13 Delicious Recipes to Make In Your Dutch Oven (2024)

FAQs

What is good to cook in a Dutch oven? ›

No matter the style or size, any Dutch oven will open up endless recipe opportunities. Create beautifully braised meat, pot roasts, hearty beef stew, healing chicken soup, or the creamiest mac and cheese. Use it like a slow cooker, a bread cloche, or a pot for frying.

This Dutch oven tip applies more to a seasoned cast iron Dutch oven than one with an enamel coating, but every Dutch oven user should be aware nonetheless: When you cook acidic ingredients—like tomatoes, wine-based sauces, and citrus—for longer than 30 minutes, the protective coating built up on the cast iron starts to ...

Even though most treasure their Le Creuset Dutch oven as their favorite piece of cookware, many only think to pull it out when making soups, stews or things like a big batch of chili. But the Dutch oven is an uber-versatile workhorse that can handle just about any recipe or task in the kitchen.

Because it can withstand high heat and has a tightly fitting lid, Dutch ovens are used in some bread recipes, like our No-Knead Seeded Overnight Bread. The pot is preheated, and once the dough is added and the lid set in place, steam is created inside the pot as the bread bakes.

The best Dutch ovens are good for so many things: braising meat, stews, sautéing, deep-frying, heck, even baking bread. And while we think you should consider getting a stainless-steel stockpot, one of these will work in a pinch. Regardless of which one you choose, though, a Dutch oven will prove an investment.

In that case, we recommend the infamous Dutch oven prank. For the uninitiated, a Dutch oven involves farting in bed, then quickly pulling up the sheets to trap your significant other with the smell. It's a decades-old trick that has surely ruined countless relationships, yet many dudes still dare to try it.

"Avoid using strong chemicals, such as bleach, on your [Dutch oven]," Cruz says. The enamel on Le Creusets and other similar Dutch ovens is delicate, and bleach that isn't properly diluted or is left on the pot for too long can wear at the enamel and dull its shine.

The lid fits good and tight, with concentric circles on the underside to help condensation drip down to the center of the food during cooking. The metal knob is safe in the oven up to 500 degrees, so I have no qualms going from stove to oven. I think what I like most is the pot's pretty paint job.

But in real life, we make pasta in a Dutch oven, because when you're cooking a pound of pasta, it's the best option you have. If you've never used a Dutch oven to make pasta, that's totally cool. This isn't some new, scary experience you have to prepare for. All you have to do is switch one pot for another.

Why is Le Creuset expensive? ›

When you buy from Le Creuset, you're paying for high-quality pots and pans that are designed to stand the test of time. Rather than aluminum or stainless steel, Le Creuset craft their pieces from cast iron, which has a much higher heat capacity.

Any Dutch oven or combo cooker will work for baking bread as long as it's oven-safe up to 450°F (230°C) and has a tight-fitting lid. The following is a list of my favorite Dutch ovens for baking bread. I've used the following pots for years, and they've helped me make countless loaves of sourdough bread.

Dutch ovens are great for stews, sauces, soups, braises or any other moist-heat cooking method. This pot can cook a casserole or a whole chicken. You can brown meat and vegetables on the stove and let them simmer away or transfer your pot to the oven to finish cooking there.

Enameled cast–iron has a smooth, non-porous surface and can go from the stovetop, to the oven straight to the table. They should not be subjected to extremely high temperatures, so avoid using your enameled cast-iron dutch oven on a grill or in a campfire.

The Dutch oven—or as I like to call it, the analog crock pot—is a favorite among those who love cooking. The hype around Dutch ovens exists for good reason: They are highly effective, beautiful, dynamic, and durable pieces of cookware.

If you cook frequently and for large groups of people, then Casserole pot will be more convenient and versatile for you. It can handle large quantities of food and different cooking methods. If you cook occasionally and you don't care about the weight, you can go with the Dutch oven.