Dutch oven cooking was the most effective cooking tool in the

western frontier.

Dutch ovens were an important tool in frontier history dating back to the early 1800's. The Pioneers were very limited in the amount of equipment they could pack in moving westward. Dutch ovens, although heavy, had multiple cooking uses and could be heated and cleaned quickly. The Dutch oven proved to be an easy way to bake bread, fry fish or make stew.

Because Paul Revere had a pattern for making a Dutch oven almost identical to the ones used on the frontier, he is often credited as their creator. The Dutch, of course, argue that the frontier Dutch oven was patterned after their iron kettles brought to the colonies by tradesmen and that the popular ovens are named after them. Everyone agrees that at that time the Dutch oven was one of the most efficient cooking utensils ever built...and it still is!

Here are a few Dutch Oven links:

www.idos.com The International Dutch Oven Society is a non-profit  organization based in Logan, Utah.  Our primary mission is to promote and encourage the art and skill of Dutch oven cooking, and to provide education regarding the benefits and methods of Dutch oven cooking.
 

www.lodgemfg.com America's original cookware since 1896

How to use the Baking Temperature Chart:

l) Determine what size oven you have and what temperature you want to cook at.

2) The top number indicates the total number of briquettes to use. The bottom number indicates how many briquettes on top and how many briquettes on bottom.
 

Example: Say you have a 12" Dutch Oven and you want to cook at 375 degrees, you would use 27 briquettes: 18 on top and 9 on bottom.