Snow Peak Dutch Oven -- Opinions?

[DaveM]

Recipe please!! :chef:

Thanks
Dendy

ahh, thats the secret to DO cooking, any long cooking stew or braise will work, with a few excpetions their not really DO specific.

I have several beef burgandy recipes at home. One of the eiaser ones is the Frugal Gormet's. I think I did one from Epicurious once. Last week I did a version of Fillipino Chicken Adobo... mmmm, there's a party in my tummy, so yummy so yummy : D

To guage times and temps (since theres no dial on the camp fire) I watch the boil rate of the liquid. After a while you get a sense for whats right.

 

[OverlandZJ]

You may also be appling an unrealistic standard to a cast steel pot. The lids are not super tight, niether are the very expenive LeCrusset lids. Both work very well and my DO has never had any ash in it that I didn't stupidly dump in myslef! You won't loose moisture either. I've cooked a full beef burgandy stew in mine several times (up to 5 hours on the coals) and it came out amazing.

A lid shouldnt rock side to side right? Thats exactly what was happening. You mentioned holding in the steam.. exactly why you want a flush/tight lid. That way the steam/moisture drips back off the nipples on the lid.

Like i said Dave.. i may have checked out a subpar batch... dunno. I'll give them a second look.

Our Wagner has cooked many a Venison and Bison roast.

 

[DaveM]

A lid shouldnt rock side to side right? Thats exactly what was happening. You mentioned holding in the steam.. exactly why you want a flush/tight lid. That way the steam/moisture drips back off the nipples on the lid.

Like i said Dave.. i may have checked out a subpar batch... dunno. I'll give them a second look.

Our Wagner has cooked many a Venison and Bison roast.

No it should not rock back and forth, the lids should sit flush along thier diameter to the top of the pot. They will slide around a small amount, the inner lip and the pot lip have some play. I was just making sure that you were not seeing that play or even some rough casting as a major flaw since I don't think either effect the Lodges ability to cook without losing too much moisture. But a lid that does not sit flat on the pot is a problem.

 

[jsmoriss]

Wow. Thanks to everyone for your insights. I bought a few books on Dutch Oven cooking for my wife, so I'll hold off on the Snow Peak Dutch Oven until we're more familiar with the size(s) and features (feet or no, seasoned or not, etc) we need. Thanks again.

BTW, I just noticed Partner Steel makes a square DO too.

http://www.partnersteel.com/prod02.htm

js.

 

[DaveM]

Wow. Thanks to everyone for your insights. I bought a few books on Dutch Oven cooking for my wife, so I'll hold off on the Snow Peak Dutch Oven until we're more familiar with the size(s) and features (feet or no, seasoned or not, etc) we need. Thanks again.

This whole raw or pre-seasoned thing comes up repeatedly so I'm going to reiterate my opinion on this... you should still season your "pre-seasoned" cast iron, no matter what Lodge says. Real seasoning comes from lots of use, the "pre-seasoning" just gets you started. You can cook in the pre-seasoned pans just fine right away, just don't do anything acidic or it will wipe that thin layer right off. If you don't do a proper seasoning with animal fat and hot oven at least fry some bacon in it a couple of times before doing a stew. Trust me, you'll have a much more trouble free DO experience.

 

[AndrewP]

This whole raw or pre-seasoned thing comes up repeatedly so I'm going to reiterate my opinion on this... you should still season your "pre-seasoned" cast iron, no matter what Lodge says. Real seasoning comes from lots of use, the "pre-seasoning" just gets you started. You can cook in the pre-seasoned pans just fine right away, just don't do anything acidic or it will wipe that thin layer right off. If you don't do a proper seasoning with animal fat and hot oven at least fry some bacon in it a couple of times before doing a stew. Trust me, you'll have a much more trouble free DO experience.

As the owner of 3 Lodge DOs, 4 skillets, and a large griddle, I agree with this. I think the best fat to season with is Crisco. I know that sounds weird, but it makes a nice immediate season on the pots. Animal fat seasoning goes kind of rancid if you don't use your DO or skillet for a couple of months. As to clearing funky old seasoning and starting over-I ran the DO through the oven clean cycle and the pot came out looking like it had just cooled at the factory. Smoked up the house most excellently too. I was given orders to not do that again, but it was cool.

As to the fit-I'm quite surprised. Mine fit extremely well and are nearly steam tight. Either you had some factory rejects, or you were not looking at Lodges (Cabelas sells and off brand China DO as well).

 

[James86004]

So, I guess none of us Lodge owners have actually seen the Snow Peak oven? I am curious, but I can't imagine it is worth multiple times the cost of a Lodge.

My wife was checking out an aluminum dutch oven, but was afraid all the methods we had used with cast iron would screw us up if we switched.

 

[taugust]

If you do buy a lodge get a pre-seasoned one.... then season it anyway. The factory seasoning is weak but helps immensely on getting the base built up. Still you should definitely season them preferably with animal fat not veg oil. The animal fat creates a proper seasoned seal, the veg oil turns into a sticky film.

