Oven Selection Criteria

The Scouts in my Troop just got back from another weekend camp out. This one is labeled the "freeze out". Supposed to be in the snow, but lows of 28 at night still qualify. High point for these boys was having fun in the cold, and cooking for themselves. One scout actually made my day when he insisted he was going to cook a meal for himself based on a recipe I had taught him.

I also have been asked about a direct link to the troop's recipe page. The link is: http://www.bsatroop680.org/documents/Cooking/default.htm

Well back to Dutch Ovens. The first thing to "know" when you are going to use Dutch Ovens in outdoor cooking, is don't "cheap out". The old saying about "you get what you pay for" applies more to Dutch Ovens than anything else. A couple of important items to look for in a good Dutch Oven:

• That it has three legs
• Wire handle is well built and stays out of the way
• Lid seals well to the body of the Dutch Oven
• Size matches your cooking need (how large a group are you feeding)

I will round up a few photos of some good and bad Dutch Ovens and try to post them next time around.

Dr. Mike