Small Dutch Oven?

[ssssnake529]

I'm looking for a small (2 quart) Dutch Oven.

I want it to not have legs, and needs to come with a lid with a lip (not a dome lid.)


Lodge makes a nice 2 quart Dutch oven, but it has legs.

I've seen some that fit my criteria made by Stansport and Bayou Classic, but the reviews of these Dutch Ovens on Amazon indicate that they are poorly cast and the lids don't fit, etc. I'd love to know of any other options that are high quality (like Lodge.)

I suppose I could just buy the Lodge and cut the legs off, but if there are other options that folks can recommend, I'd love to hear them.

[Corey]

I have a Lodge without legs, works great.
https://secure.lodgemfg.com/storefro...idProduct=3946

If the lid is to domed, maybe they have another lid for it.

[DontPanic42]

I have found lids sold separately in sporting goods stores like Academy Sports & Outdoors, Army Navy stores etc. Just make sure you measure the ID at the lip of the DO before you by the lid. Not all DO's and lids are created equally.

[paulj]

I have the small Lodge dutch oven, but haven't used it much since I bought a 10" GSI hard anodized aluminum DO. This size does not have legs, instead I use a 3 leg stand from GSI when working the coals. Volume is about 3 quarts, a little wider and larger than the Lodge, but without the legs even more compact. It also works great at home one the stove and in the oven. The hard anodized surface does not take a seasoning like cast iron, but is still easy to clean. The only fault is that isn't as stable when held by the bail handle. That may, in part, be due to how the handle is attached, but the weight distribution is also a factor - it's too light and shallow. Other than that it's a great pot both in camp and at home.

[gonejeeping15]

You could just bite the bullet and buy one of each, then you can mix and match lids to your needs. By the time you get done you will probably have saved some money in the long run.

Good Luck

[TimS]

Check out a local antique dealer. We needed a dutch oven for our daughters girl scout trip. I ended up finding quite a few at some antique stores. The one I bought was around 10qts. It had a machined finish on the inside (something that is not done anymore). Its old but looks very new. Cast iron by the way. Paid $20 for it.

[Ruined Adventures]

I had the same dilemma, looking for something without legs and a lip for coals on the lid...surprising that Lodge doesn't make that combo. I ended up just finding a Bayou Classic on Craigslist that fit the criteria...still haven't finished seasoning it, but since it was technically free (I traded something for it) I'll consider it a win.

I would go measure the inside diameter of nicer dutch ovens like DontPanic42 said, then check out some thrift stores and see if there's any options for mix/matching.

[ssssnake529]

I ended up just finding a Bayou Classic on Craigslist that fit the criteria...still haven't finished seasoning it, but since it was technically free (I traded something for it) I'll consider it a win.

How is the quality of you Bayou Classic oven?

[Ruined Adventures]

Sorry, I couldn't honestly tell you. It's my first dutch oven so I don't have anything to compare it to.

I haven't used it yet either. I cleaned the hell out of it since it was a little funky and I still need to season it.

I do really like its size and the fact that it's fairly compact...no big handles, just some small tabs that the steel handle attach to. Has no feet and the lid has a lip so you can stack coals on top.

[Black Dog]

I read an article a while back about the best oil to season your dutch oven with. I wish I knew where I read it but I'm sure if you use google you'll find it. Basically, he did a fairly scientific analysis on all the different kinds of oils and their ups and downs for seasoning cast iron. His results were that flax seed oil is the best although its expensive. His method was to burn off any existing seasoning and bring it to bare cast iron using the self cleaning feature of his oven in his kitchen, then while it was still warm he rubbed a very very light coating of oil onto it and baked it at 550 for an hour (I remember he said that if he could have gone higher without using the self cleaning thing again he would have). Flax oil has a really high smoke point, so it was safe to do that at such a high temp. After an hour of baking, he turned it off and let it set until it was cool enough to handle but still pretty warm, and repeated the seasoning process several more times, I can't remember how many times he did it but it was a lot more than I've ever done it for seasoning a dutch oven. He went from having a poorly kept pan to a grey metal pan stripped of any existing seasoning and other gunk to a perfect seasoned jet black pan that had excellent nonstick qualities. I'm too cheap to buy flax oil and my wife won't let me stink up the house with it so I haven't tried it yet, but I'm intrigued.