Lodge Camp Dutch Oven Lid Lifter

They could give away dutch ovens if everyone would promise to buy all the accessories. At first I made do with a hooked piece of wire but after dropping ashes in the pot and almost burning myself a few times I got the lid lifter. It's actually quite useful.

You can leave it on the lid and it stays in place. The handle is long enough that the heat doesn't seem to travel up and make it too hot to hold. The "wings" adjacent to the hook brace on the lid so when you pick the lid up it doesn't wobble or tilt (which is when the ashes would drop on your food!).

The hook also works well to grab the scalding hot bail of the Dutch Oven to carry or reposition the whole oven. For even cooking the standard practice is to rotate the oven one way and the lid the other way every once in a while- that way any hot spots from the coals will spread around. This tool lets you safely do both. Also you don't really have to lift the lid to rotate it- which would let heat out.

I made the big mistake of getting a Dutch Oven and not ordering this at the same time. Pliers don't work, gloves don't work, a fireplace poker doesn't work. The lid lifter makes removing the lid to check on your food a simple, stable and ash-free process. Don't make the same mistake I did. When you buy your Dutch Oven, buy the lid lifter.

These one-piece lid lifters are prone to dumping ash in the food. They're better than nothing, but don't grip the lid tighly.

They don't grip the lid firmly like the good lifters (with the three legs and the hook operated by gripping the handle). The good lid lifters retail for about the same price as this lifter. There's no reason to buy this design. They will will put a huge smile on your face the first time you discover you don't have to do any kind of balancing act.

I've been looking on Amazon, but for some odd reason it looks like they don't carry the good lid lifters, which are available at any outdoors store that carries dutch ovens. Please Amazon, offer the three-leg+hook lifters, sometimes called "deluxe" lifters!