How to Use a Dutch Oven Instead of a Slow Cooker

Dutch ovens are a good choice for one-pot meals, such as stew.

Dutch ovens, in existence since the 1600s, are more versatile and economical than slow cookers. They saute vegetables, brown meat and then cook the meat tender and juicy in a fraction of the time. A pot roast dinner cooks in 2 to 2-1/2 hours in a Dutch oven but takes 8 to 10 hours in a slow cooker, which increases your electric bill. If a recipe starts on the stove top and finishes in the oven, then use a cast iron Dutch oven. Otherwise, stainless steel will cook any food without reacting to it. Does this Spark an idea?

Print this article

Dutch oven
Recipe

Instructions

- 1
  
  Convert the time on your slow cooker recipe for Dutch oven use. Most recipes cook in 25 percent of the time. For example, a whole chicken that needs 4 hours in slow cooker will stew in 45 minutes to one hour in a Dutch oven. Check the food at the minimal time and then adjust based on your stove.
- 2
  
  Increase the quantity of spices. Since Dutch ovens cook food in a shorter period, you need more spice to infuse the same flavor intensity. Start with 1 1/2 times more and experiment from there. You may need twice as much if using fresh herbs and spices, such as parsley just harvested from your garden, rather than dried spices. Fresh herbs and spices contain water, so they are not intense.
- 3
  
  Adjust the amount of liquids needed. Water evaporates from a Dutch oven, so with some recipes you need to add more in the beginning, while other recipes require that you add water as the food cooks, such as pot roast.
- 4
  
  Add foods to the Dutch oven at the appropriate time. When using a slow cooker, you add all ingredients at the beginning. However, with Dutch oven cooking, some foods are added later. For example, add potatoes during the last 20 to 30 minutes of your recipe.