I’ve always wanted to try Dutch oven cooking while camping, and this spring proved the perfect time. Camping close to home, I was knew I would have the time it took to bake a backcountry meal. To my surprise, however, GSI Outdoors’ hard-anodized Dutch oven was easy to use, and my recipe took less than an hour! Even better, this Dutch oven is significantly lighter in weight than the ‘old school’ types, and therefore easy to pack in our camper van.
Made from durable, highly conductive cast aluminum, this Dutch oven heats up quickly compared to cast iron can’t. I made a peach cobbler in mine, but I look forward to using it again to make stews, egg dishes, and biscuits. I lined the Dutch oven with heavy-duty foil, but still had to do a thorough soaking before I could clean it out; this is certainly the only downside to Dutch-oven cooking, but I just left the task to do back at home to make it easier.
To speed up the cooking process, I used quick-light charcoal in the camp fire. (Dutch ovens cook with radiant heat, so they work best with charcoal or coals underneath as well as heaped on the lid.) The GSI Outdoors Dutch oven comes in three sizes, ten-, twelve-, and fourteen-inch. The ten-inch has no legs allowing it to nest in the larger ovens, while two larger sizes have three fixed legs to support them over the coals.
- 10-inch model: Measures 11.2 x 10.8 x 3.7 inches, weighs 3 pounds, 11 ounces
- 12-inch model: Measures 13.4 x 13 x 6.6 inches, weighs 6 pounds, 2 ounces
- 14-inch model: Measures 15.8 x 15.7 x 7.5 inches, weighs 8 pounds
The 10-inch is $79, and the price goes up from there to $149. Pick one up for your next camping adventure once it is appropriate to explore the outdoors again!
This looks great!