If you are a healthy cook and you have the right Dutch oven in your kitchen, the possibilities are endless. A Dutch oven is a very useful piece of cookware and can be used to cook a number of dishes. Having a single pot for cooking multiple types of food is not only convenient but it also saves a lot of money – you no longer need to buy a wide range of cookware to use on different recipes. But, as mentioned in the first line of this article, you need to have the right one.
The healthiest choice would be a pure-clay Dutch oven because it has certain features that no other has. Want to check if yours is the right one? Let’s see if it can do the following 8 things:
1. Season To Keep Food From Sticking
It becomes naturally non-stick when seasoned well (used a few times). It starts repelling food from sticking to the walls without any toxic coating. It is easier to clean by scrubbing under clean water without using any soap or cleaning agent.
Metal and ceramic cookware need toxic coatings to make them non-stick that contaminate food while cooking.
2. Breathable
The walls made of pure clay are semi-porous, they allow oxygen to pass through easily so the food cooks with sufficient oxygen. The effect can be felt in the form of better taste & aroma of cooked food. No other cookware has this ability.
3. Can Be Used On Both Stove top And In The Oven
It can be used both on the stove top and in the oven – all thanks to the raw material. This makes it possible to have one cooking pot for all kinds of cooking. Conventional ones DO NOT have this feature.
4. Keeps Food Warm For 5-6 Hours Without The Heat On
Dutch ovens are great heat retainers – they keep the food warm for 5-6 hours after it is cooked. This removes the need for heating and re-heating the food every time it is served. At times, the food keeps cooking even after the heat source is turned off, so it saves energy. Ever heard of a metal pot doing the same thing? On the contrary, they lose heat pretty fast as soon you stop heating them.
5. Cooks Food Without Destroying Nutrients
Some delicate but essential nutrients like complex carbs, flavonoids etc. are destroyed by the harsh heat from metals and ceramics. But when cooked with gentle far infrared heat from pure clay, they stay intact. When the body is regularly fed with nutrient rich food regularly, you feel more energetic. Even delicate recipes can be made in a dutch oven.
6. Preserves Water Soluble Nutrients As Steam
The water soluble nutrients present as steam during cooking are often released through the vents in the lids of metal/ceramic pots. Pure clay pots handle this steam uniquely by letting it condense on the inner side of the lid (where the temperature is comparatively lower). It keeps falling back into the food during cooking, instead of being lost completely. This is no less than a blessing because the body can not store these water soluble nutrients and the only way to get these regularly is from food.
7. 100% Non-Toxic Raw Material
The raw material used in your Dutch oven greatly decides the health of your food. While metals and ceramics leach toxins and contaminate food during cooking, pure clay is naturally inert and doesn’t leach. As a result, the food cooked in pure clay is free from any kind of metal toxin. The purity of pure clay is proven by lab tests and it can also be tested at home using alkaline baking soda test for leaching.
8. Truly Green
It is not only good for the health of our food but also the planet. From harvesting of raw material to making of final product, it never releases any by-product that may harm the environment in any way. They are fully biodegradable and can be easily disposed off at the end of their useful life cycle.
On the contrary, making of metal and ceramic Dutch ovens cause ill effects on the environment at every stage. Their toxic byproducts pollute the natural resources and affect wildlife. Also, disposing them off is still a challenge because they pollute the environment wherever they are left.
If yours is missing any or all of these features, then you are really missing out on a lot a truly healthy, non-toxic and green cookware can offer. Stop compromising on the health of your family and the planet AND switch to pure clay Dutch oven to experience all the benefits it has to offer.