Hi All,
Im a long time camper, although in recent years Ive not had the opportunity to camp as much as I would have liked. Getting seriously back into it all again now, its intense!
Im, all but, new to Dutch Oven cooking, Ive never owned my own cauldron, as my boyfriend so lovingly puts it! My cookings not really that bad, & his ex-wife is The Witch ;-)
So heres my account of my new adventure so far...........
First of all, I would suggest that you do your homework!! It adds to the fun, you learn important stuff, & you can get a bargain if youre patient.
I wanted a Dutch Oven because they reminded me of camping as a kid & Girl Guide. The kid inside is still alive!
1 - Learn how to look after it & treat it properly, before using it, & to maintain it. This looks like hard work, but definitely well worth doing. & I will. Definitely. Yes. (Confession - I haven't actually received my Oven yet! See below.....)
1a! - Work out what size oven you need, not want! Otherwise you may end up making too much or too little dinner. Dinner could take a lot longer to cook than you planned if your oven capacity is for the whole camp! Consider that you will probably be more hungry after a hard day camping, fishing, hiking, bush-crafting, sunbathing etc. Also, who are you regularly going to be cooking for? My boyfriend has a huge appetite & can easily eat 2 or more 'portion size' suggestions, he's a scaffolder & burns it all off! My daughter is 12 & eats really well too, considering how petite she is! Then theres my boyfriends 2 young daughters, who will grow to love Dutch Oven cooked delicacies, especially if theres no McDonalds! & me! So thats 5 regulars, & one for the pot, or any waif or stray we may have picked up or taken with us! Jess!
2 - Then look up loads of recipe sites, YUMMY YUM!! I downloaded a scouting pdf (I'll find links & put them on tomorrowish). I'm looking forward to trying out & practising, lots! This is definitely the selling point, VERSATILITY. I didn't realise what a variety of stuff you can cook in them, I'm sure we only ever made stewy stuff & possibly soup? I'm going to start with basic & simple recipes first. Common sense really. One thing I have noticed in lots of recipes is that they use US measures & sometimes some ingredients are only sold there. I've never heard of some of them! My next part of this adventure is to convert the measurements, if anyone has a comprehensive conversion chart please can you post it or send it to me, thanks loads. Then I will find out about the mystery ingredients & what are the British equivalents, if anything.
3 - Loads of extras can be expensive, eg. I can't believe they can charge £30 + p&p for a tripod & chain! DER!!! Make 1 (linky thing on tomorrow, perhaps Tuesday), or use fallen branches, (please check out another thread on this site about respect for the environment & consideration of nature, placing branches back properly etc, remember tiny creatures call that branch their world! aaaaahhhhhh. Link coming soooooon)
Next...........
4 - Look at websites for Dutch Oven Societies, yes, of course they're American! Well quite a few are. & groups within them, called 'Chapters'??? ummmm, Hells Angels??? They do look really great though, proper communities. Everyone coming together to cook! & EAT!! Socialise, & enjoy being outdoors. I'd love to belong occasionally, but I also like my peace & quiet outdoors.
5 - American sites are fantastic for window shopping & wishing & dreaming, unless you're loaded I guess? In which case do you fancy buying me some extras too? PLEASE?!!
6 - BEWARE - overseas shopping can be very expensive for delivery, cos of the weight! Check ALL delivery costs & conditions carefully! Even though the actual ovens may be cheaper, & the site has everything else you could ever need...... if you plan to live the rest of your life out of doors..... only using cast iron cooking pots etc.... as far as I've found shipping costs can bump the original price sky high. I was rather disappointed at first, but at least I didn't go ordering loads of, at the moment, unnecessary extras.
7 - The American sites claim to sell the best, not 'cheap Oriental' imitations. But hey?! Isn't America all about being bigger & better & bragging about it boringly!!? (sorry, lost it there, kinda annoys me you know, hehe!) There are UK stores, (again - I'll find links & put them on tomorrowish) but most of them you will pay full price if not more!
8 - Personally, I'm new to actually using one of my very own so I really wouldn't know the difference. Go for a cheaper one to start with & look after it properly. Then if I get into it I'm gonna treat myself to a proper fancy one another day. Note to self - start saving now! Yeah right!! Perhaps I'll be able to trade something? Hmmmm...... the kids? cats?? Definitely NOT the boyfriend. (Happy Valentines Day babe xxx)
Anyway!!!!!!!
NOW....... I'm ready to buy my first Dutch Oven. Actually I've already bought it, it's getting delivered on Tuesday, at last! I hope. Long story, suffice to say the seller was fantastic (link for them coming soon, no affiliation or allegiance), delivery company weren't! (No names or link). OMG, I hope they dont read this before delivering!
I bought a 4.5 QT (American?), 4.25 ltr, Im still better in pints, I think it works out to about 7 ½ pints (4.25 x 1.75, my Grandma taught me a litre of water is a pint & three quarters, I hope Ive remembered correctly otherwise Ive just bought a bucket or an egg-cup!) Dutch Oven off Ebay auctions. There are bigger sizes, but remember point 1a! It cost me £12.54 + £8.95 p&p. It was the best deal by far. I watched lots get bid on & go from £15-£21 (average around £20 + p&p) 'til I set myself a limit. Consider that the 'buy it now' price is £28-£30, or more. My top limit was £18 + p&p. Make sure you check the delivery cost as its a heavy item, I found that it varies between £7-£9 & adjust your actual spending limit accordingly. Bide your time, they're always being listed. I just waited as it was clear that it was the same few people bidding. So I let them overbid 'til they'd all bought 1 before me, and thought theyd got a bargain, often gazumping each other at the last minute! Then I bought mine & there wasn't much competition for it. I put in my max offer early on & left it, remember, theyre like buses! I was really chuffed & very surprised that Id got it so cheap. Wooohooo!!
So, right now I cant wait til Tuesday, Im going to be sitting waiting for my delivery, like I was last time! As soon as I get it its down to the serious art of seasoning it, Summers not that far away now!
If anyone has any advice for this enthusiastic novice please get in touch. How about our own group? (in Southern England!). I havent found a British one yet. Cookouts, socialising, recipes, hints & tips etc, just like the Americans, but smaller ;-)
I hope you find my weird waffling useful, Ive done quite a bit of your homework, but youve got to do your own calculations, I dont do maths outside of school hours! If anyone has anything else to add to my suggestions please do.
Here begins the adventure, Ill keep you posted about all I learn from now, & hopefully the odd successful recipe or two............
(note the views & opinions expressed in this post are borne from 20+ years of practised, positive, cynicism & light-hearted banter, if you are offended please make up your own joke at someone elses expense! No! DONT!! I REALLY AM ONLY JOKING. Life rule number 13 be able to laugh at yourself before you laugh at others, then youll be laughing before they laugh at you, & then theyll wonder why youre laughing? & when youre alone you can make yourself laugh, just make sure no-one notices! Laughter keeps you young, & puts life into its true perspective.)
Happy Cooking, Happier Eating!
K-M XXX
