Dutch oven

During the 17th century, brass was the preferred metal for English cookware and domestic utensils, and the Dutch produced it at the lowest cost, which, however, was still expensive.

[1] In 1702, Abraham Darby was a partner in the Brass Works Company of Bristol, which made malt mills for breweries.

[3] Darby learned that when making castings, the Dutch used molds made of sand, rather than the traditional loam and clay, and this innovation produced a finer finish on their brassware.

[5] There, Darby realized that he could sell more kitchen wares if he could replace brass with a cheaper metal, namely, cast iron.

[9][10] The Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Researching Food History[11] agree that several very different cooking devices were called "Dutch ovens" — a cast-iron pan with legs and a lid; a roughly rectangular box that was open on one side and that was used to roast meats, and a compartment in a brick hearth that was used for baking.

[12] Paul Revere is credited with the design of the flat lid with a ridge for holding coals as well as the addition of legs to the pots.

A Dutch oven was among the gear Lewis and Clark carried when they explored the great American Northwest between 1804 and 1806.

The design most used today is a black enameled steel pan that is suitable for gas and induction heating.

A camping, cowboy, or chuckwagon Dutch oven usually has three integral legs, a wire bail handle, and a slightly concave, rimmed lid so that coals from the cooking fire can be placed on top as well as below.

A Dutch oven without integral legs can be used as a conventional pot on a stove, or may be set on a separate welded steel or cast iron tripod stand or on small stones when cooking on hot coals.

It has a matching handled lid, which is recessed, and convex to allow for hot coals to rest on top, providing additional heat from above.

The shape of a chugunok is similar to a traditional crock with a narrow top and bottom and wider in the middle.

Dutch ovens also hold significantly more energy density than most cooking tools, such as traditional sauce pans or stock pots.

As with other cast iron cookware, consistent and appropriate care will eventually produce a shiny, non-stick surface, and may provide many decades of trusted service.

[25] Enameled ovens provide the convenience of not requiring care needed with exposed cast iron.