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List Price: $76.99
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This is the classic size Dutch Oven that is used by boy scouts, girl scouts, chuck wagon cooks, and outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds. My review is mostly limited to the outdoor uses of this wonderful classic dutch oven, but I use one at home as well. This model is a #12 dutch oven which is the "standard" size most commonly used, but there many sizes bigger and smaller. This one holds 8 quarts, measuring 12" in diameter by 5" tall. It has the tripod legs and a recessed lid best suited for cooking in coals. But those legs make it harder to use in a conventional oven, you need to maneuver the legs if possible onto your grill rack. They make a legless version with the domed lid for a home oven, and I have used it in a fire as well. On this model, you can even flip this lid over and use it as a skillet in a pinch if you need to in camp. You can do it all with a Dutch Oven cobblers, stews, beans, roasts, dumplings, you name it. It is the ultimate "one pot" pan.
QUALITY: There is a reason you can find old cast iron pans in antique stores, it lasts forever. I have quite a few pans and stuff inherited from family members and even some garage sale finds. I have found pans rusted and abused to where they would head for the trash bin if they were made of anything else, but you can bring cast iron back with some elbow grease and a re-seasoning or two. While my modern expensive non-stick cookware seems to last no more than a few years before replacement in my kitchen, but this stuff can easily last many decades of daily use. Lodge has a life time warranty! I love to cook with cast iron even at home, it is so durable, but I can take it camping too. Easy to clean up, the only drawback being it is heavy and hard on your wrists as you get older. Cast iron takes a bit longer to heat up, but the heat transfers very evenly without hot spots and it retains its heat for a long time. It can go from stovetop to oven with ease. Do not use it at temperatures higher than 500 degrees, as it can crack. I am not sure why, but people swear certain foods just taste better in cast iron. I believe that cast iron only improves with use and proper care instead of wearing out like other pans. As for Lodge, there really is a big difference in quality, their current pans are noticeably better than the other brands.
SEASONING FINISH: Seasoning of cast iron cookery does not refer to flavor, but the finish, a kind of glaze on the pan. I love old pans because they have the best seasoning, the older the better. I have inherited many old pans. The modern version sold here is "pre-seasoned" and ready to cook in, but we used to have to season these ourselves in the old days. It needs to stay black and a bit shiny inside to stay seasoned. If you do lose your seasoning due to rust or an overaggressive cleaning, simply wipe it with oil inside and out and place it in a hot oven for about 20 minutes or so. Let it cool in the oven slowly and naturally to room temperature again. It also helps to wipe it with a paper towel of oil after cleaning, or spray it with cooking oil and wipe. If it gets rusty, re-season it, you can get it like new again. DO NOT cook on it without re-seasoning though, as the food will stick. A note on what type of oil to use for seasoning, if you can do so use bacon grease, lard or butter, vegetable oil can sometimes get a little sticky in the pan and does not seem to get enough glaze as the animal based fats in my experience.
CLEANING: There is a debate on the cleaning of cast-iron that is as old as the pans, as to whether to use soap or not and how that affects sanitation. The Lodge company recommends cleaning without soap, but some people do so under certain circumstances. To clean without soap wash it with hot water or boil hot water in it and scrub it with a long handle brush or plastic scrubber, but never a metal scrubber as you can scratch the seasoning glaze. If you do use soap be sure it is very mild, maybe just dip your scrubber in the dishwater but don't immerse your pan in it. Immediately drying the pan is critical to its care either way, as soon as you clean the pan hand dry it with a paper towel and re-oil the pan immediately. For the most part, cast iron is non-stick as long as it is seasoned. If you use the pan on a fire, you can get soot on the exterior. An old Boy Scout trick to keep the exterior clean of soot if used on a campfire, is to treat the pan prior to cooking in the following manner. First wipe the pan (exterior only!) with some wet soap or a wet SOS pad, then let it dry before using it on the fire. Then when you are ready for washing, the soap has laid a protective layer over the exterior surface and the soot just wipes right off when you clean up with water.
