I Love My Dutch Oven

My dutch oven has been a very, very good friend to me. With a little effort on a Sunday morning I could have a delicious dinner ready for the starving hordes when we walked through the door after 3 hours of church. A pot roast so tender it fell apart, carrots, potatoes and onions soft and enough juice in the bottom of the pan to make a wonderful gravy without having to add any boosters like Kitchen Bouquet because of good browning first. The fact that some of my kin do not appreciate or eat gravy has been difficult to handle at times but I'm okay with it now. To each his or her own. More gravy for the gravy lovers. I just thought being able to make a good gravy was a real accomplishment in my younger days but again, I'm okay with it now. I have also taken my responsibility as a cook seriously.

My preference is for a heavy, waterless cookware. Here are examples of heavy ovens:

This looks way too flimsy to do a good job.

Though I have a cast iron dutch oven like the one below (which I usually consider a camping oven) I have brought more than one smile to faces with an enormous loaf of Basque Sheepherders Bread baked in it. That is an upcoming blog you won't want to miss. I've never used it for anything else. Maybe I'm really missing out on something.

I've always admired the Le Creuset brand but even when shopping at their "outlets" I've figured one of their dutch ovens would never make it to my kitchen - $$$$.

Look what I found at - are you ready - WalMart - this week : Enameled, cast iron and $39.86. I wonder about the quality. It did mention a lifetime warranty and when I picked it up it was weighty. And what is with the $.86. I can understand $39.99 but $39.86??? Funny Wally's. Funny me taking cell phone pictures of d.o.'s in the store.

It's a good color on the order of a green Bell pepper. Are you tempted to purchase one? If I didn't already have a good d.o. I'd go right out and buy it. I'd also save all the wrapping and my receipt because Wally's has such a great return policy and I would take it back if I didn't love it.

If you get one, please also pick up that pot roast, potatoes, carrots and onions. Speaking of carrots, I have used the little baby carrots in a pot roast but really prefer the big ole ones you need to peel and then cut up. They have a better taste. Mom made a delicious pot roast but she didn't put onions in it. Dorinne's mom Veryl put onions in hers and that's where I got the idea. Onions it is now here. I recall Dorinne (not to be confused with Dori) commenting on Sunday dinner always seemed to be pot roasts. Maybe those are some good old days. Thanks Mom and Veryl for many delicious Sunday dinners.