Can I Substitute a Dutch Oven for a Crock Pot?

I got this question in my inbox a few days ago.  I think it’s a pretty good question.  The beauty of a crock pot is that the heat comes from the bottom and the sides and is kept low and consistent with a thermostat.  The heavy lid locks in moisture, so you truly can just set it and forget it.  Just walk away for a few hours and come back to a beautiful braise, stew or chili.

I am a big proponent of the crock pot for braising.  But, maybe you have limited space. Or maybe you have cats that might jump up on the counter and burn themselves on a hot crock pot while you’re away at work.  Regardless, the short answer to the question of substituting a Dutch oven for a crock pot is “yes.”

After all, the crock pot was designed to take the place of a Dutch oven in the first place, so cooks wouldn’t have to heat up their oven to cook a meal.  The main concern in adapting a crock pot recipe for a Dutch oven is temperature regulation.  Most crock pots have two heat settings: low and high. Depending on the source, these could convert to about 175F and 195F, respectively, or it could just refer to low and high wattage and not temperature at all.

Since there is no Low or High setting on an oven thermostat, we kind of have to take a guess.  One thing about cooking in a Dutch oven inside a conventional oven is that usually the cooking process is a bit faster than using a Crock Pot.  If a crock pot recipe calls for 8-10 hours of cooking, you can probably complete the cooking in the oven in about 3 1/2-4 hours.  That doesn’t mean, however, that you’ll have the temperature twice as high in the oven.

When using a Dutch oven, I generally heat all the ingredients on the stove top until they reach a boil and then put them in a preheated 210-225 degrees F oven.  This very low oven temperature will ensure that your food reaches a safe temperature but will cook proteins gently so that they stay moist and tender.  While I have seen braising temperature recommendations as high as 325 degrees F, I maintain that braising should be done slowly and at a low temperature.

I would absolutely use a Dutch oven in place of a crock pot if I needed to, and I would keep the oven set no higher than 225 degrees F.  I would cook the meat until fork tender, which I generally find takes between 3-4 hours.

Related Topics

Crock Pot Short Ribs

Lamb Stew

I love to try new recipes, but I get frustrated when I don’t write about them right away on my blog. I take a bunch of photos, some better than others, download them to my computer and tell myself that I’m going to write about the recipe tomorrow. Then I cook another meal, take some more pictures, download them to my computer before writing about previous recipe. Not today.

Friday night I made this quick and easy and very delicious recipe for pasta with sausage and cherry tomatoes that was so good, I wasn’t going to wait a week or two before posting for you to check out and try it yourselves.

I found this recipe while browsing the latest food and wine edition on my iPad. That’s right, I am now checking out some of my favorite cooking magazines on an electronic device and guess what? I like the new technology. I like that I will be able to store future cooking magazines electronically so I don’t end up with more boxes of partially read cooking mags that I can’t seem to throw out.

Orecchiette with Sausage and Cherry Tomatoes

This recipe was created by one of my favorite Philadelphia chefs, Marc Vetri. I have written about Marc many times on my website, mostly about his involvement with Alex’s Lemonade Stand, a charity that I support that raises money to find a cure for childhood cancer, one cup at a time.

I’m guessing this recipe is in this month’s Food & Wine to promote Chef Vetri’s new cookbook, Rustic Italian Food, due to come out in November.  I can’t wait to buy a copy if only for his recipe for one of my favorite all-time pasta dishes, chicken liver rigatoni with cipolline onions and sage. Last time I spoke with Marc he told me it would be in this cookbook. If all the recipes in Rustic Italian Food are as good as the four that he offers up in Food & Wine, this cookbook may turn out to be one of my favorite Italian cookbooks.

My youngest daughter Maddie had two of her friends sleepover last night so we weren’t sure what kind of eaters they were.  I adapted Chef Marc’s recipe a little bit to make sure everyone would enjoy it. We started them off with the pasta alone with a little sauce on the side but all the girls eventually wanted more with the sauce.

