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Lodge Cast Iron

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    Lodge Cast Iron

    Going to purchase one today. Looking at 5qt and 8qt deep version. Says 5" deep on both, one 10" round the other 12". Question is, for those of you that use these, for the wife and I or for general cooking which size would you recommend? I envision, corn bread, chili, beans maybe a stew. Is one size better for most recipes?

    Thanks Rick
    Last edited by gardenfish; September 7, 2015, 08:39 AM.

    #2
    The 5 quart would be better for 2 people... that 8 quart is BIG... I have one of those. You could feed a militia with that thing! hahahaha

    Comment


      #3
      smarkley I just measured some of my sauce pans and took your advice. I ordered the L10DCO3. Its a 5 qt - 10" pound and 5" deep w/legs. Last week I got the lid stand and lid lifter so by next week should be ready to try it out.

      Now to figure out what to cook it on. Somewhere I have a pizza stone. Do you think that would hold the coals and cooker ok sitting on the ground? I do not have any roll away grass like Meathead

      Comment


        #4
        you could use your kettle... take the top grill out... SnS out... put something on the grill like a pizza pan or stone to hold the coals and use that... or get an old wash tub... that works too. Also... if you have a lid stand... build the fire set the lid stand in the fire and the dutch oven lid upside down on the stand... instant pizza stone LOL

        Comment


        • gardenfish
          gardenfish commented
          Editing a comment
          Wow now I have an instant pizza stone too You guys are awesome. Grilled cheese on a lid. Who's going to believe me?

        • smarkley
          smarkley commented
          Editing a comment
          you are gonna have to show them a picture I guess

        #5
        Hi gardenfish ,

        I stumbled onto this site about a week ago. Might have alotta good ideas / recipes / techniques. Don't know as I haven't ventured into this arena yet. Looks pretty cool!

        -- Ed

        Dutch oven cooking recipes and advice for everyone

        Comment


        • gardenfish
          gardenfish commented
          Editing a comment
          Awesome information. Thank you

        #6
        ya Medusa ... dutchovendude has a lot recipes... they are all simpler things, but good stuff! He also has some good info on sizing and hitting different temps with charcoal... useful!

        If you like more involved recipes... I find this site to be really good:

        Sharing my love of Dutch Oven cooking with everyday recipes and tips for the outdoor cook.

        Comment


        • gardenfish
          gardenfish commented
          Editing a comment
          This site has made me psychic.....I see Red, white and blue biscuits in the future

        #7
        Where did you order it from gf?

        Comment


        • gardenfish
          gardenfish commented
          Editing a comment
          Got it from Amazon.

        #8
        I'm a Cast Iron devotee. Might have something to do with the Lodge Factory being just up the road. but, I think it mostly has to do with Cast Iron being the least expensive & most versatile, long lasting piece of kitchen equipment in the world! Seriously, you will need to decide who gets it in your will...

        Anyway, Cast is the best of the best for what it does best. and terrific at everything else. Some people don't get decent results for Cast. think it just isn't a good way to cook anything. these are the people who sell or toss Cast and supply the garage sales, thrift stores and junk yards. very sad, cause with a few simple bits of info, you can get the very most out of Cast Iron.

        First things first. season. this is the one and ONLY time you should put soap on this metal. scrub it down to remover the wax coating the factory uses to protect the metal.

        then, slather the entire piece, inside, out, handle, top bottom, everything, with a thick layer of lard. Crank up one of your smaller grills to around 400 degrees. put the cast onto the grilling surface and close the lid. then step back because you are going to have smoke rolling off that thing for a while. and not the yummy tasty smoke that makes you hungry.

        that is what you want. burning that fat off at high temp is going to leave a beautiful, smooth, slick carbon coating on your cast iron. one that will build and refine itself over time.

        in general useage, don't use it for anything acidic (You Sunday Pasta Gravy is out, here) those acids will damage your non stick surface. NEVER wash the piece with soap and water. if you must 'clean' the piece, put a few tablespoons of table salt on the piece and scrub with the salt and some hot water. Rinse in hot water, then place the piece on a low fire on the stove until completely dry. then, redress the piece, especially the cooking surface, with oil. just a light coating, all over.

        I have recently seen some way cool chain mail wash 'cloths' designed specifically for cast iron. absolutely BRILLIANT idea and I will be making one of those for myself, soon.

        most of the time, though, when you are finished with it, just wipe out most of the oil with some paper, leaving a thin coat, and set aside. using it regularly keeps it in shape.

        A Dutch Oven Specifically is incredibly useful and diverse in it's uses. the feet and the lid with the rim are part of the design that makes it the perfct way to cook dinner while camping. put your meal inside the oven, settle the closed oven into the coals of your campfire, throw some hot coals on the lid, as well and you have, literally, and oven. good for everything from soups and stews to breads and desserts.

