Lost-Cost Dutch Oven

In an effort to gear-up several new Scout patrols I had ordered several low-cost ($20) Dutch ovens from Harbor Freight. I'd heard good things about them, but was a bit nervous about what was going to show up at my door.

They arrived today and I'm in the process of burning off teh wax coating and seasoning them. Wow, they are really decent quality. Not nearly as well finished as my own Lodge Dutch oven, but they are really nice for just $20.

I'd say that if you can afford it, go ahead and get the Lodge or other higher-end brands, but for $20 the Harbor Freight 12" (6 quart) Dutch oven is pretty decent.

Ken K.

In Canada, Dutch ovens are free. You should come here to get all you want...

^ Yeah, it must be one of those terms that doesn't cross the border well. I have only ever heard of one type of Dutch oven up here, we must call the cooking type (I presume, whatever it is) something else.

I’ve always wanted to try a Dutch-oven but never have yet. I do have a reflector oven ($4.00 garage sale) that I use for baking when camping and it works great. I also have a Coleman folding oven ($19.00 Gander Mountain) that’s made to sit on top of a camp stove. The Coleman one works great, just like a regular oven. I like both of them, the Coleman oven is easier to setup & use then the reflector oven.

Am I being too paranoid? A lot of the stuff I've purchased from Harbor Freight has been from China. Any concerns regarding the metal content of the $20 Dutch ovens? Are they actually food-safe, per U.S. regulations? When I use one, there is direct food-to-metal contact, and for a prolonged period of time.

My current view is that if it came from China, it (and nothing that has been in it) touches my mouth...

Yes, they are made in China. My preference is always US-made, but the reality is that lots of stuff is made off-shore - LOTS of stuff. Its a global market today, and my son's troop simply can't afford to pay the price for Lodge gear.

After a few seasoning runs the only thing touching the food is the built-up carbon on the surface. There won't be any food-iron contact at all. Plus, from what I've read, the boiling point of lead is below the casting temperatures used for cast iron (around 2000F). I'm no expert though.

Because of last year's dog food fiasco, the lead paint on child toys and many other outrages due to rampant corruption in China, I try to avoid Made in China altogether and absolutely refuse to cook with anything Made in China.

Have recently gotten into Dutch Ovens and cast iron (including Lodge's enamel cast iron) in a big way. In large part because of Lodge's recent innovation of pre-seasoned cast iron. It's ready to go out of the box.

Cranberry-orange bread is baking in my oven as I type this -- in a 1 quart Dutch Oven from Lodge. Am beginning to experiment with a 10" (4 quart), a 12" deep (8 quart) at home and will be taking these camping starting next month.

Teflon is history in my house.

Last week was my first use of a new cast iron wok (from Lodge) and after three decades of doing stir-fry the cast iron wok is a fantastic upgrade.

I've been amazed how affordable and in some instances, cheap, Lodge cast iron is. Especially considered it's Made in USA at their foundry in Tennessee.

Have purchased most of it at amazon.com and taken advantage of the "Free Super Saver Shipping" that is an option with every piece I've purchased there. Have bought some accessories from Cabelas.

Here's a new camp cooking web page that is already full of terrific information on Dutch Oven and other forms of camp cooking. Helps with gearing up and with many great recipes:

http://www.camp-cook.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=9&sid=a33a3b7872e71139cd64d4f8d367454c

Here's Lodge's web page.

https://secure.lodgemfg.com/storefront/products1.asp?idDept=1413&menu=logic

Dutch ovens have an interesting history, too. Some things can't be improved upon. But Paul Revere did put his stamp on Dutch Ovens when he started making them with the lid lip to keep coals and ash from falling off as well as the legs which allow coals to be placed underneath.

Wow, I had no idea that Lodge had come up with factory seasoning. Amazing, simply amazing...

I’m glad this was pointed out, I never gave the China thing a thought as it pertains to cooking utensils. But with all the problems that keep popping up with China made items the last year or so with a wide range of items it does make you not want to buy cooking utensils from them. As I will now make sure I don’t do.

Actually, we are trying to avoid anything made in China. Kinda hard to do, but we try. And, since the US companies that contract thru China should be paying better attention to what they are getting, whenever one of the "lead from China" things comes up, we tend to avoid that company as well...

Okay guys, seeing as I'm a bit of an expert on Dutch Oven and Cast Iron cooking, let me share some insight with you...