I chose this recipe because we had most of the ingredients in-house including the orecchiette pasta, sausage and cherry tomatoes. We didn’t have any aged provolone cheese so I substituted freshly grated Parmesan cheese. I also didn’t add the crushed red pepper but put it on the table for anyone who cared for it and the turned out to be only me and my wife.

This recipe takes a total of 30 min. to prepare so it’s great for a weeknight meal or any time you need to put something together in a hurry. Using sausage instead of ground meat saves time because the sausage already is fully seasoned. Chef Mark uses the shredded cheese in the dish to give it a salty, creamy finish.

Pasta cooking tip - Mark says,” I always save the pasta water for thickening sauces. It should be a little cloudy from the starch.”
I like to add a little of the pasta water to my sauces too to help the sauce stick to the pasta.

Orecchiette Pasta

Orecchio is the Italian word for ear and the suffix etto means small so translated, orecchietta means small ear because someone thought that’s what these small pasta from southern Italy look like.  One of my favorite recipes featuring orecchiette is from Chef Ricco DeLuca called Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe. Check it out!

Orecchiette with Sausage and Cherry Tomatoes
Adapted from Marc Vetri’s new cookbook Rustic Italian Food
Time 30 minutes    4 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound orecchiette
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ¾ pound sweet Italian sausage, without casing
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, washed and halved
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• Salt, to taste
• 2 ounces aged provolone cheese, shredded ( I used Parmesan)

How to Make Orecchiette with Sausage and Cherry Tomatoes at Home

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the orecchiette pasta until al dente, but be sure to reserve 3/4 cup of the pasta water to help make the sauce.

While the pasta is cooking, heat up a tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauté or frying pan large enough to hold the pasta and sauce. When the oil is hot, add the sausage in 1 inch pieces and cook until browned on all sides and cooked through. This should take about 8 to 10 min. Transfer the sausage to the plate lined with paper towel.

Add another 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to the pan, raise the heat to medium high and as soon as it gets hot, add the tomatoes and crushed red pepper. While the tomatoes are cooking, use the back of a slotted spoon to press down on them until they are slightly softened. This should take about 4 to 6 min.

Now add the reserved pasta water, scrape up any brown bits of sausage and cook over medium heat until the liquid is reduced by half. Keep using the back of a slotted spoon to crush the tomatoes. This should all take about 5 to 7 min.

Add the pasta back to the pan along with the reserved sausage and the remaining tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Mix this all-together using your slotted spoon until the pasta is coated with sauce and olive oil.

Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the cheese and serve right away in warm pasta bowls along with any side dishes. We served steamed broccoli and a nice green salad. I also had some extra grated Parmesan cheese on the table in case anybody wanted more.
This recipe will be added to my list of quick and easy recipes that I would serve again to my family or to a group of friends.

Next week, I hope to try Chef Marc’s Bucatini with Cauliflower and Brussels Sprouts especially since I have all the ingredients in the fridge already. Enjoy and let me know how y

It’s Halloween on Monday so what better way to get into the holiday than learn some history about Washington Irving, Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman. My friend Chef Mark Vogel wrote this article about these guys and finishes it off with a recipe for Peach Pie to “honor Ichabod and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” I hope you enjoy both. - RG

The Gourmet & the Goblin

Washington Irving, (1783-1859) was an American writer, historian, biographer, and diplomat, (he served as the minister to Spain from 1842-1846). He loved the town of Tarrytown, NY and took up residence there in a home that he called Sunnyside. Irving was enthralled by the region’s folklore, particularly its abundance of ghost stories. The nearby village of Sleepy Hollow was forever immortalized in his most famous work: “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”

In this iconic tale published in 1819-1820, the protagonist, Ichabod Crane, is pitted against two nemeses. The first is the rugged and Herculean Brom Bones, Ichabod’s rival for the affections of the town beauty, Katrina Van Tassel. The second, and far more sinister, is the Headless Horseman. Reputed to be a Hessian soldier decollated by a cannonball in the Revolutionary War, his decapitated spirit gallops through Sleepy Hollow at night in quest of its lost head.

