winter the base will expand faster than the sides and cause stress fractures. If you have an aluminum D.O. remember it can melt if you use red oak or some of the other high temp hard woods in our area, cast iron just gets red! I personally don't like oil, I prefer Crisco. Anybody else ever use a corrugated culvert slipped over several D.O.s stacked up?

LongHaul

[evmori]

LongHaul,

Never used a corrugated culvert but when we stack our ovens, we wrap the stack in aluminum foil. Works like a charm!

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[AnneinMpls]

Umm, ok, I had to look up corrugated culvert...

That's a lot to lug along on a campout. Ed, I like your idea with the foil.

[LongHaul]

Back when Chicago Area Council had 8, yes eight, council camps we had corrugated culvert sections at some camps for this purpose. Hauling them around would require a lot of trailer space but using them was an art. The meat dish would go on the bottom with the major amount of coals going on the top of the oven. The middle dish was high in liquid such as soup or a vegetable which was held off the bottom of the oven on a rack and baked, such as squash or potatoes. This dish had major coals from the bottom and few on the top. The desert would go top of the stack and the heat funneling up the sides would slow bake it. We called them "set it and forget it" meals. Using pliers you would slightly lift the culvert after a while and slip in a few more coals under the bottom oven to maintain heat but that was about it. I miss those days.

LongHaul