Chinese cast iron comes from a whole host of different foundrys all over the country. There's little, if any quality control. Much of the cast iron cookware is recycled steel and iron, with the addition of carbon agents (coal, charcoal, etc) added during the smelting process. Obviously there are going to be contaminants in the metal, but most of it will slag out or cook off, except for the stronger metallic components. Unfortunately, the foundries aren't what you'd call well regulated, and as a result, some of the contaminants that would normally cook off or flux out don't always make it out before the casting. This flaw is what concerns me more. I've seen Chinese cast iron that seemed initially to be sound for use, but after using it a few times noticed that the surface develops large, sometimes huge, pores in it. Obviously something was in the pores prior to use, and not likely the wax that is used to coat the metal for shipping and storage protection. Whatever is being used to plug those pores up with, I am guessing it can't be too good for cooking with if it ablates out into the food. Maybe it's lead, maybe it's some other hard filler, but whatever it is, it is definitely a sign of poor quality.

Except for Lodge, Maca, and Camp Chef (the latter two both have overseas manufacturing plants, but with high enough quality control systems they might as well be made in the USA), I don't buy any cast iron cookware sight unseen. In fact, I still prefer to open the box, pull out the unit, and check it for fit, finish, and defects. I once opened a whole palletful of boxes of dutch ovens that Eureka had contracted mfr from China on, I found two out of maybe twenty units that were acceptable for my uses. The rest either had warped or out of round lid to pot fit, or inconsistent wall thickness, or some other undesirable quality. I've done the same with Lodge and Camp Chef, but seldom if ever find a reject. That said, when Lodge brought back their big 16" DO a few years back, I was one of the first to buy one. Unfortunately I got one with a crack in the lid. I ended up sending the lid back and Lodge replaced it FOC, and the new lid fit the old pot just fine, which is pretty surprising.

Last time I counted I had over 30 pieces of cast iron cookware. I just ordered a new Maca 17" DO last week, which is going to be the biggest pot I own now. At 67 lbs empty, it is going to be pretty much my load limit without any assistance. Their 21" would be awful nice, but I can't always count on having help lifting, and it is definitely a two person job. That and the mule that would have to carry it to elk camp would object.

I'm not saying that a twenty dollar DO is no good, just that you have to exercise a little scrutiny in your purchase if you expect to get a pot that will work as intended. I have a number of DOs in my collection that cost about that much or less, and they are all good pots, but were hand-picked by me and after a number were rejected. Some of them are even Frankensteined (an old armorer's term where you take pieces from several different units and eventually come up with a complete system that has the fit and finish you desire).

For something that should be intended to last a lifetime of constant use, I would think a modest investment to be a prudent notion. Frugality is always a goal, but not at the cost of too much quality I think. If you are happy with what you bought and can make it work, then congratulations on a great find.

As a rule, I generally don't buy off brand cast iron cookware anymore, for precisely the same concerns mentioned in this thread. You just don't know what's been done to them, and I wouldn't put it past them to start plugging holes with whatever is convenient, lead being a likely culprit. Probably the best price going out there for the quality is Camp Chef, but that's just my opinion. Lodge is hard to beat, but Camp Chef sure is trying.

....over 30 pieces of cast iron.....

And your in Florida? Your house must be sinking into the ground:)

Just the pad under the shelves they are all sitting on, and the 1,200 lb gun safe.

I'm new to dutch ovens. A couple months ago at a "truckload sale," I bought several dutch ovens they offered. They say "American Camper" on the lids, and they were $10 for the 10-inch model and $20 for the 15-inch model. The smaller ones have the rimmed lid but no legs (that wasn't made clear in the flier for the sale), while the larger ones have legs. I figured for the price, I couldn't go wrong. I will say that the walls seem to be a bit thinner than other brands I've handled.

Getting the wax off was a patchy job - I tried soaking/scrubbing them, then got them hot over the grill (conflicting suggestions as I surfed the Web). After the cleaning, I had them stored in the basement for a while, and one of the small ones developed a 2-inch-long crack at the rim. I know I didn't drop it, handle it rough or "shock" it with cold water. So yes, even low-tech cast iron implements can be done poorly.

That said, I have tried out the intact smaller one in the back yard (a "dump cake" - pie filling, then cover with cake mix that you moisten with soda. Pretty tasty).

The next time I buy one, I think I'll splurge on Lodge.

Anyone ever try GSI brand of cast iron cookware? Just wondering how it rates?

GSI makes first rate aluminum and anodized aluminum DOs. I've used the regular aluminum ones before and was pleased with their performance, taking into consideration that aluminum will not cook at all like cast iron does. I prefer cast iron, but I would sure consider aluminum DOs were it my back that had to hod them up the hill.

I always cook the wax off over the grill or a fire. Really though, you don't need to worry about removing it all. The first seasoning will take care of that well enough, just make sure you do it outside. Also, best to either store them with the wax on or else season them up. Storing them in the raw will likely lead to unnecessary rusting. The crack was most likely there before you got it, and was concealed by the wax etc at the time of purchase. When in doubt, suspend it and hit it like a bell, if it has a crack it will sound like a cracked bell. If not, it will sound like it should. Do it with a known good one and you will know what to listen for from now on.

