[Sca-cooks] Dutch ovens?

[Jeff Gedney]

>
>IIRC cast iron did not come into use until post-period. 

Not necessarily the case, everywhere... 

The English were doing a lot of Iron Casting in the Early 1500's and there were a nunmber of Cast Iron post found in the Mary Rose Excavation, several of which were round bellied kettles with three legs.  

I do not know of any of the cylindrical pots with tight fitting inset lids we call dutch ovens today, but cast iron there certainly was.

In the 15th century the rise of Gunpowder weapons created a need for accurate projectiles... the common method was to make round stone balls, but Cast Iron balls were much cheaper. 

A lot of the European Cast Iron was made into ingots and billets to use in Wrought Iron ( the process it is believed having been brought into the west in the 12-13th centuries through contact with the Chinese who had the art from before the 6th century ), but it was also turned to projectiles. 
The European smithies seemed to prefer working with Bloomery Iron, which was then hammered and rivetted into shapes.  
Most pots and utensils were of sheet work (iron, copper, or bronze). 

But some Casters did experiment with makign "useful" forms. 
But it WAS uncommon. 

However since rivetted and watertight pots of brass or copper are rather expensive, I'd say cast iron pots are not a bad alternative, even if they are made using a Bessemer furnace and the Lodge process today.


Brandu