Keeping a camp oven clean
Submitted: Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 10:52
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Each time we use the
camp oven, it is a pain to clean afterwards, whats the secret?
Reply By: Member - Troll 81 (QLD) - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 11:06
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 11:06
I feel your pain. What we do once we get all the food out fill it up with water and a splash of detergent and put it back on the coles to boil and then it's pretty easy to clean
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Reply By: Teabag (Queanbeyan) - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 11:09
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 11:09
We use the alfoil oven tray's......Works a treat.......
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Follow Up By: V8Diesel - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 14:59
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 14:59
Agreed. Alfoil and ali trays from Woolies -
too easy!
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Follow Up By: Member - bushfix - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 15:25
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 15:25
alright if you only do roasts or backing perhaps but not if you
cook stews?
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Follow Up By: Richard & Leonie - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 20:04
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 20:04
Stews will go OK in a deep Alfoil tray.
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Follow Up By: Member - bushfix - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 20:16
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 20:16
the thing you are missing is the flavour into the stew, imparted by the seasoned oven, intoxicating. may as
well use an easier to clean stainless jobbie if you are going to get annoyed by cleaning wrt stews. trays will still capture the juice from a roast however, to make the natural gravy with.....oh yeah....
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Reply By: Member - bushfix - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 11:09
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 11:09
no 'secret' really, it's all part of the love and care of a good bit of gear.
with hot water (no detergent) and a dish scrubber or the like, get the food off (don't forget the lid) and then heat up the oven with lid on the fire (or stove top etc.) until the pores have been dried of any moisture. Then get some olive oil and paper towel and carefully (coz the oven will be hot of course) wipe it around and into the oven and lid. Done.
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Follow Up By: Member - Oldplodder (QLD) - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 17:04
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 17:04
Works for us as
well.
By not using detergent, the oil saturates the cast iron, and it becomes easier to clean after a few uses.
Almost like a your own non stick.
Of couse doing a damper doesn't help.
Or use alfoil as a liner as some else suggests.
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Follow Up By: Willem - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 18:47
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 18:47
Yep same here
Cheers
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Follow Up By: howie - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 20:39
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 20:39
i,m with these guys.
coat the oven ( and lid) inside and outwith olive oil and bung it in the oven on 100-150 for a few hours empty (keep the lid on a seperate shelf ).
do this maybe a couple of times to seal it.
after every use, clean with hot water, dry on heat source and re-coat lightly with olive oil while still hot.
mine is better than a non-stick now.
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Reply By: Member -Signman - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 11:12
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 11:12
Use sand to clean all the big bits off- then boil with water & detergent !!
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Follow Up By: Member - Ray - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 19:22
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 19:22
Detergent a big no no
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Reply By: Steve63 - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 11:37
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 11:37
Depends what you have cooked. Bread and damper should not stick. Basically just wipe it out with a damp cloth and make sure it is dry before packing. For stews etc you should just be able to put some water in it and reheat. Empty and rinse. Then wipe it out and dry as above. If stuff is really sticking it was probably getting too much heat from below. If you roast some foil on the base helps. I liked the foil tray idea but have never tried it. Once again, too much heat from the bottom will cause stuff to burn and stick. A trivet will also help to stop roasts sticking. Clean as above. If you do end up scrubing, you need to re oil the oven lightly.
I assume you are not sticking the oven into the fire. Place it on a bed of coals instead. Alter the depth of the bed to adjust the amont of heat on the bottom. For damper and roasts cover the lid with coals.
It takes some persistance but once mastered they are a great bit of kit and easy to look after. I admit that most of my problems were because I was getting it to hot. I tried the paper
test and it just burst into flames!!
Steve
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Reply By: Smudger - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 11:38
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 11:38
If it's cast iron, the secret is in curing the oven. If you scrub the oil our of the pores after use, re-cure it. Smear with oil and heat it on the coals before putting it away. As for other metals, don't know.
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Reply By: Member - Bucky (VIC) - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 12:08
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 12:08
Use the oven, then we heat it up with soapy solution, ( morning fresh, dish washing solution ) Scrub it, dry it and re-oil it, and put it back on some hot coals, till it is re-annealed
Have used ours a lot ,, its not considered a chor, but it is a little slower,,,then whats better than sitting around a
camp fire, for an extra 1/2 hr, having a beer, in good company.
Cheers Mate
Bucky
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Follow Up By: Member - Ray - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 19:23
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 19:23
No soap
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Follow Up By: Member - Bucky (VIC) - Tuesday, Apr 24, 2007 at 04:25
Tuesday, Apr 24, 2007 at 04:25
OK ,,, Will try that bit ,,, Might have something there !
Just let it sit for a while then ?
Cheers Mate
Bucky
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Reply By: Russ n Sue - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 13:08
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 13:08
Leave it out for the foxes to lick clean. Just joking. Although we did get lazy one night and left it by the fire. Next morning it was absolutely shiny as a new shilling.
The Mrsmade me steralise it for about six months before she would ude it again.
Cheers,
Russ.
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Follow Up By: Russ n Sue - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 13:10
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 13:10
wow, there's a lot to be said for reading what you type and using spell checkers eh?
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Follow Up By: Member - Oldplodder (QLD) - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 17:05
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 17:05
The pigs on Moreton Is used to be good at cleaning them up.
Would wreck most cooking gear trying to get to the scraps left.
Soon learn not to leave out overnight.
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Reply By: Member - Duncs - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 13:09
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 13:09
I use a wet cloth to rub
mine clean as soon as I take the meal out of it.
I simply have a container of cold water beside the oven dip my cloth in it and rub vigorously, repeat until the oven is clean then put it aside to cool while I eat.
