Nothing tastes better than a hot meal cooked on a camp stove. Camp stoves now offer the ability to cook everything from a simple snack to a full gourmet meal depending on the type of stove you use. While some may consider a trip to the backwoods "roughing it," others simply enjoy the ability to get outside and prepare an incredible meal.
Three Popular Camp Oven Models
The three main types of outdoor ovens you can use while camping are represented here.
Camp Chef Camping Outdoor Oven
This lightweight and extremely portable camp oven has over 18,000 BTUs of cooking power heats up to 400 degrees. The oven can run on high for up to five hours. There are two burners with 7,500 BTUs of power, which give you extra cooking space. The oven offers a matchless igniter, oven thermometer, two oven racks and a nonstick enamel-cooking surface. This oven can run off of a portable or bulk tank, although it does not include a bulk tank adapter. The Camp Chef Camping Outdoor Oven offers plenty of space when cooking for a large group.
Coleman Portable Camp Oven
This oven has a collapsible design and folds flat making it excellent for travel. It fits over top of any two-or-three burner camp stove and has a thermometer and adjustable steel rack. This outdoor oven does best with 8 or 10-inch pans and cooks biscuits, muffins, cookies, and pizza remarkably well. It does take some time to get used to regulating the temperature, and you need to keep a close eye on your food as you are baking. The Coleman Portable Camp Oven is on the small side, so it may not be the best choice for large family meals. It is, however, a good choice for individuals, couples, or families traveling with a single child.
Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Ovens
Long before the more modern camping oven were invented, campers used traditional cast iron Dutch ovens (also known as the nonelectric crock pots), to cook with in the great outdoors. Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Ovens can be used with camp stove burners or hung on tripods over an open fire. It is quite easy to bake, fry or cook a stew in a Dutch oven, and they now come in a number of sizes. The only drawback to cooking with a Dutch oven is that you still have to use a secondary fire source and the temperature can sometimes be hard to regulate.
Camp Oven Cooking Tips
Preparing meals in a camp oven can be one of the most enjoyable parts of camping if you know how to use the oven properly and safely. A few tips to keep in mind include.
- Always try your outdoor oven at home before you take it on a camping trip. Perfect a few dishes so that you will not be left hungry on your trip.
- Food safety should be a primary concern so always be sure that you keep foods that need refrigeration cold before cooking and put all leftovers back into the cooler.
- Although cooking on an outdoor oven is fairly efficient, it can take a little longer than a conventional oven so the more you have do ahead of time the easier it will be. To save yourself a lot of time at the campsite, prepare as much as you can ahead of time. Marinate your meat and wrap it, make everything you need to cook so that all you have to do is stick it in the oven.
- Follow the manufacturer's instructions for with the specific model that you choose.
- Don't forget to practice safe cooking and never leave your stove unattended.
Enjoy Great Camping Meals
Using a camp oven is a great way to make sure that you can enjoy delicious meals during your camping trips. Consider adding one to your collection of camping gear before your next trip.