Dump cakes are pretty much a standard for me, though it's been a while since I made one. Not quite a cobbler, more than an upside down cake, they are fair tucker as my Brissy mates would say.

Each of the four DO's I bought took about three hours to clean/season each of them - using our Weber propane grill outdoors:

1. Washed each of them hard to "try" to remove the wax - it barely even dented it.

2. Baked each of them at highest temperature (all burners on hi) for about 45 minutes to burn off the wax. After the DO's got warm I did my best to wipe off the wax with a paper towel to speed the burn-off process, but it took about 45 minutes before the smoke & smell went away.

3. Covered them head-to-toe with good vegatable oil and then baked them for an hour about about 500F. After removing I added a second layer of oil as soon as my fingers could stand the heat.

4. After the DO cooled (while another was in burning or seasoning) I touched up the oil coating and then put it back into the grill for another hour. When done I again oiled it back up when it was cool enough to only hurt my fingers - and not burn.

They look really nice now. Four well-season DO's ready for the Scouts. I went through an entire 20# propane tank doing it (add that $$ to the total cost of getting non-pre-seasoned DO's).

I'm not too worried about them cracking if we get even a few months (years?) of use from them. Right now the troop is very cash-strapped. This spring we more than doubled the number of Scouts. We essentially have to gear up four patrols in one month. That includes dutch ovens, dining flies, propane tanks, propane trees/hoses, lanterns, cook kits, griddles, utentsils, water bottle, coolers, and patrol boxes. Four sets of all of the above!! Up until this point the troop has been using beat-up gear and cooking as one large group. The one huge dutch oven we used to this point wasn't even the camp type - it had no lip on the lid and no legs. We had to add roles of foil to keep coals from rolling off and set it on rocks so it didn't crush the bottom coals. Now we are trying to change things and do it right, but it is very hard on the budget.

Over time we can upgrade the DO's and other gear if needed, but right now we're having to watch every penny and buying some les than pefect gear - Harbor Freight rather than Lodge, and Texsport rather than Coleman, at least for right now.

I'm not a frequent poster on this site; but I usually read it daily - or at least scan it daily...

Anyway, I have a question... Anybody familiar with the "Tramontina" enameled cast iron - sold at WalMart and Target??? It got a real good review at cooksillustrated.com. Just wondering if it stands up to the real world of outdoor use??? I like the idea of enameled cast iron.

I looked at a couple of the at WM recently and the say "Made in China" - naturally...

Thanks,

I go camping a lot and in the past have used an aluminum pie iron in a campfire, it melted in a very short time. Since then I only use cast iron pie irons. Would an aluminum dutch oven melt like the pie iron did? I would hate to buy a $60.00 to $80.00 oven to only have it melt in a short time.


PS Pizza made in a pie iron while camping is a food from GOD. Nothing better!

TS, thanks for the camp-cook link. Looks great.

Sounds like you've got the whole seasoning routine down real nice. An alternative to all that expensive propane use is to get a Weber Kettle Charcoal grill and a couple 10 lb bags of charcoal. A full load of charcoal will season up 4 pots once, or one pot 4 times. Sounds a bit excessive for how long it took to get rid of all the packing wax, but it is what it is, and you do have to get it all off. Cooking it off is the best way I know.

3 seasonings on a new pot is a good start. Don't leave your cast iron with an unseasoned coat of oil on it. The oil will go rancid, turn gummy, attract debris, taint your next meal, and can lift off some of the seasoning beneath. If you've got your pot well seasoned, then store it that way. It will be fine for a good 3 to 6 months. I sometimes put a paper towel between the lid and the edge of the pot just to let a little air in once in a while and prevent condensation.

You'll know within the next firing or two of your pots whether there's a crack or not, unless they get unexpected stress (heat/cold, impact etc). Cooking in a pot that doesn't have a lip or feet is a lot more work, but having tried it you have increased your proficiency.

Kudos.

Enamel Cast iron is best for home use. You can use it for limited cooking at camp, but generally enamel doesn't like the rigors of campfire/charcoal type cooking, especially when trying to put embers up on the lid.

You do have to be more mindful of your fire when using an Aluminum DO, and definitely avoid extremes. If your Aluminum pot is full of food, especially with a fair amount of liquid, then it should be okay. Never put an empty aluminum pot over a cooking source at camp, either propane or embers, or it can burn up, melt, or at least warp.

