Camp Oven Gunge?

Submitted: Thursday, Aug 03, 2006 at 21:24

ThreadID: 36426 Views:3678 Replies:9 FollowUps:2

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Ron173

G'Day/Evening all,

I got a camp oven querie.

I've used an oven for 2 yrs or so now, with great results on a multitude of roasts etc.

Often at home, use a 'camp oven mate' on the gas, and this works superb, I couldnt count the chooks n roast lambs etc we done in it out our back door, without the traditional coals we use on a fire.

Normally, I do a roast, .....we eat,.... next day I fill oven with water and boil, then dump the water n residue, rinse in straight hot water, wipe etc allow to dry, and occasionally lightly oil before storage, no dramas, same routine over n over.

Last weekend, same routine, cooked a roast lamb, next day went to boil up n clean, and after the usual 15-20min boil, this disgusting looking and smelling scum appeared.

I dumped it, reboiled, more!

I have now scrubbed and boiled several times and this gross black slimey film is still apparent in places, and STINKS like something dead.

The lamb was great..... routine not changed.... what went wrong? Why does my camp oven stink and taste disgusting now?

I had major dramas with wife oiling it originally in oven! caused a big smokey in house.... not popular...... hoping I dont need to start from scratch? .... divorce court!

Any suggestions to what went wrong/how to resolve?

I was hoping i could perhaps get a pig leg n cook for a couple hours to get fat back into it, and overide flavours?

The black is still there though I feel depleted in areas, if I do have to start again, any help on how to strip it etc appreciated greatly, and more so.... WHERE DID I GO WRONG IN 2 YRS PERFECT USE?

Any help or advice greatly appreciated,

Regards

Ron

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Reply By: Member - Prickle (SA) - Thursday, Aug 03, 2006 at 22:31

Thursday, Aug 03, 2006 at 22:31

Ron,
Not too many takers to date.

Is this a new oven? I know you said that you have been cooking for a few years, but if it is a new oven they tend to cover them with some foul oil which will taint your food and smell.

I had a gas oven and had a similar problem, ruined a leg of lamb, but we stil ate it. :):)

If it is not this and it were me I would be scrubbing the be jesus out of the pot and giving it a light coating of olive or some other oil before uisng again.

Not much help.

Good luck.

Russ

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AnswerID: 187009

Reply By: Sand Man (SA) - Thursday, Aug 03, 2006 at 22:55

Thursday, Aug 03, 2006 at 22:55

Not much of an option Ron. Start from scratch.

Clean it as well as you can, even using steel wool or similar.
Then wash it with soapy water (dish washing liquid) and dry with a cloth.
Give it a light coating of canola or peanut oil.
Then re-season:-
Heat the oven to as high a temperature as possible.
An outdoor gas BBQ, or a heap of heat beads is better than the kitchen oven.
You want the Camp Oven "smoking".
Re-oil and re heat until you get that burnt looking black coating back again.

Bit of work I know, but you will get your Oven back the way it should be again.

Bill

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AnswerID: 187011

Reply By: Member - Bill F (VIC) - Thursday, Aug 03, 2006 at 23:31

Thursday, Aug 03, 2006 at 23:31

Hi Ron,

I think someone used a vegetable oil during cooking or cleaning after the Lamb

I only use olive oil now

Bill F

AnswerID: 187013

Reply By: D-Jack - Friday, Aug 04, 2006 at 00:47

Friday, Aug 04, 2006 at 00:47

Do you feel a chill in the air when you go near your camp oven? Just wondering, it might be a spirit has inhabited the camp oven!

AnswerID: 187014

Reply By: Ron173 - Friday, Aug 04, 2006 at 07:21

Friday, Aug 04, 2006 at 07:21

Thanks for the answers.

Confirmed my worst suspicions..... lots of work to redo it all this weekend.

SandMan, When you say do on bbq did you do it upright with the peanut oil inside just splashing around?, as when I did it in house oven before, instructions were to upturn it to allow heat in??

Re vegetable oil, thats a very big possibility. Didnt know it has such disastrous consequencies. I'm sure I've put a splash of veggie oil in bottom before with no probs, I will make sure its olive oil from now on, or just let the meat self baste.

Regards

Ron

AnswerID: 187018

Follow Up By: Member - andrew B (Kununurra) - Friday, Aug 04, 2006 at 07:53

Friday, Aug 04, 2006 at 07:53

The easiest way to clean it back & start again I have found is an angle grinder with a wire brush attatchment - best dishwashing tool ever!

Cheers Andrew

FollowupID: 444180

Follow Up By: Sand Man (SA) - Friday, Aug 04, 2006 at 18:39

Friday, Aug 04, 2006 at 18:39

Ron,

I have done mine just sitting upright, with a light coating of oil smeared around the inside. If you leave a pool of oil in the oven, it inhibits the even coating of oil and thus the finished product.

I sat the Camp Oven with the lid on in the middle of the BBQ and run the two outside burners on full, with the baking lid of the BBQ closed. Acts just like an oven.

Bill

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FollowupID: 444356

Reply By: Member - Brian H (QLD) - Friday, Aug 04, 2006 at 07:37

Friday, Aug 04, 2006 at 07:37

Ron, i'm no more help than the rest of the people here, but I will say i never use anything other than olive oil in mine even in my cooking. In fact I have a spray can of olive oil that i put on after i clean the oven out.

Good luck and let us know how it goes after you redo it :)

Brian

AnswerID: 187020

Reply By: Sand Man (SA) - Friday, Aug 04, 2006 at 18:48

Friday, Aug 04, 2006 at 18:48

I've got to say that a well seasoned Camp Oven looks, well, bloody ordinary, if done properly.

What you are attempting to create is an impervious coating backed on the inside walls of the oven which will resist food sticking and metal rusting,
Kind of like a teflon coating you see on frypans, etc.

It will look black but SHMBO must be told NEVER to attempt removal of this coating with steel wool, or elbow grease, otherwise you are back to square one again.

I'm OK with my spouse. I generally elect to wash the camp dishes, etc. while she sits and sips her chardonnay. (I mean, she dries)

Bill

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AnswerID: 187153

Reply By: johannagoanna - Friday, Aug 04, 2006 at 19:05

Friday, Aug 04, 2006 at 19:05

I would light a big fire and give it a good burning upside down! Best way to clean a camp oven. When it starts to glow, take it out, let it cool down, and the scrape out the inside, give it a good spray with oil - done!

Sounds like a lot less work to me!

This is how I treat my camp oven after most meals!

Stop keep treating it like a baby, it is just cast iron!

Jo

AnswerID: 187158

Reply By: Scrubcat - Friday, Aug 04, 2006 at 19:52

Friday, Aug 04, 2006 at 19:52

Ron,
Best to clean it out and start again. Heat it empty to about cooking roast temperature then remove from heat and wash with a mixture of 50/50 boiling water and brown vinegar.I doubt if you will need to, but you can put a second lot in and boil it for a while, then empty & rinse. Dont breath the hot mixture it might take your breath away.
This is the best way to clean any cooking surface, the mixture only needs to be hot if you are cleaning hot cast iron to prevent it from cracking, anything else just use vinegar and cold water onto the hot metal. Have been using this method for years,i am yet to find anything better.
cheers.
S.Cat

AnswerID: 187166