Dutch Oven Question

Cafe Society
21

I don’t use a slow cooker, and when I lived with my brother for six or seven years, we had a slow cooker at our disposal and the only thing we ever used it for was rendering beef fat into suet. The main thing a slow cooker has going for it is that it’s a timed device, so you can stick a bunch of stuff in there in the morning, go to work, and come back to a fully cooked meal without worrying that you burnt down your house. That said, you can do that with an oven to some extent as well – they have timers on many of the modern models. But some people still aren’t comfortable with the idea of having an oven on while out of the house. (Me? I’ll leave stuff simmering on the stovetop and leave the house all the time.)

So that’s one thing it’s good for other than keeping stuff warm at a potluck.

22

Then you need a new slow cooker. Mine does all of those.

But pulled pork is wicked easy in a slow cooker, don’t need any of those functions, and it works better than most other methods.

23

You have a crock pot that will sear meat? Link please.

24

I got three crock pots as wedding presents. We tried one. Nothing was very good. Everything cooks better on the stove, or in the oven, imho. So we got rid of them. “Doesn’t brown the meat” was a huge point against the crock pots. I guess if I had them today I might use them to keep stuff warm at a party.

I now have an instant pot that I mostly use as a pressure cooker, but we also regularly make yogurt in it. It makes terrific yogurt.

I have two dutch ovens. I mostly use them on the stove, and not within the oven. They are my go-to for stew, and I sometimes use them because I like the oval shape. The small one is also good for making a lot of rice for company.

25

I sous vide pork roasts 165 degrees Fahrenheit fiat a couple of days. Mmmmmmmm.

26

I stick it in the oven with dry rub @ 275 until it pulls (reaches internal about 195-205). No water. Just on a rack with a pan below to catch the drippings. Perfect pulled pork with a nice, crispy bark.

27

My Le Creuset 5.5 quart dutch oven is my go to pot for soups, stews, chili, spaghetti sauce and just about anything else I cook on the stove top. I also have a 3.5 quart and a 2 quart. The 3.5 quart is the perfect size for the bread I bake and my Spanish Rice recipe.

I was using a crock pot slow cooker for roasts and such, but it died. I bought an 8 quart Instant Pot three weeks ago and I am trying things out using that.

28

A good dutch oven is one of the greatest multitaskers you can own. It’s just a fabulous, fabulous cooking device. I’d choose it over my Instant Pot (which at this point I almost entirely use for making quick stock) in a heartbeat.

I got mine because I mentioned to somebody that I’d been thinking of getting one. As I am annoyingly difficult to buy gifts for, they jumped on it and bought me a really excellent All-Clad as a holiday present. But it was aluminum and I’d wanted a cast iron one, so I put in on a shelf and forgot about it for at least a year. When I did start using it I was utterly blown away. It can do just about anything, and do it well. The only time it isn’t sitting on the stovetop waiting to be used is when it’s in the fridge holding leftovers.

29

One thing people haven’t mentioned that I use my Dutch oven for is as a frying vessel. I can fill it half full of peanut oil and hang the thermometer from the side and make taquitos or sesame chicken easily. The extra thermal mass helps keep the oil at temperature and the high sides help keep the splatter contained.

30

I was going to say something snarky here like “Is there anything that a slow cooker can do that you can’t do with a standard stove?” replying with “keeping something warm for a buffet”, then I actually engaged my brain.

True, anything you can do in a crock pot you can do on a stove. HOWEVER, it is easier with a slow cooker to keep a low, steady temperature than it is on a stovetop. Soups / stock are a great example. I suppose you could do the same in an oven. Does anyone know which is more energy-efficient - a standard oven or a crock pot?

We use ours primarily for big dinner days - Thanksgiving, Christmas - when the whole damned stove is in use and something else needs to be cooked. Or when making something to bring somewhere else. I used to use it for soups, but no one else wanted to eat my turkey soup, and I stopped - just wasn’t worth the effort.

31

Slow cookers don’t heat to a high enough temperature to make good broth. Read the link above, which is consistent with my experience. That guy even failed to make split pea soup well in a slow cooker because it’s not hot enough. (I never tried.) That may be why no one wanted to eat your soup.

