Plenty of people wonder if they are able to use the roasting pan as a substitute for a Dutch oven.
If the Dutch oven you have is of an oval shape, you may cook a roast in it, for sure. You don’t need any roaster dish, if you may use a Dutch oven for this, but if you are planning to do roasting pretty often, it’s better you have a roasting pan.
A Dutch oven is designed to be cooked over the fire or some hot coal. In this deep pan the moisture is kept inside the pot and the food becomes tender. Beans, stews, soups, cake and the other baking pastry may be made inside the Dutch oven. Commonly, a Dutch oven is a thick and deep dish with a bottom, thick walls and a big lid, which allow the food self-baste, so the moisture is kept inside the dish and makes the food flavored and soft.
Nowadays the Dutch ovens are not used for cooking over a fire or coal (unless you do some camping), but they are applied in traditional ovens, electric and gas cookers.
Some cooks say it’s not good to do the roasting in this kind of an oven, as the walls are quite high and the circulation of air is limited, so the roast wouldn’t be as brown and crispy as it should be when cooked in a roasting pan.
Dutch Oven Improvise
As you already understand a Dutch oven isn’t exactly an oven, it’s just a deep dish for cooking. A deep skillet, which is oven-proof may also fit if you are going to cook something demanding this oven. A soup pot is also suitable for using instead of the Dutch oven if it’s oven-proof. But if you are planning to make some food not in an oven, any deep pot of heavy weight might be used for this aim.
What Can I Use Instead of a Dutch Oven?
There is one interesting fact about an organization, which is international, and it was created for preserving and developing the use of a Dutch oven for cooking in many countries. A Dutch oven may be enamel covered or not, it may be made of aluminum, copper, stainless steel or cast iron. The price of these ovens varies, of course, depending on the material of and size of this cooking item. In fact, a Dutch oven is thought to be perfect for making stews and casseroles.
A Dish for Casseroles
It might be used instead of the Dutch oven as it’s big and deep, it’s really good for baking some food, but it’s not ideal for roasting something. If you got the lid, which fits tightly, you might use this dish in the same way as a Dutch oven is used. Just try to check the available temperatures for this casserole dish to be on the safe side.
A Slow Cooker
This dish might be used instead of a Dutch one when you need to cook something in a slow way with low temperatures. It’s comfy for cooking as you won’t need to pay a lot of attention to it while the food being cooked. If you need to make a stew, braise some food, roast it in a pot or make some desserts, this cooker is fine. But it will take longer to prepare something in this dish than it would be in a Dutch oven. Still, the result will make you happy as you will have flavored and tender finished dish.
Roasting Pan
If you decided to make some dish on a roasting pan, you will be in need of a heavy and fitting lid. In this case it’s a good substitute for a Dutch oven. But you shouldn’t do any baking in a roasting pan. It’s designed for browning and simmering. With a lid, a roasting pan will make your food very tasty and incredibly tender.
What Can I Use Instead of a Dutch Oven for Bread?
A pot covered with metal or a soup pot will do, if you are going to bake some bread with no kneading tonight or tomorrow and the recipe demands using a Dutch oven. You will not need to rush to the shop in search of this type of an oven, just use some tips and you will be happy with tender fresh bread. Just use a lid when baking your bread, but having a rubber, plastic lid or no lid at all for your pot, there is also an alternative for you.
This alternative is using a foil cover for your pot when baking a bread loaf. Cut a heavy square aluminum foil piece and press it down tightly. This will be a substitute for a lid when baking the home bread.
A dish for casseroles will do, as well. Still, it needs checking to temperatures: if it endures the temps around 500 degrees F or not. If the answer is positive, use it for making your tasty bread and enjoy it. Here is a video for you of making bread without a Dutch oven:
How to Braise Without a Dutch Oven
In fact, you may do braising in any large pot or dish which is safe to use in an oven. Even the stock pot will do in this situation or any other ovenproof pot or skillet, just try to keep the temp steady and low. You may even do braising on the stove and get a really nice flavored dish.
Cheap Alternative to Dutch Oven
These alternatives are a roasting pan, of course, an instant pot, a stock pot, a dish for casseroles, a slow cooker and so on. The Dutch ovens are commonly expensive, but in some stores you might find them for 40 or 60 dollars, that is a reasonable price for it.
Dutch Oven Recipes
Watch some recipes with the legendary Dutch oven and enjoy the best meal: