Can You Boil Water in a Dutch Oven?

Most cooking requires boiling water before adding the food ingredients. This is common for a conventional pot. In that way, the food is evenly cooked.

However, it remains to be solved whether you can apply the same method to a Dutch oven.

Dutch ovens are thick-walled pots used to perform any form of cooking in a home kitchen.

However, it is delicate, and much care needs to be taken to protect the coatings from scraping off. That brings up this question: Can you boil water in a Dutch oven?

Yes, you can. You will find out how as you continue to read this article.

/*! elementor – v3.15.0 – 09-08-2023 */
.elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px}

How to boil water in a Dutch oven

Although you can boil water in a Dutch oven, specific steps have to be taken to avoid the pot wearing off or rusting.

• First, you pour cold water inside the Dutch oven and place it on a stovetop
• Close the pot with the lid and apply low heat to it.
• Once the temperature of the water has increased, increase the heat to medium to finally boil
• Pour the boiled water from the pot and hand-dry it with a dry towel. Allowing it to air-dry could cause rust as water droplets would last in the pot before drying.

Things you should not do while boiling water in a Dutch oven

• Do not pre-heat an empty Dutch oven so as not to crack or clip the pot.
• Do not expose the Dutch oven to an open flame or heat source you can’t control
• Boil water in a Dutch oven occasionally for a short period
• Cover the Dutch oven with its lid for fast boiling of water

Types of Dutch oven for boiling water

1. Seasoned cast iron Dutch oven

A seasoned cast iron A Dutch oven is made of thick layers of iron but is seasoned.

This pot doesn’t require much precaution, except you should not boil water in it for long because it exposes the seasoning to the risk of peeling off.

However, you can re-season the pot if the seasoning wears off after the first use. Here is a video link on how to re-season your cast iron Dutch oven.

Some of the best-seasoned cast iron Dutch ovens you can find on Amazon are;

1. 6 Qt. Seasoned Cast Iron Dutch Oven

/*! elementor – v3.15.0 – 09-08-2023 */
@charset “UTF-8″;.elementor-star-rating{color:#ccd6df;font-family:eicons;display:inline-block}.elementor-star-rating i{display:inline-block;position:relative;font-style:normal;cursor:default}.elementor-star-rating i:before{content:”e934″;display:block;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;position:absolute;overflow:hidden;color:#f0ad4e;top:0;left:0}.elementor-star-rating .elementor-star-empty:before{content:none}.elementor-star-rating .elementor-star-1:before{width:10%}.elementor-star-rating .elementor-star-2:before{width:20%}.elementor-star-rating .elementor-star-3:before{width:30%}.elementor-star-rating .elementor-star-4:before{width:40%}.elementor-star-rating .elementor-star-5:before{width:50%}.elementor-star-rating .elementor-star-6:before{width:60%}.elementor-star-rating .elementor-star-7:before{width:70%}.elementor-star-rating .elementor-star-8:before{width:80%}.elementor-star-rating .elementor-star-9:before{width:90%}.elementor-star-rating__wrapper{display:flex;align-items:center}.elementor-star-rating__title{margin-right:10px}.elementor-star-rating–align-right .elementor-star-rating__wrapper{text-align:right;justify-content:flex-end}.elementor-star-rating–align-left .elementor-star-rating__wrapper{text-align:left;justify-content:flex-start}.elementor-star-rating–align-center .elementor-star-rating__wrapper{text-align:center;justify-content:center}.elementor-star-rating–align-justify .elementor-star-rating__title{margin-right:auto}@media (max-width:1024px){.elementor-star-rating-tablet–align-right .elementor-star-rating__wrapper{text-align:right;justify-content:flex-end}.elementor-star-rating-tablet–align-left .elementor-star-rating__wrapper{text-align:left;justify-content:flex-start}.elementor-star-rating-tablet–align-center .elementor-star-rating__wrapper{text-align:center;justify-content:center}.elementor-star-rating-tablet–align-justify .elementor-star-rating__title{margin-right:auto}}@media (max-width:767px){.elementor-star-rating-mobile–align-right .elementor-star-rating__wrapper{text-align:right;justify-content:flex-end}.elementor-star-rating-mobile–align-left .elementor-star-rating__wrapper{text-align:left;justify-content:flex-start}.elementor-star-rating-mobile–align-center .elementor-star-rating__wrapper{text-align:center;justify-content:center}.elementor-star-rating-mobile–align-justify .elementor-star-rating__title{margin-right:auto}}.last-star{letter-spacing:0}.elementor–star-style-star_unicode .elementor-star-rating{font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif}.elementor–star-style-star_unicode .elementor-star-rating i:not(.elementor-star-empty):before{content:”★”}
912 ratings
 4.8/5
/*! elementor – v3.15.0 – 09-08-2023 */
.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=”.svg”]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}

