More Exotic Cooking Hardware

Phil's Favorites Identified (Part II)

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

o   Heat-Proof Handle Cover - After getting your skillet get some brightly colored protective sleeves to cover the hot handles of cast iron skillets in order to prevent accidental burns.

o   Scrapers, Scrubbers, & Seasoning Maintenance – Once you have your first skillet and lid you can pick up some organic seasoning or use a light coating of vegetable oil to prevent rust. There is also a need for some heavy duty trivets, at least two, for skillet and lid, so you won’t damage a stove or a counter. Lastly, some metal scrubbers are also needed for cleaning up the cast iron pan interiors. You could try a scraper to see if you like their design over a small metal spatula.

o   Cast Iron Lids – These are often sold separately, so decide which lid sizes will be needed based on the size of the skillet that you’ve purchased.

o   Lodge Logic Cast Iron Combo Cooker – Consider this two-pot combination consisting of a small Dutch oven skillet with a 3” depth and a smaller skillet has a 1.5” depth. Both skillets have a 10 ¼” OD (Outside Diameter) so that they can combine as a simple Dutch over. But note that this set-up is not designed for shoveling hot embers on the lid. That is for the regular Dutch oven which has a heavy rimmed lid.

o   Dutch Oven – Here’s the classic Dutch oven for real campfire cooking where you use a shovel to take burning embers from the fire pit and place them on the rimmed lid:

• 8”

2 Qt. Camp Dutch Oven

• 10”

4 Qt. Camp Dutch Oven

• 10”

5 Qt. Camp Dutch Oven

• 12”

6 Qt. Camp Dutch Oven

• 12”

8 Qt. Camp Dutch Oven

• 14”

10 Qt. Camp Dutch Oven

• Shovel and Lid Lifter – After getting your first Dutch oven get a small-headed metal shovel and “lid lifter”.

• Cast Iron Trivet / Meat Rack – These are especially useful when used as a meat rack in a camp-style Dutch oven to keep a roast above the liquids below, to maximize crispiness.

• Spits, Bottlejacks and Spitjacks – Next, comes the category of cooking spits and automated spits known as “bottlejacks” and “spitjacks”. Have you ever roasted a whole lamb, goat, pig, or even a half of a steer over a fire? It’s a wonderful theme, and cooking strategy, for an OOEE!  The spit is the basis for these events and the challenge, once you have mastered the art of cooking over burning embers, which comes first. Start small if you can. Then, work your way up to handle larger joints of meat and whole animal roasts.