Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Hello all,

I am new to the teardrop world as well as to cast iron cooking.
I am building an off road teardrop now and I am wanting to learn about dutch oven cooking this winter so when the trailer is ready I am also ready to camp.
I was just about to spring for a new Lodge Dutch Oven when I found this one at a garage sale. She called me after the sale and said if I wanted it she will take $15.
Should I mess with it or just get the preseasoned Lodge and call it good.

Thanks in advance for your advice,

Nah, give her my email addy and I'll take it

flingshot wrote:Hello all,

I am new to the teardrop world as well as to cast iron cooking.
I am building an off road teardrop now and I am wanting to learn about dutch oven cooking this winter so when the trailer is ready I am also ready to camp.
I was just about to spring for a new Lodge Dutch Oven when I found this one at a garage sale. She called me after the sale and said if I wanted it she will take $15.
Should I mess with it or just get the preseasoned Lodge and call it good.

Thanks in advance for your advice,

I have made your addys url's because the pictures weren't showing up. lovely iron there.

Thanks for the help with the pics. Not sure what happened there.
Does anyone here have a Wenzel DO?
Are they made overseas?
Sorry for all the questions, I just want to get as much info as I can before I make my decision.
I want to try out some recipes as early as this Sunday so I need to move quick.
Thanks!!:thumbsup:

Grab it !


I looked for info on the Wentzel D.O. and it seem to show up with Camp Chef D.O.'s as if there is an association. I have a Sportsman warehoues 12" that is reported to be manufactured by camp chef and I love it.

Let your fingers decide! If the insides and the bottom are as smooth as a babys butt go for it you will fall in love with it.

and you just might find youself needing a good lid lifter too .......

I figured, How could I go wrong for $15. The lid rocks a tiny bit so we'll see if I can figure out how to fix that.
It's in the oven "self cleaning" as I type.

I will get it seasoned today (I hope) and try out some vittles tomorrow.

It's a really deep one so I think I will still look for a standard 12" and a 10"
as well.

Thanks everyone!

Yes, the Wenzel is from overseas, probably China. Lodge is the only company I know of that's currently making new iron cookware in the US. Their pieces are well made but heavy. OLD US made iron cookware made prior to about 1960 is usually far superior but the supply of old camp ovens is small and hard to find.

Steve

A caveat to used. My MIL had a 10qt DO sitting on the back patio. I asked if I could ahve it. Sure, but.

MY FIL, a man I never got to meet, used to use this DO to melt lead for casting. I have the DO, but will not use it for food purposes.

Sparksalot wrote:A caveat to used. My MIL had a 10qt DO sitting on the back patio. I asked if I could ahve it. Sure, but.

MY FIL, a man I never got to meet, used to use this DO to melt lead for casting. I have the DO, but will not use it for food purposes.

Good advice, I was told in this particular case it was never used at all. It was purchased unseasoned and placed in the shed for a camping trip that never happened.
That's the story anyway.

Ok I spent the better part of the day cleaning, sanding, dipping, wiping, scouring, scrubbing, cussing, etc. and I finally have the first coat so to speak of seasoning on it.

I say first coat because it is not black like the ones I have seen that are pre-seasoned. It is more of a dark brownish color.

I am a noob so I might not know what I am talking about but I assume the more you use/season a DO the blacker it gets?

Anyway I will coat it and bake it again tomorrow and then hopefully use it to cook dinner.

I don't see where one could go wrong for $15.00, sounds like you got a deal!

AL in Asheville

flingshot wrote:Ok I spent the better part of the day cleaning, sanding, dipping, wiping, scouring, scrubbing, cussing, etc. and I finally have the first coat so to speak of seasoning on it.

I say first coat because it is not black like the ones I have seen that are pre-seasoned. It is more of a dark brownish color.

I am a noob so I might not know what I am talking about but I assume the more you use/season a DO the blacker it gets?

Anyway I will coat it and bake it again tomorrow and then hopefully use it to cook dinner.

The more you use it and the better you care for it, the better it gets....

Dale

Dale M. wrote:The more you use it and the better you care for it, the better it gets....

Dale

Man, that is one of the reasons I love cast iron.

I started out with a large Lodge frying pan, I bought to just take camping...The more I used it, the more I liked it. Removed it from the camping gear and brought it up into the house, where we now use it all the time. I prefer it to the teflon pans.

Since then, I've built a small collection of 3 different sized frying pans, a griddle, a waffle iron, and a dutch oven.

With the exception of the dutch oven, all of the iron is now in the kitchen of our house, and we used it all the time.

We use the stove-top percolator in the kitchen at home all the time now, too. Get's the coffee hotter, I think it tastes better, gets more of the oil from the bean...

I'm learning - Sometimes (often) old-school is better!

AL in Asheville

Al :

It's time to stick a roast in the dutch oven and slide it into the kitchen oven.

The lid holds in the moisture and the steam to cook the contents slow and thorough. Drop the temps about 50 degrees and stretch the cook time you will be truely amazed.

bobhenry wrote:Al :

It's time to stick a roast in the dutch oven and slide it into the kitchen oven.

The lid holds in the moisture and the steam to cook the contents slow and thorough. Drop the temps about 50 degrees and stretch the cook time you will be truely amazed.

I don't want to hijack this thread, could probably start a new thread, but sweet Wife bought me a LodgeLogic 6-quart Dutch Oven, with the legs, for Fathers Day last Summer, and I hate to say it still in the box. Other than the obvious (following the instructions in the little book) I haven't really known where to start with it...

AL in Asheville