Date:         Tue, 17 Jul 2001 14:43:48 -0700
Reply-To:     pensioner <al_knoll@PACBELL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         pensioner <al_knoll@PACBELL.NET>
Subject:      Re: CDOs Ovens and such
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Hi volks,

As Stan, I think it was Stan, mentioned dutch ovens work well and complement
the westy camping experience very well.

DOs come in two basic configurations.  Those with feet and  rimmed lid,
called Camp Dutch Ovens and the plain Dutch oven without the feet and with a
lid not designed to hold embers.

Both work in essentially the same way for cooking or baking, they contain
the heat/moisture environment for the goodies, but hey you knew that.

For the Westie stove, an alternative might be the Coleman brand of folding
oven designed to work with coleman stoves.

I personally have a square dutch oven manufactured by...er...ah...hmmmm,
gotta look that up.  It forms either two pans one deep one not deep or one
CDO.  It is aluminum and has served me well for more than ten years.

Amongst the CDO folks there are purists, who use only vintage Griswold,
Wagner or similar cast iron CDOs and take great delight in the lucious
dishes they can produce with these finely made cooking instruments.

Alas, for today the current Lodge and Wagner CDOs are a shadow of the
vintage quality but work fairly well.  Like all CI cookware they must be
seasoned a bit to perform to expectations.

Also among the CDO folks are the heretics, they use everything from nesting
cookie tins to nicely made Aluminum Dutch ovens to the current crop of CDOs
from Lodge and Wagner.

Aluminum has the advantage of light weight, dishwasherable, no particular
special care required.  CI cooks more evenly, looks fearsome in its shiny
black patina and carrys enough clout to break your foot if you drop the oven
on it.

There are volumes written on DO cooking, care and lore.  CDOs allow oven use
over campfires, charcoal grills or even in a standard oven.

They are designed to have a heat source on the lid in the form of coals from
a campfire in addition to being heated from below.  This gives an even heat
top and bottom that is controllable by the number coals used.

For use with the westie propane stove I recommend a 10" diameter round
aluminum dutch oven, Northwest River supplies sells these.  In Gridley, CA,
Butte Creek Outfitters sells em too.

I'll look up the maker of my square one.  His name was Woody and his wife
runs the business now I think..wait...through the mist...Hobart Mfg.  NOT
the big industrial foodmachine maker.

pensioner