You do want legs so you can cook directly over the fire, if you end up using the DO on a grill or grate the legs almost always fit between the bars. Get a lid hook to open the lid and lift and rotate the pot. And please... use the fricken coals in the fire not a bag of brickets! :campfire:

I have only been cooking with DO's about a year, but all of the reading I have done says to use veg oil or shortening only. Animal fat will turn rancid over time. If the veg oil is sticky, it wasn't baked long enough.

For a beginner and most of the rest of us, using briquets produces consistent results. Recipes often tell how many coals to use and there are conversion tables to tell the number of coals for a required temp. There are a lot of variables with wood coals and open camp fires are not always permitted. Charcoal in a pan can get past these fire restrictions.

For me, the Lodge is the best. Nearly everything else is made in China and the casting quality is very poor, not to mention the fit.

As for aluminum, I believe that aluminum conducts heat better. The reason a DO works so well, is that cast iron does not conduct heat as well, and hence, retains the applied heat in the metal longer, which equals more even cooking.

 

[paulj]

It's been a few months since I looked at the Snow Peak pots (online). My impression was that they are selling a classic Japanese cast iron pot design. It isn't a modern copy of the American Dutch Oven. It may be a copy, but one that goes back a century or more. Before modern rice cookers, pots like this may have been the preferred pot for rice cooking ('tight-lidded, heavy and deep').

For camp baking, the rimmed lid is more important than the builtin legs. It is easy to fine or make substitutes for the legs. My current favorite DO is a GSI aluminum 10" without legs. That means it works just as well on the stove top as in camp. GSI sells a sturdy tripod that packs inside the DO, so the whole packs nicely.

But if the lid is domed too much, and lacks a rim, it isn't practical to put coals on top. It may still work for stews. Open hearth cookware came in all kinds of sizes, shapes, and designs, including spider pans, so named because of the length of their legs.

For those who are wondering about aluminum, I think the 10" GSI hard anodized is a good place to start (along with the tripod stand). It does not take seasoning like cast iron, but is relatively low-stick. Total volume is about 3 qts.; 10" diameter, but not deep. It has replaced an 8" Lodge for camp cooking for 2 or 3. Plus it works for everyday cooking at home - scones, calfouti, stews of all sort. The only problem is that the classic bail handle does not work well, especially with soup. The pot is too light, and too wide to hang steady with anything that could slosh around.

 

[DaveM]

I have only been cooking with DO's about a year, but all of the reading I have done says to use veg oil or shortening only. Animal fat will turn rancid over time. If the veg oil is sticky, it wasn't baked long enough.

I've been using cast iron in the kitchen and the campground for over a decade and I'll never use anything but animal fat to season them (veg oil is fine for treating it after each cleaning). You'll see it recommended both ways all over the place (about 50/50 from my reading). Seems like most of the old timers will recommend animal fat and my experience is it makes a better coating on the pot. If you use the pot on a regular basis you will never experience rancid seasoning. If you only use it once or twice a year, then yes you will have issues with an animal fat coating.

I think if you get away from brickets you'll be surprised how easy it really is to judge the temp and cooking of most recipes, though probably not as easy for baking.

 

[Tumbleweed]

I have an older cast iron pot with a domed lid and no legs. I took a 1" steel strap and formed it into a circle and pop riveted it together. Then used some 1" square tubing cut into 2" lengths and stacked to replace the legs. I now can put coals on the lid or the pot on coals; or use it on the stove as needed. Simple fix for the no legs issue or the domed lid issue.

 

[Hilldweller]

Holy resurrected thread..... :ylsmoke:


I wouldn't buy a Snow Peak anything.

I use a GSI anodized aluminum 12" Dutch
http://www.gsioutdoors.com/products/cat/camp_cookware_dutch_ovens/
That I store in a case from another company.
Inside the 12-incher I stow my 10.5" Banks Fry-Bake Expedition model
http://frybake.com/
It nests perfectly wrapped in a synthetic chamois.

They're light, heat fast and evenly, and are super easy to clean up. I use cast iron at home and love it; I don't love it on the road though...

Sausage (vegan sausage, btw), peppers, onions, & mushrooms on fresh-baked French rolls. A 20 minute wonder in the wild:

 

[mrchips]

I just got a 8 qt Lodge, what I have read is buy a good quality American made DO, as the China units are poor quality and you don't know what they put in the pot when it is made

 

[Honu]

wow old thread

I love snow peak but not sure the dutch ovens are worth it ?
sure they are nice and the way they build them etc..

but for camping the GSI Anodized aluminum have made my day love the fact no rust worries even sticky monkey bread cleans out super quick and easy and light to pack etc.. for sure hildweller got me going on these as a safe buy and have to say for overloading or camping they make the best sense in the world to get the anodized aluminum ones !!

 

[Hilldweller]

And the aluminum heats fast when it's cold out.
It was in the mid 20's on Saturday and windy. From the time I lit the charcoal to when I was eating fresh-baked rolls with snausages, a mere 35 minutes.

Best bread ever when it comes from the DO.