A few lumpy bits left in place won't hurt and they will come off next time.
Duncs
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Reply By: Shaker - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 14:19
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 14:19
We all just put our dirty ovens upside down on the hottest part of the fire, leave until they have glowed red hot, take them off & just brush clean & re-oil in the morning ..... Easy!
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Reply By: Kevern - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 15:18
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 15:18
Oven trays or baking dish, easy as.
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Follow Up By: Member - bushfix - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 15:23
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 15:23
and if you've done a kangaroo stew? :)
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Follow Up By: Teabag (Queanbeyan) - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 16:30
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 16:30
Kangaroo Stew,
well simple, Take more care a don't burn the guts out of it......
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Reply By: Member - Toytruck (SA) - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 15:40
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 15:40
I'm going to tak a different approach.
I have seven ovens and firmly beleive that any cleaning with detergrent or heating until red hot destroys the seasoning of the oven.
Camp ovens are cast iron and the iron actuall absorbs the oil. I simply use a bit of hot water with a dish brush, no detergent, and then wipe with a bit of paper towel. A little oil at the end and put it away. This keeps the iron impregnated and seasoned.
Detergent, hard scrubbing and getting red hot will change the characteristics of the iron in the oven. I think anyway.
Toytruck
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Follow Up By: Member - Ray - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 19:25
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 19:25
Hooray you win Correct answer
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Follow Up By: Member - bushfix - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 19:31
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 19:31
right with you TT, should have mentioned the brush I use is plastic bristled, it's a gentle brush. it is important to get the water out of the pores to prevent any rust, then wipe the oil in.
Ray, been trying to tell 'em all along! :)
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Follow Up By: Shaker - Tuesday, Apr 24, 2007 at 14:16
Tuesday, Apr 24, 2007 at 14:16
I can assure heating has not affected our ovens, I would be happy to provide a photo of the inside to anybody.
By the time you all wipe it as soon as you take out your food, your meal will be cold or worse still, eaten by everyone else!
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Reply By: CLC50 - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 16:55
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 16:55
Preparing your new
Camp Oven & cleaning
A
camp oven must be seasoned before it is used. Being of cast iron, this material is porous, and the
inside of the oven has to be treated so as to seal the surface.
Before you first
cook in the
camp oven fill with water and slowly heat but do not boil. Wash the new
oven and dry. Rub cooking oil (I like to use olive oil) inside and outside of the
camp oven with a cloth
or paper towel. Repeat this 3 or 4 times over the next 2 days and then place in a hot oven at
home and
bake it for about an hour applying more oil to the inside of the
camp oven and don't forget the lid. The
oil will glaze on the surface and give it a protective coating. Before storing after use always give the
camp oven a good wash and then an oiling. This will stop rust forming. If this process of oiling is not
done before you use it, food particles penetrate into the cast iron and will go rancid while the
camp
oven is not in use.
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Follow Up By: Member - Crazy Dog (QLD) - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 19:14
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 19:14
Ok guy's here is the answer.
Get an old saucepan - rip off the handle and do ya stews in the saucepan. EEZYPEEZIE...
Next for roasts use oven bags - simple - other ali trays etc work a treat. NEVVA NEVVA NEVVA put soap in the buggers....
Grrr!!!
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Reply By: Member - Poppy (QLD) - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 21:25
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 21:25
My solution was to buy a
Bedourie camp oven (pressed steel)
Problem solved and lighter too
Cheers Ray
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Reply By: Sand Man (SA) - Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 23:50
Monday, Apr 23, 2007 at 23:50
Not all
Camp Ovens are cast iron. The
Bedourie and Hillbilly ovens are spun steel.
If the oven (whatever it is) has been properly seasoned, you should end up with a black, non-stick surface to which food should not stick.
All I generally use is a ball of newspaper while the oven is still warm (or heat it up a little) and simply wipe the surface out. Apply a little bit of oil and put it away.
On a rare occasion, I have washed the oven in hot water, but when you do this, you need to heat it up again to evaporate all remaining water, before applying the oil. And definitely, NO SOAP.
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Reply By: Member - steve F (WA) - Tuesday, Apr 24, 2007 at 00:52
Tuesday, Apr 24, 2007 at 00:52
we use a round cake tray in the bottom when cooking roasts , nothing gets to the bottom to stick, for stews make sure it was rubbed down with cooking oil or olive oil when last used should not have a problem , we never have.( was it cured properly in the first place)
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Reply By: neptune - Tuesday, Apr 24, 2007 at 13:36
Tuesday, Apr 24, 2007 at 13:36
everyone knows that you should not use soap, don't they? I have many
camp ovens, cast iron, spun steel, cast aluminum, and I used to use olive oil to season them which was okay, then I started using peanut oil and I find it is much better. I think it takes a greater heat before it burns and it coats the
camp oven very nicely. You might think it would leave a different flavour, but I can't detect one.
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Reply By: vcbb - Tuesday, Apr 24, 2007 at 19:13
Tuesday, Apr 24, 2007 at 19:13
thanks everyone for their ideas and thoughts, learnt heaps, very much appreciated
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Reply By: bob&loz - Tuesday, Apr 24, 2007 at 19:44
Tuesday, Apr 24, 2007 at 19:44
our ovens have been used for over 20 years and have never had water in them let alone soap or detergent. just wipe with paper towels when cool after use. before next use just warm them up and wipe again with olive oil and paper towels. we only use them for bakes though not for stews. when we
cook scones or damper i use a stainless disc i made which is about 10mm smaller dia than the bottom of the oven with 3 x 20mm long feet welded to the bottom and put the scones on it, no burnt bases
Bob
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