Stove Top Camping Oven

[juliethotel]

A few days ago I decided that it was of vital importance that I could cook a pizza while out camping.

Camping ovens are at least £200 and are quite bulky so I quickly started looking for a DIY alternative. One can get a Dutch oven for £30 however.

And I've come up with this:





I nicked an empty can of oil from my local indian, cut it down to size, folded over the edges and have bought a £6 oven thermometer from tescos. I'm using a glass frying pan lid.

Just done some preliminary testing, and it's gone up to 250 degrees celsius so
all I need is a round cake cooling rack and I'm in business; as long as I can regulate the heat.

It's losing so much heat through the thin sidewalls though, I think I need to insulate the sides somehow.

It would be nice to get to the stage where I can do a full roast dinner on the campsite, That'd be quite impressive I think

[Rosscow]

This is the point where you need to consider a caravan

Either that or pizza delivery....

[Simes110]

I salute your innovation, sir!

But, being lazy, I have one of these and it's great.

http://www.doubleskillet.com/

[Squiggs]

Haven't you simply invented a thin walled saucepan without a handle, that sits on a gas flame - the same as a normal saucepan does ....... or am I missing something?

[Rosscow]

This one has wooden handles that will catch fire

[juliethotel]

Simes110 said:

I salute your innovation, sir!

But, being lazy, I have one of these and it's great.

http://www.doubleskillet.com/

Yea that looks like a decent bit of kit, But I'm a prolific cheapskate so I'd rather save £35 and have the satisfaction of creating my own one.

I may of course have to eat uncooked humble pie or even burnt humble pie if it doesn't work or the handles catch fire.

Squiggs said:

Haven't you simply invented a thin walled saucepan without a handle, that sits on a gas flame - the same as a normal saucepan does ....... or am I missing something?

Yes you're pretty much there but saucepans are for heating liquids arn't they?

I'm going to put a round cake cooling rack at the bottom and food will be cooked via hot air/dry heat. So it will be an oven, albeit possibly a crap one. We'll see.

Anyone have any suggestions as to how I can insulate the sides?

[Rosscow]

So really, a large saucepan with a wire rack in the bottom would have achieved the same thing?

[SHutchinson]

Rosscow said:

So really, a large saucepan with a wire rack in the bottom would have achieved the same thing?

TK Maxx sell rather large metal saucepans for very little money. Actually, here in Newcastle there's a road to the west of the city called the West road. On it are a number of shops that sell equipment to the local catering industry. These shops sell large metal pans very cheaply. I'd imagine most cities or large towns have shops like these. But, I'm with the OP, I'd rather spend 10 hours and approximately the same amount of money modifying something that was initially sourced for free than just buying something fit for purpose!

[juliethotel]

Rosscow said:

So really, a large saucepan with a wire rack in the bottom would have achieved the same thing?

Prettymuch, but finding one big enough to cook a pizza in may not be so easy.

[Squiggs]

juliethotel said:

Anyone have any suggestions as to how I can insulate the sides?

Thinking out loud -
Find a larger tin.
Put your tin in the larger tin and somehow (bending edges over) seal the top edges.
If possible repeat again with an even larger tin.
I guess you might be able to pack the spaces between the sides of the different sized tins with some sort of fire proof wadding.
Could a fire blanket work? ... I don't know.

[Bill]

If you want to cook pizza you'd be better off with a pizza stone in a proper lidded bbq. Your "homemade tin pot with flammable handles and questionable durability" might cook a pizza, but how do you get it out?

[Rosscow]

[juliethotel]

I thought about using a tin inside another but as it is, it's only just big enough to fit an average size pizza so I'd have to put a bigger tin around it.

I'm sure I can get some sort of heat resistant insulating material, just need to do a bit of research.

Bill said:

If you want to cook pizza you'd be better off with a pizza stone in a proper lidded bbq. Your "homemade tin pot with flammable handles and questionable durability" might cook a pizza, but how do you get it out?

Oven gloves or a combo of tongs and a burger flipper.

[Bill]

IMO your pot is the wrong way up and needs insulation. You can get fire retardant squirty foam

[GlenMH]

There is also the other minor matter that the glass flame might burn its way through the base. The liquid in a saucepan keeps the temperature of the base under control....