Generally, aluminum DOs are more tempermental when it comes to baking, like biscuits, bread, or desserts. They tend to cook unevenly, so I use them for foods that can tolerate more of a temperature differential, usually stuff with a lot of liquid in it, like a stew or a cobbler. If you do bake in one, you have to tend the pot a lot more tediously.

PS, pizza made in my 16" DO is exceptional, at home or in the big woods.

Benjammin,

So in the past I've cooked, cleaned (scrape/wipe out or if bad steam a bit w/ water and then scrape/wipe - no metal other than aluminum foil), and then heated the pot and applied a layer of vegi oil inside & out and let it heat a bit before storage.

Are you saying that I should NOT apply the oil before storing?

I do find the oiled surfaces annoying (dirty) when handling it between trips/uses.

Yes, I would recommend that you do not put the pots away wet, meaning with a coat of oil or grease on them. A new seasoning coat should be fine, but you need to burn it in, not leave it halfway where it is still tacky. It should feel smooth and dry.

OK ... I usually do just that. Clean the oven, oil it, and then put it back in/on/under the coals for a while to help soak in and burn on that new layer of oil. I especially do that when I have to use water to clean it.

Now that you mention it my dutch oven in the basement - stowed for the winter - does feel kind of sticky/gummy. I'll oil it up to try to remove the gunk (assuming the new oil can act as a sort of solvent for the old oil) and then bake it for a while and NOT oil it until the next use.

I'll have to consider how "wet" it looks next time I use-oil-base it. Good advice. Thanks!

You're welcome, glad to help. Leaving them gummy/tacky allows the coating to go rancid, as well as collect dust etc. With a shiny and durable black coating of seasoning on the metal, it is going to resist the elements, scratches, and contamination a lot better.

Don't worry about removing the gunk, just put it back on the heat till it nearly quits smoking and the seasoning sets up. Once you've cooked the volatiles out, even if it rancidated previously it will be okay then.

My maintenance routine is to use it, wash it out with hot water, no soap, and a good dobie or sometimes even a green twig that the end has been well frayed. Then I put a light coat of shortening on it and put it on a medium fire (about 500 degrees, like you indicated) and let it scorch till it almost quits smoking. Then I put another light coat on, if I think it's necessary, fire it up again just like the first time, then let it cool and put it back on the shelf. I don't re-season after every use, but I've learned how to judge when it needs it fairly well now.

When coating with shortening do you just put that on the inside? or both inside & out?

Or...is the 1st/2nd seasoning I did inside & out good enought to protect the outside?

2 seasonings on a new pot is probably just fine for storage and future use. I prefer to do three if I can, but two would do. I don't generally season the outside of my pots as often as the inside. It depends on how much seasoning gets worn/ablated off as it gets used. Generally I touch up the exterior with a good seasoning coat three times a year if used regularly. Most of my pots see the fire for a full seasoning once a year at least, even if they don't get used.

I use my fingers to rub a thin coating of shortening in all over the pot. Some folks like using paper towels, but that can be messy if the towel falls apart on the slighly abrasive surface. Besides, you can feel how the grease is going on better with bare skin, and work it into the pores more. The trick is really to make the coatings as thin as possible, like you would do a good paint job on a car in several fine layers rather than one big glob. It won't smoke as bad that way, and will last a lot longer. Too much grease on a horizontal surface while it is seasoning and the coating will crinkle and flake away easily as it cures in the heat, or during the next use.

When I am doing a full-on seasoning job, I usually put the pot over the heat source outside (usually a propane burner, but charcoal and gas grills will also do). Once that initial coating of grease sets up and the smoke subsides some, I grab a piece of clean tee shirt material, maybe 4" by 4" square, and using a pair of tongs I dob it in the shortening can then wipe down the surface of the pot with it. As it heats up, the grease will soak the rag, and it'll pick up some color, but this is normal. I'll put that hot rag back in the shortening and let it melt and soak up some more, then repeat that process a time or two. Each new swabbing I let smoke out for a bit before the next application. You can really build up a good seasoning coat that way, so long as you don't overload the rag too much. If it is dripping melted shortening then it is overloaded. You want it to be like a damp dishrag that you would wipe the counter down with, wet enough to put a nice thin layer on, but not so wet you have to go in behind it and wipe up a puddle. Try this for a time or two and you'll get the hang of it, and your seasoning efforts will be vastly improved. Get yourself a good pair of heavy oven mitts or welders gloves and you will be able to handle those hot pots without having to wait for them to cool, though I've had success using just a lid lifter to move/flip the pots around.

In all this, keep in mind that your primary focus is on the inside of the pot, where the cooking's done. Keep that in good shape, and the outside isn't such a big concern. I've seen good cooks who's pots were fairly rusted up on the outside but nice shiny black on the inside and did just fine.