Camp Oven gone wrong!!!
Submitted: Tuesday, Mar 28, 2006 at 11:26
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Happy Little Camper
Please help ....Went out the other day and bought myself a cast iron
camp oven and of course I knew I had to season it so I wacked a heap of canola oil around it and placed in a oven until it stopped smoking....hell what a lot smoke it produced but anyway..... here is where I have the problem.
I have alot of burnt oil on the bottom of oven and I think I have another couple of goes in over to finish the seasoning of the damn thing. Any suggestions is most welcome as I have been dying to use this thing on the
easter vacation.
P.S. Safe and happy travels to all over the
EASTER break.
Reply By: Member - Tony G (ACT) - Tuesday, Mar 28, 2006 at 12:16
Tuesday, Mar 28, 2006 at 12:16
Forget the Canola oil go to the local butcher and get some beef fat. To get the old burnt oil out you may need to burn it out
I do
mine on top of the wood heater or gas ring. get it hot and then wipe the fat around inside and under the lid. re-heat and do it again. As long is the oven is only used for meat and stews etc all will be ok. But for damper and cakes you will have to clean it out or get a second oven.
When cleaning no need to wash with soapy water jush hot water and a brush, re-heat then you can wipeout with oil.
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Reply By: Nebster - Tuesday, Mar 28, 2006 at 12:17
Tuesday, Mar 28, 2006 at 12:17
Hi
Try here, I think this was mentioned on here a while back
Camp oven cooking
Cheers
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Happy Little Camper - Tuesday, Mar 28, 2006 at 14:44
Tuesday, Mar 28, 2006 at 14:44
That is a top link ....Thank you
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Reply By: Moggs - Tuesday, Mar 28, 2006 at 12:40
Tuesday, Mar 28, 2006 at 12:40
It probably isn't the oil burning - more likely the wax coating that the ovens come with to stop them rusting at the
shop. You need to give it a good scrub with steel wool and extremely hot soapy water to get this wax off prior to seasoning it.
Then the best way is to heat it up in the oven and then when it is hot oil it - any oil will do. Only needs to be repeated if for some reason you need to wash the oven with detergent.
I would not oil it and then heat it. I'd wash it and start again if I was you.
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Reply By: GUPatrol - Tuesday, Mar 28, 2006 at 12:48
Tuesday, Mar 28, 2006 at 12:48
PLEASE NOTE!!
Never use soap on cast iron!!
Soap (even soapy water) gets into the cast iron (same as oil does in the seasoning process) and then it shows up when you
cook...
Season as per previous posts, to get rid of the coating they put at the factory by just getting it very hot on top of a stove or the campfire..
Never wash anything cast iron with soap or detergent...
Will
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Reply By: Member - Norm C (QLD) - Tuesday, Mar 28, 2006 at 13:35
Tuesday, Mar 28, 2006 at 13:35
You are going to get some conflicting
views here. So follow which ever advice you think is best. None of them will do any real harm.
In my experience (3
camp ovens, and several cast iron pans etc over the years, including my favorite omelet pan), there is no problem using soap on cast iron BEFORE it is seasoned. Scrub it as much as you like with hot soapy water to get any of the wax and other gunk off. Rinse it thoroughly in lots of hot water to remove the soap.
I repeat the seasoning 2 or 3 times on a new item. On the first coat, heat the item up before applying the oil. This lets it soak in better without burning. On the second, I find it is OK to put the oil on cold. Just not too much at a time.
If the oven ever gets rusty, (if
well maintained it shouldn't, but you never know) scrub it clean and repeat the seasoning.
After each use, give it a good clean (with no, or very little soap) and apply a light coat of oil. While it is OK to season with beef fat (I always use vegetable oil) never use fat when you will store the oven. It can go rancid.
I store my ovens in a cloth bag. I fold up a bit of paper towel and put it between the lid and the oven top. This serves two purposes. If there is any moisture, it is likely to be absorbed by the paper, rather than possibly causing rust on the oven. It also lets just a small amount of air circulation inside. The cloth bag also prevents oil or dirt from the outside of the oven soiling the 4B when I store it for transport.
Finally, if seasoning in your oven inside the house. Don't apply too much oil at a time. Turn the oven
camp oven upside down on the oven rack to stop oil pooling in the bottom and burning. To keep your oven floor clean, just lay a bit of foil.
Hope I haven't made this sound too complex. It is not. And it is certainly worth the effort.
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Reply By: ellmcg - Tuesday, Mar 28, 2006 at 15:32
Tuesday, Mar 28, 2006 at 15:32
Hmmm, so is there any quick-fix if one has already used their oven/pan un-seasoned, and got it rusty? Or should I just go buy another $10 pan?
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Follow Up By: Member - Norm C (QLD) - Tuesday, Mar 28, 2006 at 16:49
Tuesday, Mar 28, 2006 at 16:49
Just give it a good scrub, then follow the seasoning instructions mentioned above. Lightly oil after earch use.If it is a pan, you can do it on the stove top. Worth the effort. If done properly it as good as any non stick pan costing heaps more. I've had my cast iron Omelet pan for about 25 years. Never had one stick yet. To clean it, I just wipe it over with a paper towel, then give it a light oil.
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Reply By: Crackles - Tuesday, Mar 28, 2006 at 18:36
Tuesday, Mar 28, 2006 at 18:36
Sorry HLC but probably your first mistake was getting a cast iron one as the spun steel jobs are heaps lighter, easier to pack, wont crack & can use the lid as a frypan or jacking base (amoung other things), but now that you have one......the best way to remove all that oily gunk is to place it upside down on the
camp fire. Once it's burnt off wipe it with oil, reheat, then add another layer of oil. Seasoning
camp ovens at
home only creates heaps of smoke particually from the wife's ears as you stink out the house;-)
When you clean up, avoid over washing it as you always need a thin layer of oil to prevent rust. The only exception to this is when cooking bread, scones, nacho's etc as any residual oil will leave a
smokey taste. In this case I give it a good scrub & reoil afterwards.
Cheers Craig..........
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Follow Up By: Member - Norm C (QLD) - Tuesday, Mar 28, 2006 at 20:25
Tuesday, Mar 28, 2006 at 20:25
Ah Crackles. Spun steel v Cast Iron.
Sounds like Toyota V Nissan
Waeco v Engel
Spun steel is lighter, but cast iron is better for heat distribution, retention and control. Whichever one gets, I'd call it a choice and not a mistake. They both make great tucker in the right hands.
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Follow Up By: Crackles - Wednesday, Mar 29, 2006 at 17:11
Wednesday, Mar 29, 2006 at 17:11
You are right Norm............. just like Toyota's & Engels are better so is the spun steel
camp oven;-)) But probably should have added that I'm talking about them being more convienient when 4x4ing, not base camping. I also agree the cast iron has slightly better heat distribution but when the spun steel oven is used in conjunction with a cake rack the results are almost identical.
Cheers Craig...........
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Reply By: johannagoanna - Tuesday, Mar 28, 2006 at 22:45
Tuesday, Mar 28, 2006 at 22:45
I have a slightly different way of seasoning the
camp overn!
Give it a good clean with hot soapy water to remove the waxy coating, then coat with oil and
cook it on the bbq, outside!!! I even
cook with
mine on the bbq!!!
I took keep
mine in a pillow case, and the outside of
mine is all rusty, but the inside is perfect. Rust outside is purely cosmetic, it's what's inside that counts!
Jo
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