[Sca-cooks] Dutch Oven Cooking - OOP

[Stefan li Rous]

Bear replied to me with:

<<< This was an cast aluminum Dutch oven,  rather than cast iron Dutch  
oven,
but I doubt it makes a difference in  this.

Stefan >>>

 > A properly seasoned cast iron dutch oven is easier to clean than a  
cast
 > aluminum one.

Yes. I was talking about that I wasn't sure that aluminum vs. iron  
affecting the need for an air gap or not.

 > Cast aluminum spreads the heat like cast iron and used to be
 > less expensive, but it doesn't build up the coating that cast iron  
does.
 > When I was a staff cook, I went to the cast iron and left the  
aluminum in
 > the supply chests.

The difficulty with 11-18 year old boys is the extra maintenance and  
care needed with the cast iron versions. As we've discussed here, it  
is all too easy to destroy a good coating which has been built up on  
iron ware through many uses. This has been a problem with *adults*.

The other reason my troop chose aluminum Dutch ovens was because,  
while not light, were still considerably lighter than the cast iron  
ones. You mentioned backpacking one for ten miles. I only had to carry  
an iron one over a mountain ridge and down at Philmont, but I remember  
it all too well. I was having to carry it in my hands though, not on  
my back.

Stefan
Much older now
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas          StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****