Introduction

Hello everyone. I just got the bug to learn how to cook in a Dutch oven, though I’m not sure why really. I have been involved with my son’s Scout pack for a couple years and seen Dutch ovens in use, but was always turned off by them. After all, they are big, heavy, dirty, and hard to clean and maintain. Then I went to a Scout training class called BALOO, where we cooked some dump cake type deserts in Dutch ovens. Needless to say, my opinion began to change.

But, it wasn’t until I received a $50 Bass Pro Shops gift card for Christmas that I ever considered actually buying a Dutch oven and trying it for myself. I looked through their catalog over and over and could not find a single thing that I wanted, at least not for $50. Then one day a few weeks ago a light bulb went off in my brain, I had to get a Dutch oven and learn how to cook on it. Then I could be the hero at the campouts. Yeah, that might just work.

So I started researching Dutch ovens and how to cook in them. I read every major website on the subject and tried to figure out what kind of oven to buy. This decision was made easier in that Bass Pro Shops only carries Lodge brand ovens. So, I went with the old standard, a Lodge 12”, normal depth, pre-seasoned Dutch oven. It was $59 plus shipping, so I went over my $50 but not badly. It was delivered within a couple of days, on March 11, 2008. It was very fast shipping. The oven was in very good shape. The coating seemed very tenaciously applied, with the exception of a couple of small spots around the lid edge that had scraped off. It wasn’t bad at all, and I figured it would bake back on with time and use. I was ready to cook, but what…