How to Convert Dutch Oven Recipes
Most campfire Dutch oven recipes can be easily converted to indoor cooking methods. Depending on the recipe itself, the use of the stove, the oven or the slow cooker may be the best way to cook converted recipes. The slower you cook the food over the campfire determines the best method for indoor cooking. When looking at Dutch oven recipes, a general rule of thumb is the less coals placed on top of the oven, the slower the cooking method needed for indoor cooking. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Dutch oven recipe
- Crock-Pot or slow cooker
- Stockpots with lids
- Oven-proof casserole dishes with lids
- Bread and other baking pans
Instructions
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Read the recipe thoroughly to understand the cooking times and the heat needed to prepare the dish. Also, make note of the size of Dutch oven called for in the recipe; e.g., 10- or 12-inch.
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Use a slow cooker for recipes calling for less than eight coals on a 10-inch and 10 coals on the top of a 12-inch Dutch oven. These numbers keep the oven about 250 degrees to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, and the slow cooker will cook the food in about the same time.
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Cook chili, stew and soup over heat in a stockpot on the stove. Follow the basic recipe instructions to put together the dish, such as browning the meat, add remaining ingredients and cook according to the recipe instruction. Simmering should be done over medium low or low heat, while browning and boiling is accomplished over medium high or high heat.
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Set your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit to roast meats or other foods. Prepare the foods in roasting pans or covered casseroles dishes and cook for the same amount of time called for in the recipe.
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Bake breads, pies and other pastries at temperatures near what the Dutch oven recipe calls for. A 12-inch Dutch oven recipe calling for 12 coals on top and nine on the bottom is asking for a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven. For every two additional coals on top, the needed temperature is 25 degrees higher.
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Tips & Warnings
As a general rule, for a 10-inch Dutch oven, eight coals on top is a low oven, 10 is a moderate oven, 12 is a hot oven and 14 is very hot. For a 12-inch oven, an additional two coals on the top of the oven for each temperature rise is needed to achieve the same heat.
Any recipe that can be cooked in a Dutch oven over a campfire can be cooked indoors. By noting the number of coals needed to cook the dish outdoors, you can compute the needed oven or stove temperature needed. Most foods cooked in a slow cooker will be done in seven to eight hours on low.
