camp ovens

[Mary C]

I would like to know what you can cook in the Coleman camp ovens? I had biscuits one time and (a friends oven) they were done on the bottom really good one side on the top were still not done and the rest done but not pretty or even. Does it have even enough even heat to cook casseroles , cakes, and other foods? I am trying to decide if I should get one or get the Camp Chief propane oven. I will be making a 3-4 month tour out west and I just don't know which one to get. I know the Camp Chief will cook fine but I just don't know if I should make that big investment. I may be in the boondocks for a week at a time. and to be honest I will be leaving my TD parked in parking lots while I visit the sites, taking hikes and tours. I just cant decide. Any experience and opinions of each will help. I have read everything on here so far just thought I would post for updated experiences.

Mary C.

[Wanna Be]

In my travels, a good quality Dutch Oven will take care of most baking that you will want to do.

But then if you have a burn ban, A regular oven might be better.
Just keep an eye on the food and turn it when needed,( just like a Dutch Oven ).

Important thing is to HAVE FUN !!!!!!!

Wanna Be



P.S. You can still eat the mistakes !!

[doug hodder]

I've done a fair amount of baking in the Coleman oven on the stove. The newer ones are of much thinner material and don't work nearly as well as the older ones. Once heated, the newer ones will tend kind of warp and the bottom especially gets tweeked. I've done pies, biscuits, bread and cinnamon rolls. One thing I did was to put an old pie pan in the bottom to act as a heat diffuser and that seemed to help quite a bit. They are touchy on the temps and can be a challenge to regulate. It may take some time experimenting to get it down. On the other hand a dutch oven is a good idea, however, you do have to carry a bag of briquettes or get firewood, starter etc...The Coleman folding one takes up less space and weight. Others opinions may vary. Doug

[tony.latham]

I had one years ago. I think I must have monkeyed with it a time or two but I can't recall if I threw it away or gave it away.

If you can cook it in your oven at home, you can cook the same dish in a Dutch oven at camp. Dutch oven cooking might appear to be intimidating but it's simple.

I've got a plywood box that holds a 12" and a 10" nested inside. If we're camping for more than a night, a sack of match-light charcoal and our Dutch box tags along. I prefer the aluminum ones because of the weight. They cook well and cleanup as easy as iron. I cut the legs off of my ovens. That way I can use them on the propane stove or find three golfball size rocks and cook on the ground with charcoal.

Tony

[Nobody]

Several years ago Coleman marketed a small propane camp oven for under a hundred bucks. I bought one on sale at a local sporting goods dealer in 2006/7 & it has been our companion on every trip we've made with the TD (also use it at deer camp in the fall). It took a little experimentation at first but works great with few problems. It has little or no insulation so you hafta keep an eye on stuff & turn it often but works great for biscuits, rolls, etc. Coleman discontinued it after a few years & I've not seen any for a long time now. We used it at LCG this past October for making garlic bread to go with the gumbo we had Friday night. Camp Chef does make one similar to the Coleman bu they're pricey. Specs indicate it'd be a good one tho - http://www.roadrunnersports.com/rrs/pro ... origin=pla

Here's a pic of Sunday morning biscuits in my little Coleman, some years back -


Oh yeah, never had much luck with the folding Coleman ovens that you use on a stove...

[Esteban]

I cooked my first meal in a Thermal Cooker. It took me about 15 minutes to prepare and heat the meal. Chili in one pot and Spanish rice in the other pot. Both turned out well. They were fully cooked in two hours when I opened the top. Took a sample and closed the lid again. The food was still steaming hot hours later.

The SaratogaJacks 5.5 liter thermal slow cooker weighs about 8 pounds. It works well at home. I bought it to make preparing meals easy when I go camping.

I have a Camp Chef oven too.

[razorback]

We have used one of these a number of times.
Just set it on the coleman stove.
Here is a complete unit:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1952-Al ... 43c499f188
larry

[Socal Tom]

Its been a bazillon years, but we had a coleman oven ( set it on the burner) when I was a kid. I think we used it once, the food tasted like oven fuel, and it got way too hot inside. They aren't very big inside either. I have the Costco camp chef oven now. I've used it several times, primarily for biscuits, cinamon rolls and cookies. I've found the heat is more even if I use the top burners at the same time as I warm the oven. If I don't use the burners at least part way through the baking, stuff ends up well done on the bottom, or underdone on top, but you do have to watch the heat more if the burners are on.
I'm overall very satisfied with it. We took my son's best friend and his Dad camping for their first time a month back. They thought it was pretty awesome to eat warm cinnamon rolls while they waited for breakfast. ( of course if you are going to be parked in an RV park, then you might be better off getting a toaster oven for this trip.)
Tom

[roadinspector]

Coleman ovens can be tricky and do take practice. They don't work well using the smaller stove, the larger stove supplies better heat that can be regulated much better. The pie pan heat defuser in the bottom works well. Keep the food more towards the middle. You can put tin foil in the top to reflect heat back down. Wind, atmospheric temp and other things affect how well or how quick hey cook. If a person want the challenge and take the time to learn it can be done. If you want perfect biscuits the first time you use it, your better off trying something else. Good luck!

[Mary C]

Thanks everyone!!! I would really like the price of the Coleman Oven but I like the way the Camp Chief works better so.............. Camp Chief it is. Now just so no one thinks I have not thought about the Dutch Oven I have a lot and I will take 2 with me but they are not any good when there are areas that I will be in for a few days with burn bans. Maybe even a week or two. I love my dutch oven and I know I can cook most things that I can cook in an oven, it is just that for 2-3 months out west I just can't depend on it. I am totally not familiar with the Coleman but it sounds like my experience has been somewhat typical. I just wanted to check to see if it was worth my trying to depend on it for a long time. Thanks to everyone who answered.

Mary C.

[Esteban]

Mary, If you have a Costco store reasonably close they sometimes sell the Camp Chef Camp Oven campchef.com/outdoor-camp-oven deeply discounted from full list price. Usually with a free carry bag too.
costco.com/camp-chef-portable-camp-oven-reviews
amazon.com/Camp-Chef-Camping-Outdoor-Burner

[Zollinger]

Mary, try to put a patio block on the bottom of the Coleman oven. It will even the heat out a bit for more even baking. The trick is finding a brick that will fit.

[Esteban]

Camp Chef sells a pizza stone for their oven. Its pricey. Maybe a floor tile cut to fit would work (nearly as well).

[Mary C]

How about a piece of marble I have about 4, all different sizes now are you talking about in the oven part or under the whole box?

Mary C.

[Esteban]

Here is the Camp Chef information about their campchef.com/camp-oven-pizza-stone

The Camp Oven Pizza Stone will cook the perfect pizza anytime, anywhere. Made of Cordierite ceramic fire brick, the Pizza Stone absorbs excess moisture and evenly distributes heat to give a light, crispy, golden brown crust. Cook like the pros where ever you go. Great for calzones too! It fits perfectly in any Camp Chef Camp Oven, most Camp Chef Professional Barbecue Boxes and works great in your home oven.
Features

Pizza Stone absorbs excess moisture to promote a golden brown crust Stone holds heat to help stabilize oven temperature for perfect pizza Great for use in Outdoor Camp Ovens, Professional Grill Boxes, and in a home oven

Specifications:

Dimensions: 10.5" x 14" x .5"
Material: Cordierite Ceramic