Tuesday, Apr 07, 2015 at 19:14
Hi Laurie,
As a general rule of thumb use the diameter of your
camp oven as a guide.
For a 12" diameter oven, add two more to the top (14) and two less on the bottom (10)
When using heat beads with my
camp oven (a lot of the time) I place an old cast iron frypan on the bottom, add the heat beads, then a "pot stand" or trivet and sit the
camp oven on this. this gives an air gap between the heatbeads and the base of the oven so the beads are not smothered. Always works for me.
I love baking bread in the
camp oven. Actually, I love cooking anything in the
camp oven.
I have a 12" Hillbilly Bush King
camp oven with some additional accessories to enhance the flexibility of the oven, including veggie ring, pot stand, folding wind shield and a gas ring, (which I use on rare occasions), as I prefer the heatbeads to
cook with. All this fits into a canvas carry bag.
I also have a heatbead starter, a tin with handle and with holes in the side and base to allow good airflow. This speeds up the process of igniting a bunch of heatbeads.
I have more success with heatbeads than using coals from the campfire, as the heat required is easier to control and burn for longer than coals, which you need to keep replacing.
One tip I can offer is to ensure you have dry heatbeads. A bag that has been opened for moths, tends to absorb moisture, thus making the burning process harder, if not impossible.
Heatbeads "easy-lite" product and while these are easier to light initially to speed up the ignition process, suffer considerably from moisture degradation if a previously opened bag is used some months later.
Another product I have and use in place of, or in conjunction with my
camp oven, is a Cobb Cooker. these are absolutely brilliant when cooking for one or two people and only require 6 to 7 beads to
cook a great roast with veggies at the same time.
A bit small for my bread making tin though. I have used it to bake a bread "cobb" rather than a bread "loaf".
I prefer a loaf as left over bread toasts up extremely
well the next morning for a scrumptious bacon and egg on toast brekkie.
Enjoy your next camping trip and just keep experimenting until you are happy with your cooking prowess:-)
AnswerID:
552111
Follow Up By: Bega Photographer - Wednesday, Apr 08, 2015 at 11:15
Wednesday, Apr 08, 2015 at 11:15
Thanks Bill! Great ideas appreciated!
It's raining nicely here in
Bega and looks set to continue for a couple of days. When it takes up I'll have a practice down the back yard.
I'll have my twin 7 yo grandsons here in the next couple of weeks so that should prove a great experience for them. Poor little fellas have likely never been allowed to so much as strike a match, let alone light a fire.
Regards,
Laurie.
FollowupID:
837723
Follow Up By: Sand Man (SA) - Wednesday, Apr 08, 2015 at 11:47
Wednesday, Apr 08, 2015 at 11:47
Good on ya Grandad,
Show them a little of life's experiences and when they taste that fresh warm bread, they'll think you are SO clever and the sunshine emanates from you.
FollowupID:
837728