Shop on Amazon

2. Lodge L8DOLKPLT pre-seasoned Cast Iron Dutch Oven

32,264 ratings
 4.7/5


Shop on Amazon

3. Amazon Basics Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Round Dutch Oven

9,774 ratings
 4.6/5


Shop on Amazon

4. Bruntmor Pre-Seasoned 6.5 qt Enameled Cast Iron Round Dutch Oven

4,315 ratings
 4.6/5


Shop on Amazon

5. Victoria seasoned 4-Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven

1,35 ratings
 4.5/5


Shop on Amazon

2. Enameled cast iron Dutch oven

This type of cast iron Dutch oven is coated with enamel, which makes it more fragile to heat than the seasoned one.

In this case, extra caution has to be taken to prevent the enamel coating from wearing off.

Start by applying low heat to the pot for a few minutes before increasing the heat to a medium level. Some of the best-enameled cast iron Dutch ovens from Amazon are;

1. Lodge 6 Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven

31,073 ratings
 4.8/5


Shop on Amazon

2. Mueller DuraCast 6 Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven

1,048 ratings
 4.8/5


Shop on Amazon

3. Crock-Pot Artisan Round Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven

8,567 ratings
 4.7/5


Shop on Amazon

4. Vancasso Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven

946 ratings
 4.7/5


Shop on Amazon

Frequently asked questions

What can you not cook in a Dutch oven?

• Eggs: they are too delicate and may not handle the temperature of a Dutch oven when it is high.
• Garlic: Food with a strong aroma like garlic should not be cooked in a Dutch oven to prevent passing on the flavor to another meal you make.
• Sugary food: Meals like homemade caramel sauce may stick to the bottom of your pot and affect its non-stick properties.

Can you boil pasta in a Dutch oven?

Yes, you can. A Dutch oven is one of the best cooking utensils for boiling pasta. It distributes the heat evenly and prevents the pasta from sticking together.

What is the best temperature for boiling water in a Dutch oven?

The temperature for boiling water in a Dutch oven depends on the type. A cast iron Dutch oven can be placed at a temperature of 121°F and above.

An enameled cast iron Dutch oven is at an exact temperature of 121°F. Any increase in temperature would affect the Dutch oven.

Can you boil soup in a Dutch oven?

Yes, you can boil soup in a Dutch oven. According to Get Morsel, all you have to do is adjust your recipe and cooking time to favor the Dutch oven.

Control the heat to prevent vegetables from sticking to the bottom of the pot. And when some of the food ingredients stick to the bottom, scrape them off.

How can you clean a Dutch oven?

After boiling water in a Dutch oven, dry-clean it with a paper towel to ensure no moisture is on the surface.

For a seasoned cast iron Dutch oven, re-season the pot by pouring oil and spreading it with your hands or a paper towel. Clean off excess oil before storing the pot.

If, however, you prepared a meal, boil water inside the seasoned cast iron Dutch oven and scrub away sticky food particles or oil.

For an enameled cast iron Dutch oven, soak the pot with cold water for some time before scrubbing the sticky particles off. Then, dry the pot for storage.

Conclusion

Dutch ovens can boil water, but precautions are taken to prevent the coating from wearing off.

Regardless of the Dutch oven type, start by boiling water at a low temperature for a while before increasing to a medium level.

Then, clean your Dutch oven dry right after boiling water to prevent it from rusting.