cant decide on cooking equipment
Submitted: Saturday, Apr 25, 2009 at 10:18
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Member - Julie B (VIC)
Hi
My partner and I are heading from
melbourne to the cape mid june this year and I am preparing all the cooking equipment that we will need.
I cannot decide between the cobb oven, a
camp oven and the auspit, I am thinking that i will take both a
camp oven and the auspit as I havent heard much good
feedback about the cobb.
I dont want to take equipment I wont use and ofcourse we have to watch weight too.
We will have a gas stove for when we cant light a fire. I have read some of Viv Moon's books and she details the pro's and con's of each but has anyone got any other ideas or advice?
Jules
Reply By: Member - Megan and Kevin D (AC - Saturday, Apr 25, 2009 at 10:50
Saturday, Apr 25, 2009 at 10:50
Hello Jules
We're planning for a
Canberra to CSR trip this year and decided to re-think our cooking equipment as we're not taking our camper trailer. After a bit of thought, we bought a Cobb, the Cobb teflon frying pan and the Cobb wok. We also bought a 4qt Dutch oven (
camp oven) which fits inside the Cobb with the Cobb lid on. (We needed to angle grind a tiny bit from the lugs to get the Cobb lid over the whole lot nicely.)
We've been practicing cooking our dinner on it here at
home most nights. So far we're impressed. We'll be supplementing it with two $20 gas canister stoves. We realise we'll have to sleep with our canisters to keep them warm enough to use first thing in the morning.
So all that means that we are not taking gas cylinders (weight and awkward to pack), nor the Coleman collapsible oven (it lacks flexibility), and we can
cook without needing to use timber - although we will do so at times using the
camp oven.
Hope that helps.
Megan
AnswerID:
361417
Follow Up By: Member - Julie B (VIC) - Saturday, Apr 25, 2009 at 10:59
Saturday, Apr 25, 2009 at 10:59
hi Megan and Kevin,
I have heard that the cobb takes some time to heat up and get going? Proberbly no more than a
camp fire though.
Practicing before I go is a very good idea. Is this your first time using the cobb?
You've given me something to think about anyway.
Cheers
Jules
FollowupID:
629151
Follow Up By: Stu & "Bob" - Sunday, Apr 26, 2009 at 22:22
Sunday, Apr 26, 2009 at 22:22
What about using a Coleman dual fuel stove? Don't have to worry about sleeping with gas bottles, and it runs on ULP or shellite (coleman fuel)
I use one all the time when camping, from mid winter in Glenn Innes, to just after Christmas at Undara, and it hasn't let me down yet.
FollowupID:
629490
Reply By: didiaust - Saturday, Apr 25, 2009 at 11:11
Saturday, Apr 25, 2009 at 11:11
Hi Julie
I have had many a meal out of alfoil on the coals. You can place almost any variety of vegies in foil spray with cooking spray or add a little butter. Double wrap your individual parcels in foil and
cook on coals turning occasionally . Can also
cook various meats that way too. Drum sticks, shanks are particularily nice but the snag is OK too.
Have a great trip and my biggest hint is convince the "other" half that he is a great campfire
cook and guess what you wont be able to drag him away from the "fun".
Di
AnswerID:
361418
Reply By: Member - John and Val W (ACT) - Saturday, Apr 25, 2009 at 14:36
Saturday, Apr 25, 2009 at 14:36
Julie,
You choice of cooking gear will also depend on considerations like -
What do you prefer to eat while you are camping - BBQs, roasts, heated up preprepared meals, something out of a tin etc?
How do you travel - do you stop mid afternoon so you can get a fire or heat beads going, or do you prefer to drive until after dark, in which case a gas stove might be better?
How long will you go between trips to the
supermarket? If you have a big gap between shops you will most likely be using different types of food (dried, basic veges, cans etc), but if you can stock up every few days more fresh stuff is possible for things like stir fries.
How much space do you have?
FWIW we use a gas stove for heating water, cooking veges, rice pasta. We use a cast iron frying pan for meat. When we are able to have a (small cooking) fire we use a small folding BBQ for meat and eggs and occasionally a
camp oven for bread/damper, roast or stew.
A jaffle iron and a toasting
fork adds variety.
Hope that helps, cheers,
Val.
Val.
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AnswerID:
361437
Reply By: CJ - Saturday, Apr 25, 2009 at 14:56
Saturday, Apr 25, 2009 at 14:56
We (specially the teen boys) love a campfire so we
cook on the coals and in the campoven. We also take the cobb along when we can as backup when there is no firewood.
We never used the cobb much until one
camp when it rained a lot, and no firewood was available, We would have been lost without the cobb. It was so easy - light the brickettes and 30 mins later with no attention it is ready for bread, roasts, you name it.
