Lodge Logic 8-Quart Pre-Seasoned Cast-Iron Camp Dutch Oven

Review by microjoe for Lodge Logic 8-Quart Pre-Seasoned Cast-Iron Camp Dutch Oven
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This is the classic size that is used by scouts, chuck wagon cooks, and outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds. It is a #12 which is the “standard” size most commonly used, but there are dozens of sizes bigger and smaller. This one holds 8 quarts, measuring 12″ in diameter by 5″ tall. It has the tripod legs and a recessed lid best suited for cooking in coals. You can flip this lid over and use it as a skillet if you need to. I also have the dutch oven with no legs and a domed lid for use in a home oven. You can do it all with a Dutch Oven – cobblers, stews, beans, roasts, dumplings, you name it.

QUALITY: There is a reason you can find old cast iron pans in antique stores, it lasts forever. I have quite a few pans and stuff inherited from family members and even some garage sale finds. While my fancy and expensive non-stick cookware seems to last no more than a few years before replacement in my kitchen, but this stuff can easily last many decades of daily use. It has a life time warranty! I love to cook with cast iron even at home, it is so durable, but I can take it camping too. Easy to clean up, the only drawback being it is heavy. Cast iron takes a bit longer to heat up, but the heat transfers evenly without hot spots and it retains its heat for a long time. I am not sure why, but people swear things taste better in cast iron. It just seems that cast iron only improves with use instead of wearing out like other pans. As for Lodge, there really is a difference in quality, their pans are noticeably better than the other modern pans.

CLEANING: A couple of tips on caring for your oven, they say you should not use soap but this is not exactly sanitary. If you use soap be sure it is mild. One trick is to boil hot water in it and scrub it with a long handle brush. Use a plastic brush or plastic scrubber, but never a metal scrubber or brush. For the most part, cast iron is non-stick as long as it is seasoned. The trick is to clean it right away and not to leave it in the water too long or let it dry with food in it. Do not use it at temperatures higher than 500 degrees, as it can crack. An old Boy Scout trick to keep the outside clean if used on a fire, is to wipe the outside with some wet soap and let it dry before using. This will make the coal soot just wipe right off when you clean up.

SEASONING FINISH: Seasoning does not refer to flavor, but the finish, a kind of glaze on the pan. The modern version sold here is pre-seasoned and ready to cook in, but we used to have to season these ourselves in the old days. It needs to stay black and a bit shiny inside to stay seasoned. If you do lose your seasoning due to rust or an overaggressive cleaning, simply wipe it with vegetable oil inside and out and place it in a hot oven for about 20 minutes or so. Let it cool naturally. It also helps to wipe it with a paper towel of vegetable oil after washing and drying, or spray it with cooking oil and wipe. If it gets rusty, scrub it up good and re-season it, you can get it like new again. DO NOT cook on it without re-seasoning though.

ACCESSORIES: There are plenty of terrific Dutch oven cook books here at Amazon.com. You can also get videos like the one with Cee Dub. You can get affordable accessories too such as Dutch oven tote bag, tongs, lid lifter, lid stand, and gloves. To be safe if cooking on coals or fire, use the lid lifter accessory, it will keep you from getting burned. Enjoy your cobbler!

Review by M. Lowe for Lodge Logic 8-Quart Pre-Seasoned Cast-Iron Camp Dutch Oven
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If you’re reading this, you probably already know about camp dutch ovens. I’ve been a Boy Scout my whole life, and a Scoutmaster and adult leader for several years now… (and an avid camper and outdoor cook to boot.) I have owned 5 or 6 dutch ovens in my life, and I’m now convinced that there is no match for the quality of LODGE dutch ovens. They are worth paying a little extra for. The others aren’t really worth buying– the cheaper ones don’t keep a finish like the LODGE ovens do.

I’ve bought the original finish and now this one with the LOGIC factory forged finish. I LOVE the pre-seasoned cookware. It isn’t the finish that you’ll get after years of seasoning, cooking and taking care of an oven, BUT you’ll love that you will be able to cook on this oven RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX. So, if you’re into instant gratification (with no downside– they season perfectly as you use them) this is the oven choice for you.

Review by David Self for Lodge Logic 8-Quart Pre-Seasoned Cast-Iron Camp Dutch Oven
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In more than a decade of outdoor cooking experience, I have learned one valuable lesson: always trust anything from Lodge. This rule has been tested on everything from a simple skillet to the monster dutch ovens crafted to feed an army. In all those years, Lodge has never failed me.

I tried to save money by using cast iron utensils from other firms, and have paid dearly for it. No body has the durability, the skill, or the quality of Lodge. There is something magic about the Lodge method of manufacturing, and that magic is worth every penny that you pay for. When you purchase from Lodge, you aren’t simply buying a pot or skillet, you’re acquring a lifelong companion that your children will be using when you are gone.

I have 5 dutch ovens of various sizes, numerous skillets and griddles, and all of them bear the Lodge name and logo, and all of them still perform just like they did when I first got them, although they have improved with age because the taste and the smell of the food that comes from them says it all.

Trust me, friends: you can save money by buying another brand, but you will be making a grave mistake. Don’t try to be cheap, buy Lodge and prepare yourself for a quality product that will last for a long, long time.

Review by Michel Angelo for Lodge Logic 8-Quart Pre-Seasoned Cast-Iron Camp Dutch Oven
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This is a great tool for baking European style crusty bread! Best bread I ever made. Saw the recipe in Mother Earth News: 3 cups bread flour, 1/4 tsp dry yeast, 1 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 1/2 cups water. Dissolve yeast in water. Mix ingredients in mixing bowl, but don’t knead. Cover with wrap and let it rise 12-18 hours til dotted on top with bubbles. Roll dough into ball and set seam side down on dish cloth heavily coated with flour and corn meal. Let dough rise til double. About 20 minutes before dough is ready, put Lodge Dutch Oven, lid and all, into your oven and set temp to 450. After 20 min without burning yourself, put dough, seam side up into kettle and cover. Return to oven and cook for 30 minutes with lid on. Then remove lid and continue baking til it browns up and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove and let cool.

Review by B. J. Kehrer for Lodge Logic 8-Quart Pre-Seasoned Cast-Iron Camp Dutch Oven
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We are very pleased with our Lodge Logic 8 quart camp dutch oven. It’s true about the preseasoned readiness of the dutch. Straight out of the box, we rinsed it with hot water, applied a thin coat of cooking oil, and started cooking. The instruction/recipe book was most helpful to us,being first time owners. It listed the amount of charcoal needed for various cooking temperatures and sizes of the dutch ovens being used. We used one of our own recipes, stuffed meatballs. The food turned out great! We think it tasted better. We plan on buying a 10″ and an 8″ camp dutch to use with this 12″ so we can try the stacking method of cooking. As a side note, we found the Weber chimney charcoal starter to work well, and at a price under 13 bucks at the HomeDepot. Also my husband came up with the idea of using leather welding gloves for safe handling of the charcoal chimney and the hot dutch. We found a pair at Sears for under 10 bucks. To use our dutch while camping we thought it best to use a metal container of some sort for a cooking table that is light weight and packable. We found the solution at a restaurant supply store, a huge 15″dia.aluminum cake pan with 2″ sides. We also found 16″ tongs at that store. This is a fun and tasty way of cooking outdoors.