In the story’s denouement Ichabod is chased and apparently murdered by the horseman who hurls a pumpkin onto his cranium. Interestingly, Irving insinuates that Brom Bones may have been the culprit, thus leaving the reader to draw his own conclusions as to the actual cause of Ichabod’s demise. Of course the tale is rendered more intriguing by attributing the treachery to the headless ghost. Otherwise it’s just another humdrum example of a local bully victimizing the weak.

Formerly known as North Tarrytown, in 1996 the residents voted to change the name to Sleepy Hollow to honor Irving’s tale. Visitors can take a guided tour of the famous Sleepy Hollow Cemetery and view Washing Irving’s grave. Many other notables have been laid to rest there as well.

For the history buff or simply those with a morbid curiosity, it is a worthwhile endeavor. Be sure to stop by the Old Dutch Church, a reputed haunt, (pardon the pun), of the headless horseman.

Overshadowed by the more pertinent, and often lurid aspects of Irving’s story is Ichabod’s love of food. Irving makes numerous references to his gastronomic passions. Ichabod is depicted as a “huge feeder” with the “dilating powers of an anaconda.” He frequently accompanies students home at the conclusion of the school day, particularly those whose mothers were “noted for the comforts of their cupboard.”

His mouth “watered as he looked upon the sumptuous promise of luxurious winter fare.” Irving further characterizes him as a man “whose spirits rose with eating as some men’s do with drink.”

Irving also describes the charms of the Dutch country table which included cakes, crullers, and pies made of apples, peaches and pumpkins. Then there was the ham, the smoked beef, roasted chickens, broiled shad, pears and quinces. Ichabod “could not help rolling his large eyes” at the sight of these delectable offerings.

I’ve chosen one in particular, namely peach pie, as our recipe to honor Ichabod and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Peach Pie

For the crust:

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 2 ½ sticks (10 oz.) cold butter, cubed, or a combination of 5 oz. butter and 5 oz. shortening
• Ice water as needed, about 5 tablespoons

Place the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and give it a quick whiz just to mix the ingredients. Add the butter/shortening with the processor running just until it’s incorporated. A coarse meal is the target consistency.

Add the water in tablespoon increments, pulsing the processor just enough to incorporate it until a loose, crumbly, dough is formed. Use as little water as possible to bring it together.

Scoop out the dough onto a floured board and knead it briefly to bring it together, adding a little bit of extra flour if the dough is too sticky. Separate the dough into two pieces. The first should be 2/3 of the total, to be used for the bottom crust, and the other third will form the top crust. Roll each into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap and rest in the fridge for an hour.

For the filling:

• 9 medium-large peaches, peeled, sliced into ½-inch wedges
• ¾ cup light brown, granulated sugar
• Juice of half a lemon
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Pinch of salt
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small dice
• 1 egg beaten
• Granulated white sugar, as needed

Assembling the pie:

Place a baking sheet on the lower rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Roll out the bottom crust on a floured board until it will fill a standard glass pie plate with about an inch or so overhang around the rim.

In a large bowl combine the peach wedges, sugar, lemon, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Then slowly add the cornstarch, mixing well until it’s fully incorporated. Place the filling on the bottom crust. Dot the top of the filling with the diced butter.

Roll out the top crust and place on the pie. Crimp the edge of the top and bottom crusts to seal the pie. Make a number of slits in the top crust to allow steam to vent.

Brush the top crust with some beaten egg, (known as an egg wash), and then lightly sprinkle with the granulated sugar. Wrap the edge of the pie with narrow strips of aluminum foil to prevent it from over-browning.

Place the pie on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and continue baking for another 30-40 minutes, or until the top has lightly browned and the filling is soft and bubbly. Allow the pie to cool before slicing.

by Chef Mark R. Vogel