Dutch ovens and the fascinating facts about them tend to reveal a very famous and historical pot species that has been well known in America and parts of Europe for centuries. Made of cast iron and thick-walled, it comes with a lid that fits tightly over the open pot. It is still popular to this day and learning a little about the oven could be quite entertaining.
Product of the Dutch in the 17th century, it was an ingenious device both in design and in the materials with which it was made. The Dutch, of course, from that day were highly motivated when it came to creating and then exporting many different products. Soon enough, the little oven / cooking pot started to make appearances across Europe and Britain, which came to be highly valued.
The British themselves, who were also known for their ingenuity and their own mercantile spirit, experimented with changes in design and manufacture until a new version of the pot was patented in 1708. It was shipped in large numbers to the American colonies of Great Britain. Britain, as a matter of time. in fact, where he became equally valued and appreciated.
The Americans, not content with leaving the small oven unchanged, added to be able to place it on embers and also make design changes to the lid, allowing other embers to be placed on its top without contaminating the food it contains. The oven pot also became somewhat shallower and the oven became wider as a result.
Cast iron is a metal that can be susceptible to oxidation, but a special “curing” process was developed to address that problem. With a little experimentation by many different people, a specific type of curing process was developed to help ensure that bare cast iron is not as susceptible to rusting once it is coated with certain substances.
Pot users in those days took animal fat, usually, and covered the cooking surface of the pot with it. Once that was achieved, they would heat the pot to seal in the oils, which basically kept the pot from rusting. Of course, regular grease reapplications were needed and they were hardly ever scrubbed or washed with any type of soap.
These seasoning processes are used even to this day, because most people feel that the best made Dutch ovens are those that come with bare cast iron to allow their owners to dedicate themselves to the seasoning of the oven, which it is half the pleasure of owning such a pot. They remain a prized asset among many homeowners, who use them to cook, fry, cook, or grill just about any food, for what it’s worth.