Best Dutch Oven

Price: $79.90

Weight: 19.35 lbs (8.77 kg)

Components: 8 qt. pot w/bail handle; flanged lid; Camp Dutch Oven Cooking 101 cookbook

Materials: Cast iron, Stainless steel handle

Cooking Surface: Cast iron

Packed Size: 13.93″ x 13.93″ x 8.37″

Boil Time: N/A

Best Use: Camping

What We Like: Durable, Large, Can be placed on open campfire, Converts to a griddle

What We Don’t: Heavy, Lack of style choices, Only viable for camping

With a storied history dating back to the 17th century, the Dutch oven is a widely beloved cooking tool used all across the globe. It’s capable of cooking stews and soups, braising meat, deep-frying chicken, or even baking bread. Retailing for $79.90, the Lodge Deep Camp Dutch Oven includes an 8 qt pot with a bail handle, along with a flanged lid that can be used to hold coals or inverted to function as a griddle. This durable and highly capable piece of camp cookware earned our award for Best Dutch Oven.

Compare to Similar Products

See Our Best Camp Cookware Review HERE!

Cooking & Cleaning

The Lodge Deep Camp Dutch Oven is a remarkable cooking tool; made of 100% cast iron, it excels at both distributing and retaining heat (so make sure to use pot holders or silicone grips when handling it). Its 8 qt pot has three legs so that it can be placed on a grill or directly over coals. It also has a stainless-steel handle that enables it to be hung on a tripod for slow cooking. The flanged lid creates a tight seal at the top of the pot and can hold hot coals or briquettes, but can also be turned over and used as a griddle. For those who haven’t cooked with a Dutch oven before, the Lodge comes with a Camp Dutch Oven Cooking 101 cookbook that will help you get started.

In terms of cleanup, cast iron is an impressive cooking material that is naturally nonstick when properly maintained. After use, you’ll simply need to remove any food still on the surface and then coat the cast iron with either Lodge Seasoning Spray or any store-bought nonstick cooking spray (which is significantly cheaper) then make sure this is evenly distributed with a lint-free cloth. If the pan is left uncoated or any moisture is left on the surface of a cast iron cooker, it will need to be returned to its former glory. You’ll have to first scrape off the rust with steel wool—which will also remove all of your precious seasoning—then wash the skillet with dish soap and warm water, dry thoroughly, then coat the entire pot and lid with cooking oil and heat them upside-down in your oven at 350°F for an hour.

Weight & Packability

If you thought that an 8 qt cast iron Dutch oven would be big and heavy, you would be correct. The Lodge tips the scales at 19.35 lbs (8.77 kg), with dimensions of 13.93″ x 13.93″ x 8.37″. Due to its massive size, the Dutch oven is much more of an outdoor cooking tool than our other Lodge items, which can more easily transfer to the kitchen. If you’re interested in something just a bit smaller, Lodge also offers their Dutch oven in 2 qt to 6 qt sizes, along with an even larger 10 qt option. You might also want to consider the Lodge Cast Iron Combo Cooker, which is also roughly $35 cheaper, but has a much smaller capacity (3.2 qt).

Durability

Cast iron is notoriously rugged and practically bulletproof, so there’s no need to be particularly gentle with your Lodge Skillet. It’s invulnerable to scratching and certainly denting, plus, you can place it directly over a campfire without any risk of warping. The only issues you’ll want to be cautious about are rusting, which can result from extended exposure to moisture, as well as removing the seasoning by scrubbing too hard with metal utensils. Of course, the latter is not a permanent problem and can be rectified by following the re-seasoning steps we already detailed.

Features

Besides the cookbook, there are no additional features that come with the Lodge Deep Camp Dutch Oven. However, there are several very handy add-ons that can improve your cooking experience. Here are a few of our favorites:

• 4-in-1 Camp Dutch oven tool ($14.95)
• Camp Dutch oven lid lifter ($14.95)
• 12 Inch Camp Dutch oven tote bag ($27.95)
• Pan scraper 2-pack ($5.95)
• Enameled cast iron & stoneware care kit ($24.95)
• Camp tripod ($39.95)
• Silicone grips ($9.95)

The Bottom Line

If you’re looking to take your camp kitchen to the next level without breaking the bank, the Lodge Deep Camp Dutch Oven is a step in the right direction. This versatile cast-iron cooking tool is durable, proficient at cooking, and will last you a lifetime with the proper care.

^ Back to Top ^