Darren and I were talking at the kitchen table a few days ago and he said, “I’d like a Dutch Oven.” I stopped, looked up from my dinner, and replied, “Isn’t that when you hold the blankets over someone’s head when you’re trapping in a fart? What’s wrong with you?” He burst out laughing before saying, “You’re completely foolish. A Dutch oven is a cooking pot with a tight-fit lid and they are great for camping.”

Apparently, you can make just about anything in a Dutch oven so I had some research to do. (FYI – that is what it’s called when you do that with farts. It just wasn’t what Darren was talking about.) A dutch oven is a very versatile kitchen tool; you can use it for just about any stove-top recipe in place of a frying pan or sauce pan.  After reviewing all of the uses for a Dutch oven, I had to order one for myself. GSI does outdoor gear right so the GSI Outdoors Hard Anodized Dutch Oven was the obvious choice.

The 14″ High-performance, non-reactive, hard anodized aluminum construction Dutch oven provides exceptional efficiency and uniformity. The cast aluminum is rust free, easy to clean, and weighs 66% less than cast iron. The edge lip holds coals and charcoal, and  the 14 model boasts deep design and fixed legs.

This Dutch oven is ideal for stewing, steaming, frying, or baking on car camping trips and is one-third the weight of traditional cast iron ovens. To cook, you just set the oven over a bed of hot coals and close the lid. To bake, throw a few coals over the tight fitting, rimmed top for even heating. When you’re done cooking, remove the oven with the sturdy bail-wire handle. I don’t think it gets any easier than that.

I do enjoy roughing it while camping, and I think hot dogs over an an open flame taste better than filet mignon at a fine dining establishment, but having the option to cook or bake while car camping, especially with a child, is a luxury that I welcome from time to time. From baking, cooking, and frying with the Dutch oven, there is no need for any other cookware. Between GSI’s Pinnacle Camper and the Hard Anodized Dutch Oven, GSI covers all of our outdoor cookware needs. Now, if they just made a blender system to puree baby food, we’d have no need to shop anywhere else.