Blue dutch oven?

[Michelle]

To me a dutch oven is dull gray and can be oiled. Cast iron-that's it. I've seen glazed blue dutch ovens that are being advertised and wondered if anyone has tried using them over an open flame.

[Grandpa]

Haven't seen what you are talking about, but if it has legs then it is intended for outside use. If it doesn't have legs then it is intended as a "stovetop" dutch oven, not for open fires.

We have a cast iron stove top dutch oven, but it has a domed lid rather than the flat, rimmed lids used for holding hot coals outside. Also, many pan makers call their big covered pans dutch ovens but that is really a stretch of the term.

[ChadTower]

I have seen cast iron cookware with enameled finish. Should work just fine but might be subject to chipping if you toss it around. They're like an old bath tub.

[carmen]

How can you tell if the enamel will hold up or not? I love old stuff like this but I have no idea about stoves. If it works I would be interested in getting one too.

[Michelle]

This stuff isn't old-it's the newer stuff that's coming out. I had no idea that a real dutch oven had a curved lid for coals to begin with. Ours has a domed lid with no legs-we put it on a stand over the open flame. (When we're not cooking in the trailer.)

[ghostdog]

Originally Posted by Michelle

To me a dutch oven is dull gray and can be oiled. Cast iron-that's it. I've seen glazed blue dutch ovens that are being advertised and wondered if anyone has tried using them over an open flame.

The ones I've seen like you describe have a nob on the lid that is not as heat proof as the black cast iron ovens. You can probably use the enamel oven with its knob in a 450 to 500 degree kitchen oven but it might not fair well in some campfire situations. We only have the Lodge black cast iron Dutch Ovens, the camp ovens with legs and flanged lids but if I were looking for one right now I'd probably try on of the Aluminum Dutch Ovens made by GSI. The two larger ovens have the legs and I believe they all have the flanged lids. They are hard anodized, will not rust and don't need seasoning. Just a thought.

[Tubby]

I think you are talking about the enameled steel stuff that's out. That's not something I would use over a campfire. Like Grandpa said, you can get stovetop dutch ovens that have a different kind of lid than the type you buy for a campfire. I've seen the "camping" type of cookware that is blue speckled but I don't think it holds up very well. I may be wrong but I love my cast iron.

[briansnat]

I have an enameled Le Creuset cast iron dutch oven. It wasn't cheap but it has lasted years without chipping and is great. No need to season it. Stuff doesn't stick.

I think you might be referring to a steel one though. I don't think they are on the same level as a cast iron dutch oven.

[Judy Ann]

There is someone I've heard of that cooks in an aluminum dutch oven because he backpacks it in with the scouts that he works with. I'll be running across his path in the next couple of months and will get back to you. I'm intrigued myself since aluminum is the last metal that I would ever consider cooking with because of its association to Alzheimers Disease. I would think that the heat would not be evenly distributed by virtue of the metal and would have hot spots requiring a lot of maintenance. I have been wrong before!

[ghostdog]

Originally Posted by Judy Ann

... I'm intrigued myself since aluminum is the last metal that I would ever consider cooking with because of its association to Alzheimers Disease. I would think that the heat would not be evenly distributed by virtue of the metal and would have hot spots requiring a lot of maintenance...

No worries Judy Ann. That hard anodized coating on the Aluminum Dutch oven is two times as hard as stainless steel, wont chip or peal and completely seals so there is zero possibility of aluminum surface exposure. Many pro cooks use that kind of cookware for it incredible durability. It is non-reactive even at high temperatures. Aluminum is at least as good a conductor for heat as steel but the thickness of the pot is important so the heat spreads evenly. The professional cookware company Calphalon sells a lot of it.

The only one I know that uses a hard anodized Dutch oven outdoors, and he uses it a lot, is a medical doctor friend who swears by it and has for years. He does a lot of canoe camping. He keeps trying to get me to use it too but I have two camp ovens and a skillet with lid in cast iron already and don't need to spend the cash.