Preparedness Cooking Sources

 
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Finding Different Cooking Sources
The cooking source is a personal preference. You must decide which you like. Then make sure you have the appropriate fuels, matches (if necessary), and pots and pans and utensils. Sometimes you may be combining your heating source with your cooking source. This is good - two for one!!!! Cooking Source
cook

Items that are used for a cooking source include:

Cooking Source Accompanying Fuel Sources
Fireplace Wood
Grill - Propane or Charcoal Extra propane tank - Charcoal briquettes
Camp Fire Wood
Camping Stove Propane, Coleman Fuel, or Gasoline
(depends on stove)
Wood Stove Wood
Kerosene Heater Kerosene - use top of heater to warm food or water - works like a crockpot slow cooker

** MATCHES - You can never have too many matches (or a bic lighter, etc.)

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Dutch Oven Cooking: see recipe category in this website

Dutch oven cooking can be a lot of fun. You can cook on top of the ground or you can dig a hole and put the Dutch oven in the hole and cover it up. Experiment and Enjoy.

A Dutch oven can be used like a regular conventional oven.

You can place a bundt pan, muffin tins, cake pans, pie pans, bread pans inside the Dutch oven and bake some yummy things.

You can use foil inside the Dutch oven for easy clean up when baking a peach cobbler or other deserts that may be sticky in your Dutch oven.

You can use racks in your Dutch oven to keep meats and other foods out of the drippings and juices in the bottom of our Dutch oven. This also allows air circulation around different foods.

Remember - You can stack Dutch ovens
This allows you to cook an entire meal including dessert.
Have one Dutch oven for your main course and stack another Dutch oven with your desert. Easy Dinner.

Seasoning your Dutch oven
  1. Wash the Dutch oven with soap and water
  2. Rinse
  3. Place Dutch oven and lid separately on household oven rack at 350 to 400 degrees for 5 minutes to warm the Dutch oven cast iron.
  4. Remove and wipe a thin coating of oil or shortening all over the Dutch oven (DO NOT us lard)
  5. Put the Dutch oven back into the household oven, but this time place it upside down so any excess oil will drip off. (A cookie sheet lined with foil, placed on the rack under the Dutch oven, helps to catch any drips.)
  6. Bake for 1 hour
  7. Before using the Dutch oven, oil and bake the Dutch oven several times to season (or cure) the Dutch oven completely.
After each use
  1. Wash with hot soapy water
  2. If some food is stuck on the Dutch oven, DO NOT use a brillo pad - use a stiff brush or nylon pad. (If a brillo pad is used, the Dutch oven will need to be seasoned or cured again)
  3. Dry with a paper towel
  4. Apply a thin coat of oil in the Dutch oven
  5. Place it in the household oven on low to dry thoroughly.
  6. If you are not going to be using the Dutch oven for a long time, apply a thin coat of mineral oil on it instead of vegetable oil so that it does not get rancid.
Rusty Dutch Ovens
  1. Pour coca cola in your Dutch oven
  2. Let stand
  3. Wash Dutch oven
  4. Re-season your Dutch oven
OR
  1. Pour tomato juice in your Dutch oven
  2. Boil
  3. Wash Dutch oven
  4. Re-season your Dutch oven
OR
  1. If only slightly rusty - use a brillo pad to get out the rust
  2. Wash
  3. Re-season your Dutch oven
Cooking with the Dutch oven
  1. Charcoal Briquettes - approximately 150 to 180 per 10 pound bag
  2. Usually the temperature will be approximately 350 degrees with the following information to raise or lower the temperature - usually 2 coals = 25 degrees
  3. You can always add a few more coals or remove some if you feel the temperature should be adjusted.
  4. The rule of thumb is: the size of the Dutch oven equals the amount of briquettes on top and the bottom.
  5. Put the charcoal briquettes on the ground then place the Dutch oven on top of the coals then put the other coals on top of the oven when applicable.
  6. Charcoal briquettes NO NOT go inside the Dutch oven with the food.
Dutch Oven Size Briquettes on top Briquettes on bottom
8 inch 8 to 10 6 to 8
10 inch 10 to 12 8 to 10
12 inch 12 to 14 10 to 12
14 inch 14 to 16 12 to 14
16 inch 16 to 18 14 to 16

An easy dutch oven recipe:
* Measure your dutch oven - 12", 14", etc.
* Double that number and that is how many charcoal briquettes you will need. 12" oven you need 12 briquettes on top of the oven and 12 briquettes on the bottom for a total of 24 briquettes
* Put in your dutch oven: one chicken cut up, 1c. butter cut in slices, salt and pepper to taste, 2 bay leaves.
* Cook 1 1/2 to 2 hours in the ground with heated briquettes on bottom and top of oven
* Check every 30 minutes or so
* Keep adding briquettes as some will cool down
* You will begin to get a wonderful smell and know it is nearly done - it will soon be ready to eat.


Baking cakes, bread, etc.

  1. Measure your Dutch oven (12 inches, 14 inches, etc.)
  2. Use 4 LESS briquettes for the bottom coals and 4 EXTRA on the top
    • Example: for a 12 inch Dutch oven
      12 minus 4 = 8 briquettes for the bottom (under the oven)
      12 plus 4 = 16 briquettes for the top (on the lid of the oven)
  3. You should NOT open the lid to your Dutch oven until 20 to 25 minutes into your baking process (your baking product might fall)
Roasting
  1. Measure your Dutch oven (12 inches, 14 inches, etc.)
  2. Use the same amount of briquettes for top and bottom
    • Example: for a 12 inch Dutch oven
      12 briquettes for the bottom (under the oven)
      12 briquettes for the top (on the lid of the oven)
Steaming
  1. Measure your Dutch oven (12 inches, 14 inches, etc.)
  2. Use that number for the number of charcoal briquettes on the bottom ONLY
    • Example: for a 12 inch Dutch oven
      12 briquettes for the bottom ONLY (under the Dutch oven)
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Sterno with a grill screen is very portable and light weight to cook on and with. Remember that you can also use a teaspoon of sterno to help light a fire (see the fire starter section). Sterno with a grill screen is good to have in a 72 hour kit.

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DO YOU HAVE THE PROPER COOKING POTS AND PANS AND UTENSILS? For example:
- Sturdy pots and pans that can take a lot of heat
- Long handled spoons, forks, etc.
- Hot pads or gloves that are treated for extra protection if using a fireplace or campfire
- Aluminum foil - Very useful to cook with in campfires, grills, etc.

If using a fireplace you may choose to cook on a grill rack inside the fireplace.

Does your cooking choice need good air ventilation for safety to the family?