At this cookoff, let’s all go Dutch

By Jeremy Higgins
Assistant editor

July 09, 2008 11:39 am

— Thursday, at 7 p.m., the Pittsburg County OSU Extension office will host the judging of a Dutch-oven cookoff at the Farmers’ Market in downtown McAlester. Dishes can begin being prepared as early as 3 p.m.
The OSU Extension office will provide a fire pit for each entrant so they do not have to provide their own charcoal. Dutch ovens will not be provided.
Farmers will have produce available by 4 p.m., according to LaDell Emmons.
The entry deadline was originally planned for Tuesday of this week; that deadline has been extended, according toEmmons.
Emmons said that entrants can bring items to compete in the categories of breads, desserts, main dishes or other items. Each entrant must enter two different dishes; one has to have fruit or vegetables that are grown in Oklahoma and the other dish is cook’s choice.
Wondering what a Dutch oven is?
According to Wikipidi, “A Dutch oven is a thick-walled iron (usually cast iron) cooking pot with a tight-fitting lid.
“Modern Dutch ovens designed for use on the cooktop or in the oven are typically smooth-bottomed. Some older styles, such as the unglazed ovens by Lodge, CampChef, and Wagner, retain the bale handle, while others, such as the enameled versions by Staub, Sante, and le Creuset, have two loop handles. Modern ovens may also be made of aluminum or ceramic. Le Creuset, a famous maker of enameled Dutch ovens, refers to their ovens as ‘French ovens’, or in the UK as ‘casserole dishes’. America’s most prominent Dutch oven manufacturer, Lodge, was founded in 1896 and is located in South Pittsburg, Tennessee.”