ACCESSORIES: There are plenty of terrific Dutch oven and cast iron cook books here at Amazon.com. You can also get videos/DVD on Dutch Oven cooking like the one with Cee Dub. You can get affordable accessories too such as a Dutch oven tote bag, tongs, lid lifter, lid stand, and gloves. To be safe if cooking on coals or fire, use the lid lifter accessory, it will keep you from getting burned. I highly recommend this pan, and have decades of experience behind that statement, enjoy your cobbler!
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If you're reading this, you probably already know about camp dutch ovens. I've been a Boy Scout my whole life, and a Scoutmaster and adult leader for several years now... (and an avid camper and outdoor cook to boot.) I have owned 5 or 6 dutch ovens in my life, and I'm now convinced that there is no match for the quality of LODGE dutch ovens. They are worth paying a little extra for. The others aren't really worth buying-the cheaper ones don't keep a finish like the LODGE ovens do.
I've bought the original finish and now this one with the LOGIC factory forged finish. I LOVE the pre-seasoned cookware. It isn't the finish that you'll get after years of seasoning, cooking and taking care of an oven, BUT you'll love that you will be able to cook on this oven RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX. So, if you're into instant gratification (with no downside-they season perfectly as you use them) this is the oven choice for you.
Best Deals for Lodge L12DCO3 Pre-Seasoned Cast-Iron Camp Dutch Oven, 8-Quart
In more than a decade of outdoor cooking experience, I have learned one valuable lesson: always trust anything from Lodge. This rule has been tested on everything from a simple skillet to the monster dutch ovens crafted to feed an army. In all those years, Lodge has never failed me.
I tried to save money by using cast iron utensils from other firms, and have paid dearly for it. No body has the durability, the skill, or the quality of Lodge. There is something magic about the Lodge method of manufacturing, and that magic is worth every penny that you pay for. When you purchase from Lodge, you aren't simply buying a pot or skillet, you're acquring a lifelong companion that your children will be using when you are gone.
I have 5 dutch ovens of various sizes, numerous skillets and griddles, and all of them bear the Lodge name and logo, and all of them still perform just like they did when I first got them, although they have improved with age because the taste and the smell of the food that comes from them says it all.
Trust me, friends: you can save money by buying another brand, but you will be making a grave mistake. Don't try to be cheap, buy Lodge and prepare yourself for a quality product that will last for a long, long time.
Honest reviews on Lodge L12DCO3 Pre-Seasoned Cast-Iron Camp Dutch Oven, 8-Quart
We are very pleased with our Lodge Logic 8 quart camp dutch oven. It's true about the preseasoned readiness of the dutch. Straight out of the box, we rinsed it with hot water, applied a thin coat of cooking oil, and started cooking. The instruction/recipe book was most helpful to us,being first time owners. It listed the amount of charcoal needed for various cooking temperatures and sizes of the dutch ovens being used. We used one of our own recipes, stuffed meatballs. The food turned out great! We think it tasted better. We plan on buying a 10" and an 8" camp dutch to use with this 12" so we can try the stacking method of cooking. As a side note, we found the Weber chimney charcoal starter to work well, and at a price under 13 bucks at the HomeDepot. Also my husband came up with the idea of using leather welding gloves for safe handling of the charcoal chimney and the hot dutch. We found a pair at Sears for under 10 bucks. To use our dutch while camping we thought it best to use a metal container of some sort for a cooking table that is light weight and packable. We found the solution at a restaurant supply store, a huge 15"dia.aluminum cake pan with 2" sides. We also found 16" tongs at that store. This is a fun and tasty way of cooking outdoors.
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This is a great tool for baking European style crusty bread! Best bread I ever made. Saw the recipe in Mother Earth News: 3 cups bread flour, 1/4 tsp dry yeast, 1 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 1/2 cups water. Dissolve yeast in water. Mix ingredients in mixing bowl, but don't knead. Cover with wrap and let it rise 12-18 hours til dotted on top with bubbles. Roll dough into ball and set seam side down on dish cloth heavily coated with flour and corn meal. Let dough rise til double. About 20 minutes before dough is ready, put Lodge Dutch Oven, lid and all, into your oven and set temp to 450. After 20 min without burning yourself, put dough, seam side up into kettle and cover. Return to oven and cook for 30 minutes with lid on. Then remove lid and continue baking til it browns up and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove and let cool.
