- A Dutch oven is a low slung and wide, lidded cooking pot with a noticeably heavy base. It has three handles, one on each side of the pot to lift it and move it, and one in the center of the lid. Often made of cast iron with a decorative ceramic glaze, a dutch oven can be used on the stove top as well as in the oven. In many recipes it is used in both ways to create a single classic culinary preparation such as braised short ribs.
- The Dutch oven is designed to cook food gently and slowly at a relatively low temperature while preserving as much moisture as possible. This process results in tender and intensely flavored food. The relatively heavy materials used in manufacturing Dutch ovens contribute to the even heat distribution and consistency of temperature that surrounds the food adding to its succulence as it cooks. The Dutch oven can also go straight to the table as a serving pot because the heaviness of the pot retains heat so well.
- The lid to Dutch oven is engineered to be tight fitting and designed to preserve and collect steam and juices during the cooking process redistributing the moisture back down into the base of the pot to baste the cooking food. On many Dutch ovens small nubs or short stalactite shapes in the interior of the lid specifically designed to evenly distribute these captured liquids back onto the cooking food.
