What do you call them?

[Nitroxjunkie71]

What are those huge cast iron pots with round bottoms called that hang over a camp fire?

[JIML1943]

A witch's pot.



witches couldron

[Mary K]

Yup, a cauldron!




Mk

[Nitroxjunkie71]

Thanks for the replies. A friend of mine has one sitting Outside in front of his house with Dirt in it but this thing is huge. I am trying to see if he wants so part with it but wondered how I would season something this big. I don't have photos right now but will post some later. What I can see seems to be in good shape but what I can't see worries me. The tabs for the handle are there with no handle.

[doitright]

The large ones are wash pots or lard pots around here. Look out of it real good it maybe cracked. Here in West Tn. lots of people use a old wagon wheel ring and hang the old pots with flowers. The problem is in the winter they freese and crack. Then it good for only flowers. Now and again I see a good one for about $65.00 - $100.00. Years ago when I did not how much fun cast iron is I had about 6 large post I got from cleaning out a barn. I sold the for $35.00 each. Now I do not have any of them.
Kevin

[Laredo]

they were used to boil wash water and/or laundry.
also for making lye soap.

There are several sizes; five gallon, eight gallon, and ten gallon most common.

[Nitroxjunkie71]

Thanks.

The one I am looking at can be had for $10. It is 26 1/2 inches across at the top and sitting under a over hang protected from the weather. I plan to go check it out this weekend. Thanks again for the info.

[Jst83]

Jeff think of the beans that can be cooked in that You could feed a whole gathering

[Nitroxjunkie71]

Jeff think of the beans that can be cooked in that You could feed a whole gathering

It would hold a mess of beans, that's for sure!

[Slim and Gabby]

If it's really old, it may have been used for rendering whale-blubber; in the old days of mercury mining, they would use them to hold the huge amounts of quick-silver before decanting.
If you want a great way to season something big, you may want to heat it up on a big out door propane burner/stove; heat it slowly at first, then turn the heat way up and spray it with salad oil till it smokes. Eventually it will turn black, turning into an "enamel coating"; this kind of coating is bullet-proof and will take a pretty good scrubbing when you clean it. I "bullet-proof" all my cast iron like this and I never have a sticking problem. I got my Mom's 1910 Wagner Ware waffle-iron, it has a beautiful gloss-black enamel patina that's hard as a rock and cleans up with a stick. Her old griddle has a pretty amazing one too, but it's not shiny, but non-stick all the same.
If it's cracked, just take it to a shop and have the sucker welded, a competent welder should be able to fix it for you without much fuss. The weld will give it character too, and people will know "It aint no sissy kettle!"
Slim

[Nitroxjunkie71]

I wanted to post an update on this thread. Back in October I stopped by and checked out the pot and like many said here, the bottom was cracked in a million pieces. I could see daylight as soon as I started rolling it on it's side.

I am going to keep looking though.

[Mike B]

One of the members of the local Dutch oven cooking group I belong to has a cauldron. We used it this summer to help with the dedication of this new Coeur d'Alene, ID city park. We made Hunter's stew in the cauldron.



We filled the thing right up to the top. With that and all the Dutch oven dishes we made ( I did 5 pineapple upside-down cakes and a 14" oven full of sourdough bisuits), we fed the 1,000 people who attended the dedication. With no food left over.

Here's part of our setup for the dedication. The licenses plates are my windscreen. The guy in the top hat is Lloyd, who owns the cauldron. He's also a member of the local muzzle loaders group.



Mike
Hayden Lake, ID

[Mike C.]

Mike that is one big ol' cauldron!!!!

What kind of lid does it have? It looks like a two-piece wooden lid?????

[Mike B]

:D Mike that is one big ol' cauldron!!!!

What kind of lid does it have? It looks like a two-piece wooden lid?????

It's a homemade lid, just made out of scrap lumber. When Lloyd got the cauldron, it had no lid and that's something you really need for a lot of recipes.

Mike
Hayden Lake, ID