What Is a Cast iron Dutch Oven Used For?

From homemade breads to braised meat, the Dutch oven is a piece of cookware that finds itself on the wishlists of home chefs everywhere. It’s typically made from seasoned or enameled cast iron or ceramic and is able to withstand high heat. A versatile kitchen essential, the Dutch oven comes ready to handle most cooking tasks, keeps your food warm and waiting for extended periods of time, and tends to produce richly flavored end results that dinner guests swoon over. If you are a home chef that wants to take their cooking skills to the next level, then a classic enameled Dutch oven just might be a worthy investment.

Bread

One of the easiest (and more surprising) ways to use a Dutch oven is actually for breaking bread. About a decade ago, professional baker Jim Lahey found that perfectly golden bread could be made without the need for kneading, instead shaping it in his Dutch oven. Since then, bread enthusiasts everywhere have purchased the classic Dutch oven with only one desire: to bake incredible loaves of homemade bread with little effort right in the comfort of their own kitchens.