        My cast Dutch Oven is a roasting oven for stove top and oven. no feat, no rim on the lid. the underside of the lid looks like something from a medieval torture chamber. it is a great want to braise meat, put together an entire roasted anything meal and have it all perfect when finished. on the stove top, sear off your meat inside the cast iron, then put everything in, close the lid and pop it into the oven. the spikes on the lid means that the moisture from the meal gathers on the lid, then follows the spikes to evenly drip back down onto the food.

        sorry for the long wind. I hope you can find something useful in it. I love Cast iron and have been using it most of my life. once you are used to it, it is the very best piece available for what it does. just be aware of care, and the strengths and weaknesses. work within the parameters and you will fall in love with Cast Iron.

        Pop over to the Lodge Website and grab a few of the Cast Iron books. I lean more towards the HOW RO USE cast iron books rather than the recipe collection books. but I do that in any cooking choice.

        a few cast iron pieces, a couple of non stick skillets (cause once in a while you just NEED a crepe) and some great stainless steel sauce pans and you can cook ANYTHING!!

        Comment


        • gardenfish
          gardenfish commented
          Editing a comment
          Now I am looking at the lid stand and lid lifter I can't wait till the oven gets here!

        • Spinaker
          Spinaker commented
          Editing a comment
          I have named my beast 9 QT. The Iron Maiden. Because of the underside of the lid as you say. (After the medieval torture device you mentioned) Karon Adams

        #9
        Spot on, Karon

        Comment


          #10
          Karon Adams What about making chili? Is it too acidic with the tomatoes and paste?

          Comment


            #11
            I have made chili in it but you want to reseason after. I wouldn't make an Italian Sunday gravy, but a Chili would do. just the amount of acid involved and the reseason after. Non stick isn't quite as big a deal in a dutch oven as would be in a skillet. so while I would NEVER cook anything at ALL with tomatoes or other acidic elements in my cast iron skillets, I am OK doing so in the Dutch oven. it ruins the non stick finish but you don't really need that for stews and roasts.

            Interesting historical tip, in people who use cast iron, vs other types of pots, the women typically had a statistically significant less occurrence of anemia. the explanations that in using the cast iron, especially when using it to cook some things that are a bit acidic, like sauce with tomatoes, a tiny but dietetically beneficial amount of iron is leached into the food and acts as an iron supplement. Interesting little tidbit I read while learning about my own anemia.

            Comment


              #12
              Lid lifter? that is generally the nearest heavy spoon or turned about ladle. occasionally tongs... ;-) but DO remember, when you are cooking soups and stews and roasts in that, be EXTREMELY careful when opening. NOTHING burns so badly as a Steam Burn and while it looks low tech, a cast iron Dutch Oven builds a small amount of gentle pressure that will burn you if you open the pot wrong.

              Comment


              • Mr. Bones
                Mr. Bones commented
                Editing a comment
                Amen, an' Hallelujah, on th' Steam Burns!!!! BTDT!!!
                Don't be that Guy/Gal!!!!
                (Unless yer jus' fond of dermabrasion, silver sulfadiazene, agonizin' pain, an' huge scars!!!

              #13
              Karon... those lid lifters are really handy for a camp dutch full of coals... guarantee you dont want your hand down by that handle for long.

              I have used long handled channel locks many times for lifting the lid LOL

              Comment


              • Mr. Bones
                Mr. Bones commented
                Editing a comment
                Have, as well. Channel locks work, in a pinch!

              #14
              Mine will be here tomorrow. The lid stand was in back order but the rest is on the way. (Oven and handle).

              Looking forward to making something.

              Comment


              • smarkley
                smarkley commented
                Editing a comment
                All right... here we go!

              • DWCowles
                DWCowles commented
                Editing a comment
                Hope you're not planning on using them on the ice this winter Jon Solberg

              • Karon Adams
                Karon Adams commented
                Editing a comment
                Ladies & Gentlemen!! Strike Your MATCHEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS!!!

              #15
              gardenfish , you need this, too

              Big Bertha, cooling down after a re-seasoning bout...

              Click image for larger version

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              Comment


              • Ernest
                Ernest commented
                Editing a comment
                Medusa I have the 17 inch, use it as a griddle on my kettle grill.

              • PaulstheRibList
                PaulstheRibList commented
                Editing a comment
                I just bought a 15 yesterday because I needed to saute some onions for BBQ beans at an offsite cook, so I put her right in the new big charcoal grill over the coals, and before long, voila! I had a hot skillet.

              • Mr. Bones
                Mr. Bones commented
                Editing a comment
                Please note:
                Favorite / Piqua, Griswold, an' Wagner are all perfectly good finds, an' cookin' vessels...
                Jus' sayin'! ...

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