Dutch oven cooking,

by John G. Ragsdale

54 pages, history of the dutch oven, how to use it and lots of recipes, bw illustrations

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Westerns

54 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Redsteve]

Unlike Karlin's Wood-Fired Cooking, this book DOES emphasis camp cooking. Other than a (very) brief history of the Dutch Oven, there is no period stuff in this book (recipes or otherwise). What you will find is a good bit of practical advice, especially for those who don't want to spend a lot of money on equipment. All of the recipes here can be done with a single Dutch Oven, and the author gives instructions on home-made cooking tools: pie pan Dutch Oven, double wire lifter, charcoal chimney, etc. He also addresses the pros and cons of cast iron vs. aluminum, with the specific care and feeding of both and the differences in how they reflect and retain heat. There is a good bit of practical advice on various cooking methods, including ratio of coals lid-vs-underside depending on what you're doing (baking, frying, sautéing, roasting, steaming, stewing) as well as oven stacking, and using the lid as a griddle. None of the recipes are especially fancy; the emphasis is on ease of use and minimizing refrigeration (or cooler space) through the use of canned and dried ingredients. You can also tell that this book was originally written in the 1970s - even the international recipes are, well, pretty "Seventies America" if you know what I mean (e.g. 4-ingredient goulash including canned mushroom soup, BEEF? gumbo...). The recipes aren't bad, just not highly seasoned. In my opinion the real value of this book lies in discussion of technique and practical advice, rather than the specific recipes.