We went rowing twice over the weekend, just because we could – or thought we could. On Saturday I went out with my old partner. She has a new doubles partner now who I think is a better match for her – older and less experienced than I am, but bigger and stronger as well as very dedicated to improving – but she’s generally up for an extra row. It was nice to get to go out with her again, but YIKES! I haven’t been in a boat since October and it was horrible – I felt like I wasn’t getting full compression, due to increased gut and (for some odd reason) less flexibility in my shins, though it did help a bit when I moved my feet out a bit. That forced me to keep my knees too far apart at the catch, which isn’t great for blade control and set. It’s just one of those things where the only cure is lots and lots of distance on the water. On Sunday, she wasn’t available so I went out in a single. It was a bit windy, but I’ve been out in a lot worse – I may be rusty but I’ve also been rowing for 21 years, so even though someone on the dock said “You are courageous to go out in a skiff (Dutch for single) today!” it was never really scary. However, it was even colder than Saturday, and when told that I had to turn around after 1.5 km due to ice by the first bridge I decided that I wasn’t that gung-ho. So I came in and did some weightlifting with the boathouse equipement (some free weights but no cage; I did deadlifts, bench press and some step-ups and static lunges) while waiting for Ted and his doubles partner to get back in.
We’ve been eating really well while here (“well” in the gourmet sense, not the health-food sense) but I’ve also been doing a ton more walking during the day; once I’m here and able to walk more and get on the water more, I think I’ll be in a lot better shape even without making any concerted effort. Being able to cook for myself will also help.
Which reminds me: the apartment kitchen has five stove burners, but the small combination microwave / grill / convection over strikes me as inadequate. I plan to buy a large cast-iron Dutch oven to help with that problem. (Perhaps that’s why they’re called “Dutch” ovens”? Since I don’t have much experience with one, suggestions for what to make in it would be welcome, as well as opinions on what size is most useful.
For your needs (mostly 2 people with occasional company) I suggest a Dutch oven the diameter of a dinner plate with 7″ inch tall sides. I’m not sure if they use quart measurements or liters, hence the physical dimensions. But 5 or 5.5 quart would be good. It’s small, but you probably don’t cook in the job lots that I do. Seasoning a cast iron one is rather tricky so I’d go for enamel over cast iron, Le Creuset if you can find one in a color you like. I’ve always used round ones, but oval must work fine too.
As for cooking in one, think of it as a stove top slow cooker/crock pot. Any braised or simmered dish. Soups, stews, if you get the enameled one you can cook with tomato based sauces too. About the only thing I don’t make in mine is fish. Though bouillabaisse works just fine. The nice thing is being able to do browning and such in one and then pop it in the oven (if it fits) and finish cooking that way. Or remove the lid and put it in the oven at the end to melt cheese or make a crust on top. Or steam dumplings on the stove top.
I don’t use recipes, but there’s lots out there online. Good luck and have fun experimenting. The nice thing about ‘pot mess’ cooking is unless you burn it the dinner is always good. Might not ever be the same twice, but good. ~LA
I have a 5.5 quart Le Creuset cocotte (French for “Dutch oven”) and it’s the pot I use most, along with my 9-inch cast iron frying pan. I have quite literally cooked everything in it — it’s good for boiling a small amount of pasta, making a large amount of pasta sauce, cooking chile, cooking beans, making stew, making pot roast …
The lamb stew I posted on my blog a while back is a good Dutch oven kind of dish; I do a beef stew the same way with red wine instead of Guinness too.
Yes, I do hope to get a Le Creuset pot – should be cheaper here than in the US, I’d think. (Not that anything ever is.) I’m not that picky about color. I’ll be bringing my crockpot, but I’m always a little leery about using it with the 220 power here, even with a voltage converter. So maybe I’ll rely on the Dutch over more for chilis and soups. Also, since my chicken soup recipe starts with one whole cut up chicken, the crock pot is just too small. Maybe ideally I need a big one for that and a smaller one for everything else, but given the price I will probably just get one.
Thanks for the advice, LA and Nora – sounds like 5.5 quart (5 liter?) should be about right.