They are great for keeping food warm enough to avoid bacterial growth, without further cooking them. But for actually cooking, there almost always a better tool.

32

Oh, I immediately call shennanigans. From the article,

OK, that’s the low setting. What about medium or high? You need enough temperature to make split pea soup, you turn it up. I’ve made plenty of split pea soups in a crock pot because I’m boiling the shit out of a big ol’ ham bone overnight; in the morning, take the meat off the bone, add peas, carrots, etc. Smooth as silk.

ETA - my wife has a thing about bones, and if you’re boiling the crap out of a turkey carcass, you’re going to end up with small bones; it happens. As for the rest of the family, (talk about a first-world problem), they ignore leftovers in the fridge, opting to nuke something frozen from the freezer, so they’re ignoring the soup.

Not that my soups are/were wonderfully fantastic; I’m sure they’re average at best. It’s just that separating the meat from the carcass is time consuming, and if I’m the only one eating it, why bother?

33

Mmmm, split pea soup… maybe I’ll make that for supper tonight.

34

I got peas here; have a frozen ham bone…

Going out to eat tonight. maybe tomorrow or Sunday. Split pea fits in with Halloween; you can do Linda Blair impressions!

35

OP here. All good ideas.

When I do use a crock pot for some sort of stew/pot roast, I do brown the meat on the stove in a skillet first. So the Dutch oven would remove that step and another pan to wash.

I’m going to make something this weekend and try it out. I’m going to look at recipes.

36

I use my crock pot for one thing. Applesauce. Before going to bed I peel and core enough apples to fill the pot. Turn it on low. Add a tablespoon or two of water and one or two cinnamon sticks (if you like cinnamon).

In the morning have a dish of warm applesauce for breakfast. Refrigerate the rest.

37

OK. I’m going to try a broccoli, cheddar, rice casserole in the Dutch oven this weekend.

My Wife and I love the soup served over half of an avocado. It’s great.

What I did last time is fill the avocado ‘bowl’ (where the nut was) with lemon juice and then fresh ground pepper on top. I’m still kinda experimenting with this dish.

And the applesauce sounds great kayaker.

38

This just came across the wire from a cousin … FWIW:

DUTCH OVEN BREAD - NO KNEAD ROSEMARY BREAD

COURSE: BREAD
CUISINE: AMERICAN
PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 50 MINUTES
REST: 12 HOURS
TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR 10 MINUTES
SERVINGS: 8
CALORIES: 171KCAL
AUTHOR: BECKY HARDIN - THE COOKIE ROOKIE

Dutch Oven Bread is such a simple way to make homemade bread. Making no knead bread in a Dutch oven is just so easy, it’s completely changed the way I think about baking bread! This Rosemary Bread with Sea Salt is simply perfect & tastes amazing. If you’re looking for an easy bread recipe, this is it!

INGREDIENTS
3 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm or room temperature water
1/2 - 3/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large bowl mix flour, sea salt, rosemary and yeast together. Mix in the water and use a spatula to blend until well combined.

Cover the bowl and allow to sit on the counter overnight, at least 12 hours. (patience is a virtue!)

Preheat oven to 450 F degrees. While oven is heating, place your Dutch Oven in the oven to allow it to preheat as well.

Remove pot from oven and remove the lid from it.

Flour your work surface as well as hands. Remove your dough from the bowl and form into a ball. This is a no knead recipe, but you may have to fold it a couple times to get it to form the shape you want. Place the dough into the bottom of your Dutch Oven (be careful not to burn your hands, the cast iron will be HOT!)

Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on, then remove the lid and bake another 15-20 minutes until the bread is golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Cut and serve! Perfect compliment for soups!

NUTRITION

Calories: 171kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 4g | Sodium: 509mg | Potassium: 50mg | Fiber: 1g | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 2.2mg

She raves about it.

I presume all of this is relevant :wink:

39

:face_with_raised_eyebrow: Is there bark on that butt?

40

What does a slow cooker need thermal mass for? You’d want thermal mass as a low-pass filter for temperature changes, right? But that seems like something that a thermostat and a nickel’s worth of digital logic will handle fine on an Instant Pot.