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Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Lodge combo cooker and double dutch oven













This is a Lodge combo cooker. It's a 3 quart dutch oven, with a shallow skillet that serves as the lid. Lodge also has a 5 quart "double dutch" oven.

The combo cooker is the exact same size as the 10 inch deep skillet, as well as the 3 quart chicken fryer, AND the 3 quart dutch oven.

So if you happen to be shopping for Lodge products, those 4 are basically the same.

The combo cooker has a shallow skillet lid; the deep skillet has no lid; The chicken fryer has a regular lid; and the dutch oven doesn't have a pan handle.

Likewise, the 5 quart "double dutch" oven is the exact same as the regular, except for the skillet lid.

However, the 5 quart chicken fryer is NOT the same; it is wider and more shallow. It's essentially, the 12 inch deep skillet, with a lid.

Personally, I found that using the skillets as a lid, was a bit awkward. I prefer using a regular lid with a handle.

Especially when frying chicken, and you have to keep taking the lid on and off.

The skillet lids are certainly useful as shallow skillets, griddles or serving plates-- just not so much as lids.

Someone scoffed at my posted review on Amazon, stating that buying a separate lid was a waste, and that I should "just use aluminum foil". Sorry, there's no way I would use thin, flimsy aluminum foil as a lid for my cast iron dutch oven!

Although I've never tried this, I'm sure if you're using the skillet lid, you can warm up something else on top of the flat surface. Stack cooking?

Mostly I use my combo cooker (with a regular lid) as a saucepan; It's great for rice pilaf. You can saute your rice in butter, then add the liquid and boil in the same pot.

Actually, the amount of uses for the combo cooker are endless... way too many to list here!

The combo cooker is sometimes called a double skillet. Some older models have a hinged lid.

4 comments:

  1. Hello. I am having a difficult time deciding between the combo cooker and the double dutch oven. Any suggestions?

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  2. I have both. The pots are the same diameter; The double dutch oven is deeper.

    It really depends on how many you need to cook for. If you're cooking for two, the combo cooker will be enough but if you're cooking for a family, then you'll need the double dutch oven.

    I like the "pan handle" on the combo cooker pot and skillet. I like to be able to have a handle I can grab.

    I ended up getting a regular lid to use as a lid and using the "skillet lid" as a skillet...

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  3. I have been trying to find a 3 qt Lodge DO. To double check, is the 3 qt DO is the same diameter AND depth as the 3 qt 10" deep skillet?

    This doesn't sound right as my 5 qt DO is 10" diameter. Help? Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  4. That's correct, a 3 quart lodge dutch oven is the same diameter as the 5 quart. The 5 quart is deeper. If you can't find an actual dutch oven, the "deep skillet", also known as the chicken fryer, is exactly the same with the exception that it has a panhandle instead of loop handles.

    ReplyDelete