Dutch Oven Cooking

Dutch oven cooking uses a thick-walled cooking vessel with a tight-fitting lid, most often seasoned cast iron though sometimes cast aluminum or ceramic, to cook by long, slow, moist heat. The heavy lid traps steam so the pot holds an even, humid heat well suited to braising, stewing and roasting, and the same trapped-steam effect lets a preheated Dutch oven bake bread with a crisp crust, particularly sourdoughs and ciabattas, by keeping the crust from setting before the loaf has fully expanded. An enameled metal version of the vessel is sometimes called a French oven instead.