Breadmaking has become a popular hobby in recent years, with home bakers taking on their first sourdough starters and attempts at baking loaves for what is often their first time.
One new baker says she trusted the label on a pot she purchased from T.J. Maxx a little too much when baking her very first sourdough loaf.
T.J. Maxx Dutch oven gone wrong
In a TikTok, user Hannah (@hannahhrevels on TikTok) says she purchased what she thought would be a suitable Dutch oven to bake with.
“All I know is that T.J. Maxx better count their days,” she says in the video. “I almost just set my house on fire making sourdough bread, and it wouldn’t have even been my fault.”
Hannah explains that she recently got into breadmaking and was preparing to make her first loaf.
“I have probably seen hundreds and hundreds of sourdough videos, and every single one of them says you need to get a Dutch oven,” she explains. “I wobble into the T.J. Maxx thinking, they have to have a Dutch oven, T.J. Maxx has everything. I picked up this, what I thought was a Dutch oven, because it was labeled as a Dutch oven. Why wouldn’t it be a Dutch oven if it says ‘Dutch oven’? Why would it be a regular pot?”
Being a first-time user of a Dutch oven, Hannah says she simply used it as her recipe directed to, which may have had an unsafe ending if she had not pulled it out of the oven.
“I put it in the oven, 500 degrees, and I start hearing this pop, pop, pop,” she says. “I thought it was my dogs running around. It wasn’t. Come over to the kitchen, I’m like, ‘That’s really weird, so let me just check on my sourdough.’”
Hannah finds a dangerous situation. “The handles are bubbling up, like the plastic on the handles. Bubbling and popping and melting everywhere,” she says. “Luckily, I was sitting on the couch right over there when it happened, and it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Not to mention I had to open all of the windows in my house because my house smells like burnt plastic now.”
She ends the video by calling on the retailer to better label their merchandise to avoid future incidents.
“T.J. Maxx, I’m not mad, let’s just take this as a learning lesson and correctly label our stuff from here on out because that could have been a lot worse,” she says.
The Daily Dot has reached out to T.J. Maxx and to Hannah via email regarding the video.
What is a Dutch oven?
Dutch ovens are shallow, wide pots with a tight-fitting lid that can serve multiple purposes in a kitchen, from baking bread to simmering stews. These pots are most commonly made from cast iron, both enameled and unenameled, although pots with glass lids are not uncommon.
@hannahhrevels @TJ Maxx I’m not mad, just disappointed 😔 #cookingfail #tjmaxx #justagirl #sourdough #sourdoughbread ♬ original sound – Hannah Revels
What went wrong with this Dutch oven?
As some viewers suggested, while many different materials can be used to make a Dutch oven-style pot, not every pot can withstand the hot temperatures needed to bake bread in an oven. Not every Dutch oven is intended to be used inside an oven.
“Even if it was a Dutch oven, they have different heat temps,” one commenter wrote on Hannah’s video.
“Immediately when I saw it ‘NOT A DUTCH OVEN’ nooooo!” another user said. “I’m so sorry.”
“Never buy aluminum Dutch ovens,” a further user advised. “Always buy cast iron Dutch ovens.”
Viewers weigh in
Several viewers suggested that the type of Dutch oven that she would need to bake bread could be affordably purchased at retailers like Aldi and Walmart.
“Aldi had really nice Dutch ovens that I use!” one commenter wrote.
“Check ALDI! I believe it’s in there sale this week,” another user said.
“My mom has one of the Amazon brand ones and it is awesome,” a third suggested. “Never baked bread in it but everything always comes out great,”
Others pointed out that she needed to look for something heavy, like a cast iron Dutch oven that she could rely on.
“Plain cast iron dutch oven will never do u wrong,” one commented. “Itll last forever and can be used for multitude of things.”
“Cast iron Dutch oven at Walmart $40 way more durable way more useful and will last FOREVER,” a second wrote.
“It should make you go dang when you pick it up,” another further user added. “a true one is not light at all.”
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