Dutch Oven Safety Device
I don't know if I'm the only one to be worried about removing the hot lid of a Dutch oven during the baking process but it seems to me to have serious potential for something to go wrong.
So I came up with this idea, which I've used about 6-8 times with ease and success. As shown in the first picture the device is a stick that's 27" long, 1 1/8" wide and 7/8" thick.
As shown in the next picture in more detail, one end has been reduced in thickness to ~ 5/8" and a 3/16" deep by 1/4" wide notch put on the top about 2" from the end in order to easily fit between the Dutch oven top handle and the top of the lid itself.
The notch is very important. The lid handle MUST fit into the notch easily and securely in order to prevent the lid from sliding off the end of the stick during the transfer of the lid from the Dutch oven to the stove top. The next picture shows the stick fitted into the Dutch oven top handle.
I can imagine that some folks have used an eyebolt to replace a heat susceptible handle on the top of their baking container, in which case a broomstick suitably shaped with the notch around the entire circumfrence of the stick would work also.
aloha,
Dave Hurd, Hilo, Hawaii
would not be the problem, a hot sliding lid toward my hand would be worse! It would also be important that the stick be thick enough that it doesn't fit under the handle, only at the tip.
Why not just pull out the rack, put an oven mitt over the handle and pick the lid up?
The mention of broomsticks leads me to think you use this with a large wood fired oven, which would be very handy.
At camping supply stores you can also buy various different types of purpose-built dutch oven lifters, ranging from pliers with long handles to elaborate mechanisms. I like your homemade one though; more in the spirit of TFL ;-)
sPh
Hi Mini,
I suppose that I was thinking that if the top fell off the end of the stick onto the glass door portion of the oven, that would be a troublesome occurrence. And with respect to picking up the lid, pinching it hard enough to lift it safely actually got me slight burns through my oven mitts causing some creative name calling and pleas to my wife to help me make a new pair - which will be another post soon.
Hi sPH,
Thanks for the compliment. It's hard to make something simple. And it turns out that this wood was Port Orford cedar - so I have a wonderful aroma to enjoy each time I use it...(^-^)
aloha,
Dave Hurd, Hilo, Hawaii
Seems like a lot of work for what it accomplishes. Sliding the rack out and using a good quality oven mit or pot holder works for me.
It's not about you. It's about sharing an idea with the community as a whole and having folks discuss it in a positive manner rather than just being negative. You've done the same thing to several of my other posts. This is getting tiresome. Please try to be more constructive in your remarks.
David
I think I would feel more in control of the lid if I had it firmly in my grasp, than at the end of a long stick. And the dutch oven itself is just as hot and even heavier. You would use oven mitts for that task wouldn't you?
If your lid handle is too small to grasp safely, you might consider replacing it with a larger, more ergonomic knob. I can just see too many things go wrong with having a hot, heavy metal object hanging from the end of a stick. I just think of what that would do to my beautiful wood floor if I dropped it.