Camp Oven cooking using old frypan

Hi Peter R,
I went to the Caravan and Camping Show here in Perth yesterday and there was a cooking display on by Tommo The Camp Oven Cook, he is a laugh a minute.

He uses the frypan technic and I can tell you I will be from now on, works a treat. Here is a excerpt from his book that I bought (It's well worth the 10 -15 bucks) this describes the use of heat beads but you can us coals.

Quote:

Once you have acquired your old frypan , cover the inside with aluminium foil, shiny side up to reflect the heat on to the camp oven. Now place about 1/4 of a bag of easy heat beads in the frypan and light them up. Put the same amount on the lid of the camp oven and light them also. Wait until the heat beads burn down and start to go white. Now place the camp oven on top of the ones in the frypan, sit the lid on and wait 10 minutes to pre-heat the campoven and your ready to cook.
After you have finished cooking just tip all of the heat beads into the frypan and pour water on them to put them out. Stand well back as they will spit a bit.

End Quote.

He told us that the above technic can be used in areas where there are fire bans on, but check with local authorities first and always use extra care and common sense in such circumstances.

Don't know about an old frypan, but a wok with a lid works fairly well. I have also used it to smoke chicken. Just put some saw dust in the bottom pit in the steamer rack that comes with them, pop on the lid and away you go. They tend to cost a lot less than "proper" ones from the camping shop, and can still be used for the stir fry etc that you usually use your wok for.

Hope that helps.

Paul.

My wife saw this technique at Rosehill one year. The hardest part was finding an old fryingpan. When we sold the caravan we had an old Sunbeam so I grabbed that. Have used this method several times, both camping and at home. The other weekend a group of us had a bit of a campoven cookoff at Hill End, some spent the afternoon gathering wood, getting coals ready, another had a gas version, we used the frying pan. All the methods worked, but the pan version is a lot easier with heat beads. Just make sure you use a quality brand of heat bead, some of the no-name ones just don't come up to scratch.

It's easy to clean, once out and cold, drop the ashes in the rubbish bag ready forthe trip home. I was asked once where I expected to plug it in when someone spotted it in the cooking box. I told them no problems, I can still cook a roast in it.

Cheers,

Michael

I have to say it people: heat beads are cheating! :)

Mike Harding

Thanks to all who replied.

The frypan base seems a good idea and I guess to put out the heat beads it would only be a matter of putting on the lid. Have an old frypan so will give it a go

Paulj, re the Wok , do you use anything special to heat it?

Pedro

Hmmm,

Sounds like a lot of heat beads for the top of the Oven.

I cannot see the need for the frypan when camping.
Just a shallow scoop in the earth is all one needs, fill with heat beads, or coals if a fire has been burning and place the oven on top.

I cheat sometimes though, if I don't have sufficient time to wait for the heat beads to be burning evenly.

My Hillbilly has a gas ring attachment which you can use top, or bottom, so I can have the Camp Oven "smoking" while others are still waiting for the heat beads to brown over.

We have an old frypan (2 actually...bought of neighbor for $2) that has a removable electric element on the bottom...very heavy machine...just unscrew element and use as a normal camp oven...works a treat