Lodge Logic 8-Quart Pre-Seasoned Cast-Iron Camp Dutch Oven
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Lodge Logic 8-Quart Pre-Seasoned Cast-Iron Camp Dutch Oven
Customer Review: Lodge quality - now go and cook!
Summary: 5 Stars
I wanted to try out campfire cooking so I did a little research and purchased this Lodge dutch oven.
Let me first say that I have bought other Lodge cast iron products and they are the "Mercedes" of cast iron cookware. No shortcuts here, just beautiful, functional cast iron products that can be passed down to your children or grandchildren. On to the review...
The pot lid is very, very heavy. The pot itself is beautifully made. The instructions are clear (I recommend you follow them, they are correct). The iron handle is robust enough to take the pot off the fire filled hot food without giving you any concern.
The pot is "pre-seasoned" so all you have to do is give it a quick clean. I usually clean my cast iron products using hot water, a soft plastic brush and a little salt. Not much sticks anyway, but the salt works to give the brush a little "bite", plus I think the salt helps the seasoning a little.
The next step is to make a nice fire about 2 hours ahead of your cook time. The pot is NOT placed on the fire directly, but a few hot coals are dragged away from the fire for cooking.
I place the pot over about 10 hot coals on the botton, and about 20 hot coals on the lid. I turn the lid every 15 minutes or so and replace the coals with new ones about every 45 minutes.
Generally this method will cook a 4-5 pound chicken with a few potatoes, carrots and onions until it "falls off the bone" in about 3 hours.
It's really hard to describe how chicken tastes after being cooked over fire coals. It seems to keep the character flavor of the pot from meal to meal, and tastes ever so slightly smoky. It's very similar to cooking I've tasted in New Zealand where meat and vegetables are wrapped up on palm fronds, place over white hot stones, then buried for about four hours. It just has it's own unique flaor.
I've also cooked chile, leg of lamb and a number of other dishes. They've all been great.
A word of warning. Most people (including myself) can't believe that just a few coals below the pot, and double the number placed on top of the lid, can really cook the contents, but less is truly more in campfire cooking.
If too many coals are used, the food will taste strangely overcooked, but not burned. So best to exercise much restraint.
If you want to try campfire cooking and buy quality that can last for generations, then I say buy this quality pot and go out and cook!
Customer Review: A Piece of History You Can Own and Use
Summary: 5 Stars
I've debated if I would ever buy a Lodge Camp Dutch Oven. I already own a couple of indoor dutch ovens. My wife asked what I wanted for Father's Day, and I told her your going to think I'm crazy. She said I already think your crazy, so what is it? I said a Lodge Camp Dutch Oven. We are in our 50's, and our camping days have long since passed us by. But I've am intrigued by Camp Dutch Ovens, the history of them, how they work, and I wanted to learn how to cook with one. So I got my Lodge 8qt Deep 12 inch dutch oven from Amazon.com for this year's Father's Day. I read a lot about them on the internet. I found out that the rimmed edge on the lid was invented by Paul Revere, who was mostly know as a silversmith. I also learned the Lewis and Clark expedition had two items that they would not barter, or trade to the Indians. Their guns and their dutch ovens. That kind of tells you of the importance of their dutch ovens to them. The Lodge company has been in business since the 1800's. I have a Great-Grandfather who went from Missouri to California and back in wagon trains in the mid 1800's, and I'm sure he probably used a dutch oven along the way. This was a chance to own and use a piece of history in your hands. I tried the dutch oven out today for the first time. I cooked BBQ country pork ribs out on my patio and they turn out terrific! On Father's Day we invited the In-Laws over and I will be making Red Neck Kielbasa Stew. I'm impressed how the dutch oven works. I use briquettes on the top and bottom. I've always been impressed with the quality of Lodge products, made in the USA, they last forever, I would not by any other brand. They are worth the price if you are buying for the long run, don't skimp and get an inferior chinese product. I also realized that this item could be very useful if a disaster ever hit and we lost power. I could cook outdoors if I had to. It's so versitile you can, fry, bake, roast, stew, etc. I am so looking forward to trying out many new recipies, such as peach cobbler, pizza, mountain man breakfast to name a few. I like U.S. History, I like to cook, and I like to eat. I'm lucky to have an understanding wife of 29 years that let me indulge in my hobbies. I going to be having a very good Father's Day, this year and for years to come.Customer Review: Lodge Logic 8 quart camp dutch oven
Summary: 5 Stars
We are very pleased with our Lodge Logic 8 quart camp dutch oven. It's true about the preseasoned readiness of the dutch. Straight out of the box, we rinsed it with hot water, applied a thin coat of cooking oil, and started cooking. The instruction/recipe book was most helpful to us,being first time owners. It listed the amount of charcoal needed for various cooking temperatures and sizes of the dutch ovens being used. We used one of our own recipes, stuffed meatballs. The food turned out great! We think it tasted better. We plan on buying a 10" and an 8" camp dutch to use with this 12" so we can try the stacking method of cooking. As a side note, we found the Weber chimney charcoal starter to work well, and at a price under 13 bucks at the HomeDepot. Also my husband came up with the idea of using leather welding gloves for safe handling of the charcoal chimney and the hot dutch. We found a pair at Sears for under 10 bucks. To use our dutch while camping we thought it best to use a metal container of some sort for a cooking table that is light weight and packable. We found the solution at a restaurant supply store, a huge 15"dia.aluminum cake pan with 2" sides. We also found 16" tongs at that store. This is a fun and tasty way of cooking outdoors.
Customer Review: Don't be cheap, if you do you'll be sorry
Summary: 5 Stars
In more than a decade of outdoor cooking experience, I have learned one valuable lesson: always trust anything from Lodge. This rule has been tested on everything from a simple skillet to the monster dutch ovens crafted to feed an army. In all those years, Lodge has never failed me.
I tried to save money by using cast iron utensils from other firms, and have paid dearly for it. No body has the durability, the skill, or the quality of Lodge. There is something magic about the Lodge method of manufacturing, and that magic is worth every penny that you pay for. When you purchase from Lodge, you aren't simply buying a pot or skillet, you're acquring a lifelong companion that your children will be using when you are gone.
I have 5 dutch ovens of various sizes, numerous skillets and griddles, and all of them bear the Lodge name and logo, and all of them still perform just like they did when I first got them, although they have improved with age because the taste and the smell of the food that comes from them says it all.
Trust me, friends: you can save money by buying another brand, but you will be making a grave mistake. Don't try to be cheap, buy Lodge and prepare yourself for a quality product that will last for a long, long time.
Customer Review: What real men cook with! ! ! !
Summary: 5 Stars
I own the Lodge 12" deep. It's large enough to make food for 8 people. The first time I used this oven, we were camping and I made chili. Being the kind of guy that thinks he's smarter than the manufacturer, I used more coals than recommended. About 20 minutes after I added the tomatoes, I opened the lid and found a rapidly boiling pot of chili. It came out great, but I didn't need to use more coals than they recommended. I bought a large patio block and use it at home as well as camping. The best addition to this oven is to buy the lid lifter. Don't buy one of these if you're looking for something that requires no care at all. You shouldn't wash these with soap, just hot water and a stiff brush for scrubbing. Then it needs to dry completely and then oiled. I dry it by heating it back up. If you don't do this every time, it will rust. That's just the nature of cast iron cookware. It's fun, and is really kind of a hobby. The oven comes with a users guide complete with care instructions and recipes. There's also a lot of cookbooks for dutch oven cooking.