Yes, in answer to an earlier question, it takes a little time but no more than a fire. BUT it is hassle free, and needs no attention, and you can have it at your table or in your
camp
AnswerID:
361445
Reply By: Member - Josh (VIC) - Saturday, Apr 25, 2009 at 17:30
Saturday, Apr 25, 2009 at 17:30
Hi Julie,
Have you thought about a dream pot. We like this because you can
cook your meal while you are away from
camp. Spend the whole day away and get
home at tea time and it is already cooked. We have done roasts, bread, cakes ,stews, pretty much what ever.
We also have a Hillbilly camfire set and it is great. We did have
camp ovens but they are very heavy. The Hillbilly
camp oven is light and cooks a great roast. On the open fire you don't need as many coals to get it hot as you do for the old dutch ovens. Hillbilly have a bbq plate, fry pans, wok and billy hangers so ever kind of meal is covered. Has worked great for us.
Josh
AnswerID:
361481
Reply By: Member - Netnut (VIC) - Saturday, Apr 25, 2009 at 18:20
Saturday, Apr 25, 2009 at 18:20
Hello Julie,
My advice is to travel light.
When my wife and I went to the Cape in 2007 we took our trusty 30-year-old folding Companion gas stove, a gas ring to screw onto a small gas bottle for "boiling the billy for a cuppa" (the gas bottle fitted neatly into a plastic bucket), a mid-sized
camp oven (it was also our frypan) and a homemade, lightweight campfire grill made out of weldmesh and four 250mmm bolts. We also took a couple of small billies - one fitting inside the other.
We used all of our items on many occasions. Folk we travelled with used some of their larger, heavier equipment - such as the Cobb Cooker - so that it would qualify to be included on the next trip.
I would reserve your equipment such as the Cobb for when you go to
camp in the one spot for a few days. When touring, take less and/or take multipurpose cooking equipment.
Enjoy the trip.
Netnut
AnswerID:
361506
Reply By: Sand Man (SA) - Saturday, Apr 25, 2009 at 19:53
Saturday, Apr 25, 2009 at 19:53
Hi Julie,
One of the most practical pieces of
camp cooking ware is the humble
camp oven. Some people swear by the cast iron
camp oven but they are both heavy in comparison to the spun steel type oven and are brittle if dropped.
A good quality spun steel oven is light and if treated correctly will not rust. A film of cooking oil rubbed over the surfaces after washing and drying will preserve the surfaces and after a period of continued use and no scouring when washing, it will develop a smooth black surface that is what you should be aiming for, rather than a "squeaky clean" looking oven.
The
camp oven can be used with coals from the fire, or heatbeads which provide a consistent cooking temperature. It is also a pot in its own right so you don't need anything else. You can roast, bake, simply heat, or if you have a good one, the lid not only keeps ash out of the food, but may double as a fry pan.
My personal favourite is the
Hillbilly Camp oven and its myriad of accessories and other cookware, but any brand of
camp oven will surfice.
I have used a
camp oven for years, but after buying and reading the new Hillbilly cookbook, I need to reinvent the way I
cook.
I used to place heatbeads or coals both underneath and on top of the
camp oven, but the book instructs that most dishes should be cooked with the heat applied to the top only to stop the food from burning on the bottom.
Ah!, always learning.
I also have a Cobb Oven and the advantage of this great piece of cookware is that you only need seven or eight heatbeads to
cook up a roast, or bake a loaf of bread.
Bill
AnswerID:
361530
Follow Up By: Shaker - Saturday, Apr 25, 2009 at 20:37
Saturday, Apr 25, 2009 at 20:37
Over
Easter, my first effort with a Hillbilly
camp oven, literally turned a nice little pork roast in to a ball of flamiing napalm!
Was my fault entirely, as I tried using a similar amount of coals as I would have with our cast iron
camp oven.
FollowupID:
629268
Reply By: Member - Lance S (VIC) - Sunday, Apr 26, 2009 at 09:24
Sunday, Apr 26, 2009 at 09:24
Julie,
We are in the same delema with
what to take, so about 5 weeks ago i went out and bought the Hillbilly
camp oven set, the lot with gas coversion. The first weekend i dug a hole in the back yard a got the fire going, yes you don't need as near as much coals as a normal
camp oven. 2.5kg roast took about 2hrs and it was magnificent. Last weekend we tried the gas conversion for a stew/casserole and that took about 3/4 of an hour. The actual oven weighs about 3kg. You can see them, they are in Belgrave, worth the drive.
cheers,
Lance
AnswerID:
361601
Follow Up By: Member - Lance S (VIC) - Sunday, Apr 26, 2009 at 09:26
Sunday, Apr 26, 2009 at 09:26
Julie, they also said the gas conversion gets about 85 hours out of a 9kg bottle, thats a lot of cooking.
FollowupID:
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