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Todd · Guide Joined: 25 Jun 2001 Posts: 13271 Location: Tennessee

I am panning on getting a new dutch oven but I was just wanting some opinions on size and anything else I am not have thought of. It will mostly be used on car camping trips or on the grill. In the next couple of years I hope to have a wood stove again and use it there also.

We have a pretty good seletcion of Dutch Ovens listed on Southeastern Outdoors and I was hoping someone with a little more experience could take a look.

Size: There are 4 of us, two adults two kids, my daughters are not big eaters. I don't want something that is so big I have to make portions of food that might go to waste. I also don't want something that takes up a huge amount of room in the truck. I am thinking that about 3 or 4 quarts would be plenty big enough.

One other thing I just thought of. I really like the enameled Dutch ovens but I was wondering about using those in or over a fire?

There are also some Stainless Steel Dutch ovens here.

Thanks!

paddlenut · Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2005 12:10 am Post subject:

You just can't beat cast iron? That is all the input I can offer.

Backyard Cafe · Green Horn Joined: 12 Dec 2005 Posts: 5

akasparky · Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2005 9:42 pm Post subject:

Welcome to the forum Backyard Cafe, got any nifty recipes you can share here in the forum?
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Todd · Guide Joined: 25 Jun 2001 Posts: 13271 Location: Tennessee

Thanks for the feedback Backyard Cafe and welcome to the site!

I haven't gotten one yet. I was planning on getting one for Christmas but time has slipped up on me again. It seems like Thanksgiving was yesterday but this is already Christmas week.

We are going to get one, just don't know if it will be this week though.

Todd
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"Nothing is easier than spending public money. It does not appear to belong to anybody. The temptation is overwhelming to bestow it on somebody." - Calvin Coolidge

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Backyard Cafe · Green Horn Joined: 12 Dec 2005 Posts: 5

Backyard Cafe · Green Horn Joined: 12 Dec 2005 Posts: 5

Big John aka Mod 12 · Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2006 4:29 pm Post subject:

I've got the big 12 inch for camping but have several Griswold's and Wagner's I use in the kitchen. I inherited an oval Wagner that my great aunt bought in 1941. It turns out they didn't make many of that style and then the war effort was on. I saw it in the Griswold/Wagner collectors book for 400 bucks. My wife's maiden name is/was Griswold so we've been collecting it since we've been married. I have one interesting piece, only in that it was found by my sister-in-law in a field after the big Zenia, OH tornado. I digress. We don't use the dutch ovens much anymore for camping as it is just the two of us. We like to do a couple of meals in the coals with foil and am trying to get into using jaffles. Somewhere i have a scout recipe for making a upside down pineapple cake with the dutch oven. I'll see if i can find it. Was always going to try a black forest cake, too, but never got around to it.
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Big John aka Mod 12

Backyard Cafe · Green Horn Joined: 12 Dec 2005 Posts: 5

Big John -

I just posted an easy recipe for baking a Dump Cake in a DO on my website. The variations of this recipe are only limited to your taste and imagination. There's even a variation for a "Black Forest" Dump Cake.

- Gary
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Big John aka Mod 12 · Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2006 5:40 pm Post subject:

Thanks. I'll take a look.
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Big John aka Mod 12

Todd · Guide Joined: 25 Jun 2001 Posts: 13271 Location: Tennessee

What are the pro's and cons of feet on a dutch oven?

With feet they would be a little more awkward to place on an oven type rack but it could be done.

With feet there would be a layer of air beteen the bottom of the Dutch oven and the ashes/coals.

With no feet the oven could potentially smother a small fire.

What else either for or aginst feet?
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"Nothing is easier than spending public money. It does not appear to belong to anybody. The temptation is overwhelming to bestow it on somebody." - Calvin Coolidge

"I'm the guy that originally wrote the assault weapons ban" Joe Biden

Phil · Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2006 9:33 pm Post subject:

I bet the Dutch ovens with the feet are harder to catch!!

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Since most Dutch ovens have 3 feet I bet they leave a wierd tracks in the snow.

Big John aka Mod 12 · Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2006 10:09 pm Post subject:

My oven is big enough to use the large one with feet, but wouldn't as I have several flat ones.
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Big John aka Mod 12

outdoorcook · Posted: Mon May 29, 2006 6:09 am Post subject:

I think that the dutch ovens with feet are easier to use outdoors in a bed of coals, since you can put a little space between the coals and the bottom of the oven--you could do the same thing with some rocks to raise a dutch oven w/o feet up, but the feet are more convenient.

If you are stacking dutch ovens while cooking, feet would definitely be an advantage.

I think that I have heard of feet breaking off or punching through the bottom if it was a cheap dutch oven and too much weight was applied (like in a large stack--you wouldn't want the bottom one to collapse!).

The flat-bottomed dutch ovens are probably easier to use inside on an oven rack or on top of a stove, but the ones with feet can be used there also.