The Blaine County Journal News-Opinion - We've Got The County Covered

Last year Kendra Seilstad, the MSU/Blaine County Family and Consumer Sciences Agent, oversaw the Dutch Oven Cooking Contest for the Sugarbeet Festival. It was her first year of involvement with the cooking contest and she said, "I was shocked that there was only one team participating. We had prizes for the top three winners. I decided to do something about that for the next year (2016). I figured the best way to create more contestants was to educate more cooks."

Seilstad admitted she was no expert on Dutch Oven cooking, but her mother is. Denise Seilstad is an extension agent in Fergus County and is part of a teaching group that has offered several classes on how to cook with Dutch Ovens. Denise, and some of her expert helpers, brought the equipment, food for cooking and their know-how to teach the class in Chinook. The cooking class met on September 6 and had 15 participants.

The cooking contest using Dutch Ovens is during the Sugarbeet Festival is the morning of Saturday, September 24. Food preparation, cooking and public tasting after the judging, will all happen in the downtown area of Chinook.

The Dutch Oven predates the

U.S. colonial period

The exact origins of the Dutch Oven are not clear. With only open fires to cook over the lowly black pot became the vehicle for boiling, baking, stewing, frying and roasting. By the 17th century the Dutch had mastered the art of making the black pots using sand castings. Production methods, copied from the Dutch, spread to the rest of Europe and by the time the American colonies were being settled, the Dutch Oven was a staple of "kitchen furniture." In the New World mountain men and frontiersmen took the pots into the wilds. Even Lewis and Clark had Dutch Ovens on their search of a route to the west coast.

Paul Revere, the American revolution hero and silversmith, is credited with adding the legs to the oven so charcoal could go directly under the pot and modifying the lid so it could also hold charcoal without contaminating the food inside. In the colonial period in the U.S. the pots were of such value and importance they were often described in wills as to which family member would get which oven.

Now Dutch Ovens come in many designs and sizes with all sorts of 'add-ons' to make cooking with them easier. The lowly oven has elevated camp cooking to a culinary art and enthusiasts compete in cooking contests around the country using the ancient pots.

Learning to cook with the Dutch Oven:

the class in Chinook

Students in the class held in Chinook first helped prepare the food for cooking in the classroom. Denise Seilstad said, "Once the food was prepared for cooking we went outside to use the charcoal to heat the ovens. We demonstrated different styles and sizes of ovens and which ovens work best for certain applications and how to create the proper amount of heat with charcoal. After taking the class a novice should have a pretty good idea of what equipment they need and how to use it."

Kendra added, "I'm hoping some of the students who completed the class will sign up to compete at the Sugarbeet Dutch Oven Contest." Readers wishing to compete in the cooking contest at the festival should call the MSU Extension Office to get a copy of the rules and expectations for the cooking contest. The equipment to compete must be provided by the contestants. Contestants also provide their food to cook and all food has to be prepared at the contest site.

There was no fee for the cooking class and expenses were partially underwritten by Ace Hardware of Chinook and Finley's Food Farm. Ace Hardware does not routinely carry Dutch Ovens but a spokesperson said, "We can have one here in just a few days." The class also demonstrated how new Dutch Ovens are to be prepared before using them for baking.

To register for the Dutch Oven competition

The Dutch Oven (black pot) cooking contest will be held on Saturday, September 24th starting at 9:00 a.m. Public Taste Testing will be held at 12:30 p.m. in front of the Chinook Assembly of God Church – 4th Street Chinook. Prizes will be awarded. Contact Kendra Sielstad at 357-3200 with questions or to register. You can download the registration form by going to http://www.sugarbeetfest.com and click on Dutch Oven competition. The Black Pot Cooking Contest is sponsored by these community-minded businesses: Northwest Security, Finley's Food Farm, Erickson Insurance Group and Town Pump food stores.