Recipes for enamel covered cast iron dutch oven

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Steel-cut oats: 2 cups organic steel-cut oats in pot + 7 cups water. Lid on - heat to a boil. Turn off burner and monitor until threat of boil over is passed (you may have to crack the lid for a bit - it only takes a minute to monitor this stage. I do it while tidying up kitchen at night). Then replace lid and leave on burner over night. In the morning = ready to re-heat in microwave and store in fridge for healthy breakfasts all week. If you want to add raisins (and I always do) add at first boil.

Traditional cooking time = one full hour + stirring.

I'm not a food safety scaredy cat, but leaving a warm, moist substance out overnight just seems like an engraved invitation for bacteria. In fact, wasn't oatmeal the medium of choice for quick-starting various organisms in biology class? I swear we grew something in oatmeal for the microscope unit...

Anyway, it only takes me 25 minutes or so to cook steel cut oats; I start it first, unload the dishwasher, make the other breakfast items, and it's ready not too long after the coffee and bacon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Steel-cut oats: 2 cups organic steel-cut oats in pot + 7 cups water. Lid on - heat to a boil. Turn off burner and monitor until threat of boil over is passed (you may have to crack the lid for a bit - it only takes a minute to monitor this stage. I do it while tidying up kitchen at night). Then replace lid and leave on burner over night. In the morning = ready to re-heat in microwave and store in fridge for healthy breakfasts all week. If you want to add raisins (and I always do) add at first boil.

Traditional cooking time = one full hour + stirring.

I'm not a food safety scaredy cat, but leaving a warm, moist substance out overnight just seems like an engraved invitation for bacteria. In fact, wasn't oatmeal the medium of choice for quick-starting various organisms in biology class? I swear we grew something in oatmeal for the microscope unit...

Anyway, it only takes me 25 minutes or so to cook steel cut oats; I start it first, unload the dishwasher, make the other breakfast items, and it's ready not too long after the coffee and bacon.

Yeah this didn't sound like a great idea to me either. I know you can do steel cut oats in the crock pot though if you're comfortable leaving that on while you sleep. And that keeps things above the "danger zone" for temp.

[Anonymous]

This is my favorite chicken and rice Dutch oven recipe (from Williams-Sonoma)

This is our version of arroz con pollo, the traditional Spanish dish of chicken and rice that is seasoned with saffon. The ingredients are simmered together to enhance the flavors, creating the perfect one-pot meal.
Ingredients:

* 3 1/2 lb. chicken thighs and drumsticks
* Salt, to taste, plus 1 1/4 tsp.
* Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
* 2 Tbs. olive oil
* 1 yellow onion, finely diced
* 1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
* 1/4 tsp. crumbled saffron
* 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
* 5 garlic cloves, minced
* 1/2 cup dry sherry
* 2 1/4 cups chicken broth
* 1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes with juices
* 3 cups medium-grain rice
* 1/2 cup green olives, pitted and halved
* 1 Tbs. minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 350°F.

Season the chicken with salt and black pepper. In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm 1 Tbs. of the olive oil. Working in batches, brown the chicken on all sides, 7 to 8 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate. Discard the fat in the pot, then wipe out the pot with paper towels.

In the same pot over medium heat, warm the remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil. Add the onion, bell pepper, saffron and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add the sherry and cook until slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Add the chicken, broth, tomatoes and their juices and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Stir in the rice, olives, the 1 1/4 tsp. salt and black pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot, transfer to the oven and bake for 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through the cooking time.

Remove the pot from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the chicken with the parsley and serve immediately. Serves 6 to 8.

[Anonymous]

Steel-cut oats poster here.

I happen to be a microbiologist, as well as a pretty good cook. I have been making oats this way for 6+ years with no ill affects. The reason? Simple, elementary school science...

Oats/water must be boiling - that means at least 212 degrees Fahrenheit. At this point you have effectively sterilized the entire contents of the pot. Anything that survives would be considered an "extremophile" and you should send it to my lab for further study, along with its fellow creatures that live in deep sea vents and hot pools in Yellowstone.

Sure, If you get up in the night and remove the lid and sneeze on it or let your rats poop on it then I would worry. If you leave the lid on while you sleep over night, until serving, you will be fine.

[Anonymous]

Ok microbiologist, fair enough. I can see how if you leave the pot sealed, it's safe. Thanks for the explanation. And my Le Creuset seems to have a pretty good fit between pot and lid. Though I'll probably just keep making it in the morning, as I don't find that the steel-cut oats I buy neeed more than 20-25 minutes to cook.