How would you use small enameled cast iron pieces?

[Danestress]

I am trying to weed out stuff in my attic.

 

I have long wanted a large enameled cast-iron Dutch oven. I would have many uses for that. However in my attic I have two very small Copco Dutch ovens. They are nice old vintage pieces, but I am not sure how useful a 2 quart and 1 quart Dutch oven would be for my family. I guess that's why they have been in the attic!

 

Any ideas of how I could use these that I just haven't considered?

[Danestress]

Hmmm. I am taking the silence to mean that there really is no great use for a one or two quart dutch oven.

[foxbridgeacademy]

Would they hold sides?  For example I tend to microwave frozen corn but if I had a small version of my dutch oven I might throw it in that.... Maybe egg dishes? (not sure of the names). Use them to reheat leftovers because you hate the flavor the microwave gives food.... oh wait, you're not my son.

Maybe use it more as a serving dish?  Especially if they're vintage and a little rough, give character. 

I did a quick search and I don't think they're going for a whole lot (people are TRYING to sell them for around $30-$50) but you still might get a bit out of them, on ebay or etsy , to put toward the big Dutch oven of your dreams (mine's red and I love it).

[StephanieZ]

Baked dips/spreads/sides? I love enameled cast iron so much that I built a set of open shelves in one area of my kitchen cabinets to display them. :) I have a 2q enameled cast iron  sauce pan (with skillet lid, love that!), and we use it all the time for rice and other side dishes. Anything beyond "boiling water" type sides do better in the iron. Love that once it is done cooking, it can stay warm very nicely in that iron for quite a while. 

 

Then again, you will probably never use them. Let me help you out by giving you my shipping address . . . 

[ChrisB]

Baked dips/spreads/sides? I love enameled cast iron so much that I built a set of open shelves in one area of my kitchen cabinets to display them. :) I have a 2q enameled cast iron  sauce pan (with skillet lid, love that!), and we use it all the time for rice and other side dishes. Anything beyond "boiling water" type sides do better in the iron. Love that once it is done cooking, it can stay warm very nicely in that iron for quite a while. 

 

Then again, you will probably never use them. Let me help you out by giving you my shipping address . . . 

 

I agree.  It probably makes great rice.  I'd use it for any side, too.

[Danestress]

Then again, you will probably never use them. Let me help you out by giving you my shipping address . . .

Well if they weren't so heavy I would keep that in mind!

 

I am going to try some things in the 2 quart. They are not especially valuable, but I do remember my mother using them when I was a kid, so I would like to keep them if I could figure out a good use.

 

Since you are a fan, can you tell me what brand you would buy if you wanted a large one but didn't want to pay $300?

[StephanieZ]

Well if they weren't so heavy I would keep that in mind!

 

I am going to try some things in the 2 quart. They are not especially valuable, but I do remember my mother using them when I was a kid, so I would like to keep them if I could figure out a good use.

 

Since you are a fan, can you tell me what brand you would buy if you wanted a large one but didn't want to pay $300?

 

I can't really say for sure, as I am *such* a fan that I only buy le creuset. :) In fact, this darn thread got me going . . . and browsing . . . and I finagled myself into a Christmas present. (I love having all different colors . . . They are sooooo pretty!) A 5 quart palm green brasier. I needed it. Really, I did. :) Honestly, I'll use it several times a week. I was just teasing you about yours, and I googled them and saw that they make enameled cast iron, so I figured I'd like it. :) I have 6 (soon to be 7) items (2 skillets, 1 giant oval dutch oven, 1 smaller oval dutch oven with grilling/roasting ribs, 1 large round dutch oven, and 1 medium saucepan with skillet lid, and the large brassier that I'm getting for Christmas) that I've collected over the last 16 years, the largest most expensive items for birthdays or Christmas and the more modest priced items were picked up at outlets or otherwise on sale. They are very pricey, so I wouldn't want to buy those things all at once . . . but they NEVER wear out. A "nice" non-stick $150 skillet lasts me 5 or so years, but the Le Creuset will be there for my kids to fight over when I'm dead!

 

I use *enameled* cast iron because I am too disorganized a cook and housekeeper to keep cast iron in proper condition. My pots often sit for hours or overnight before washing . . . and kids/teens/grandma/housekeeper people all mess with my kitchen stuff, so I just don't want to try to keep track of always keeping the pot clean/washing quickly/etc. I would imagine that cast iron is pretty much cast iron . . .but the enamel coating might vary a lot between brands. 

 

That said, I have heard that Lodge makes good stuff, and it is pretty modestly priced. I'd get a round 8-10 qt one for the most versatility. I'd probably just haunt the Amazon reviews and/or look at Costco, Sam's, or Target for a modestly priced brand. I'd buy only ONE of anything that is not Le Creuset, and use it for 6-12 months to see how it holds up before investing further.

 

My 9 qt round one is my one very favorite functional item in my kitchen. I'd give that size to favorite relatives for wedding gifts. It's perfection for soups, and can also be used for roasts, stews, etc. (although I generally use my GIANT oval one for most of my stews and large roasts . . . Sometimes if I am doing OAMC (once a month cooking), I will use multiple pots for the stew base or multiple roasts . . .)

 

ps. I realized that my sauce pot/skillet combo is 3.5 qt, not my above stated 2qt, and I was mistaken above. I could still do a lot with it in 2 qt, but probably not quite as much as I do with my bit larger pot (as I have a fairly big household). 

[happypamama]

A small one might do cornbread, but it could probably be used on the stove too, for cooking vegetables.

 

I have a big plain dutch oven from Lodge that I like very much. It's great! I also have a smaller thing called a chicken fryer, I think, which is a cross between a skillet and a dutch oven. It'll hold, well, chicken with liquid better than my skillets will, but it's also unseeable in the oven and isn't as heavy or awkward as the dutch oven, so, depending on the dish, I use it in the oven instead of the dutch oven. It's also plain Lodge (all of my slightly embarrassing collection of cast iron is Lodge).

[Alessandra]

My 1 and 2 qt Le Creuset get used on an almost daily basis. First off is grits or oatmeal for 1-2 people. The enamel prevents them from sticking. Small amounts of sauces-- especially milk/cream based ones that burn easily. Rice -- I cup dry works in the 2 qt. Risotto. Poached pears. I used LC for caramelizing sugar, until I got a special unlined copper pot for that.

 

Basically, I use the enameled for everything that might burn or stick.