Campfires and cooking

[pasusan]

Thanks to this thread: https://www.classbforum.com/forums/f...m_medium=email about Solo Stoves we did it! Got a Solo Stove Campfire - thanks proeddie! And got out some old cast iron and ordered more to use to cook over the Solo Stove. Haven't used it yet as it actually is a Christmas present, lol.

While looking into cast iron cooking over a campfire we saw lots of info about pie irons. That got me thinking when I saw that you can make cinnamon rolls in them. The one thing I miss in our B is an oven. Used it all the time in our trailer and cinnamon rolls were always a special treat. so - I got a double pie iron and tried the rolls over our gas stove (in the house). It worked great - which means - TA DA - I can make cinnamon rolls in the van on the stove. How cool is that?

We were looking into the Omnia Oven, but just couldn't figure out where to store it and it was awfully expensive for what it was.

So - a pie iron works as an oven in our B. Yahoo!

[MsNomer]

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I didn’t know pie irons existed. Now I have one on order. We don’t do campfires, but we do use a butane stove outside. I have one on order.

[jrobe]

Those pie irons work well. We use them to make apple pies. We start out with 2 pieces of white bread and fill them with canned pie filling (apple, etc.) and a little cinnamon. When you close it, it removes the outside crust edges of the bread. A few minutes on the fire and you have a warm apple pie.

They also work well for hot sandwiches (ham and cheese, etc.). They are easier to clean if you use a little non stick spray. Make sure you dry them well or they will rust like any cast iron.

[Urlauber]

Got one of those Omnia ovens for Christmas. I am planning to mostly use them for toasting bread/rolls in the mornings.
I tried a simple white bread just to see what would happen and it turned out great. Now the wife wants me to make that all the time (not in the RV, at home ).
Only issue is that it's kinda guesswork how much you have to turn up the flames... and related to that, for how long. Easier in an oven where you can dial in a temperature.
Certainly efficient use of propane (or natural gas)... but yeah, a bit overpriced for what they are (thin aluminum).

[pasusan]

I'm glad to see this thread was reawakened - there must be lots of folks that miss having an oven.

I actually got more cast iron cookware for Christmas and am having a ball. One of the pans I got is a 9 inch skillet with a lid. I'm going to try biscuits in it - so far I've used it sort of like a dutch oven. I put the pan with the lid on over the fire to heat up then I turn down the heat and put whatever I'm making in the pan (ham and cheese sliders are perfect for this) and put the hot top back on.

Can't wait to go camping with my new stuff!

[Davydd]

We have carried iron pies for ages ever since we were young and tent camping. They were to us an essential camp fire accessory. There is more to camp fires than making s'more's and toasting marshmallows with an improvised stick.

I bought my wife an Instant Pot, a couple of years ago and she instantly poo poo'd the idea but she then instantly took to it and just about every dinner at home she made use of it and now is an essential tool for our galley in the van as well as home.

We have a Ninja Foodi 5 in 1 she uses all the time but I don't think it will make it in the van. Too many parts you have to clean. Our two oven stove in the house gets little use because of these two appliances.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by Urlauber

Got one of those Omnia ovens for Christmas. I am planning to mostly use them for toasting bread/rolls in the mornings.
I tried a simple white bread just to see what would happen and it turned out great. Now the wife wants me to make that all the time (not in the RV, at home ).
Only issue is that it's kinda guesswork how much you have to turn up the flames... and related to that, for how long. Easier in an oven where you can dial in a temperature.
Certainly efficient use of propane (or natural gas)... but yeah, a bit overpriced for what they are (thin aluminum).

Somebody should make an induction-compatible version of those.

[Urlauber]

Originally Posted by avanti

Somebody should make an induction-compatible version of those.

It would be significantly more expensive and heavier.
I think this works especially well with propane/natural gas flames which propel the heat through the contraption. While it would somewhat work with electric/induction, it would not be very efficient - there is a bottom part that works like a heat shield. The results would be different too.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by Urlauber

It would be significantly more expensive and heavier.
I think this works especially well with propane/natural gas flames which propel the heat through the contraption. While it would somewhat work with electric/induction, it would not be very efficient - there is a bottom part that works like a heat shield. The results would be different too.

Would certainly be heavier.

My intuitions differ WRT how it would work, though. Heat is heat. Not sure what "propel" means in this context. I have never used one, though, so I am not making any strong claims.

[Urlauber]

Originally Posted by avanti

Would certainly be heavier.

My intuitions differ WRT how it would work, though. Heat is heat. Not sure what "propel" means in this context. I have never used one, though, so I am not making any strong claims.

I am not an expert either, but gut-feel/common sense tell me that propane or natural gas stoves act like little jet engines which "blow" the heat up and around, while electric heating relies on (slow) radiation from the heating elements.

With the particular Omnia design heat needs to quickly go up in the center and bounce against the lid to heat up the top of the food.

Reading some reviews the users confirm that the design works for electric stoves but one has to pretty much max out the power. Induction again works differently, I don't think it would get the top of the food heated very much at all.

I think the manufacturers considered the possibilities and did not succeed...

[avanti]

Originally Posted by Urlauber

I am not an expert either, but gut-feel/common sense tell me that propane or natural gas stoves act like little jet engines which "blow" the heat up and around, while electric heating relies on (slow) radiation from the heating elements.

With the particular Omnia design heat needs to quickly go up in the center and bounce against the lid to heat up the top of the food.

Reading some reviews the users confirm that the design works for electric stoves but one has to pretty much max out the power. Induction again works differently, I don't think it would get the top of the food heated very much at all.

Not to belabor the point, but what you say does not seem physically plausible. From the inside of the container, the only thing that could possibly matter is the temperature at the inner surface of the bottom of the container. In the case of induction, that bottom IS the heating element, which would seem to be optimal. I suppose it is conceivable that the design depends on external convective heat transfer, but that does not seem likely.

Maybe somebody who remembers their thermo class will chime in.

[booster]

It looks like the heat actually goes up the center hole in it. On a gas stove, they show the bottom, third piece upside down, kind of like a lot woks work. Heat is probably mainly going up and into the top like and over would, which makes sense.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by booster

It looks like the heat actually goes up the center hole in it. On a gas stove, they show the bottom, third piece upside down, kind of like a lot woks work. Heat is probably mainly going up and into the top like and over would, which makes sense.

Ah. That must be what @Urlauber meant by "propel".

Their website explains that the center "chimney" is how heat gets to the top, with a separate mechanism for the "bottom heat". They also address induction use with this current product (which was not what I was proposing):

The stainless-steel base of the Omnia is magnetic, which means it does work on an induction stovetop, but the bowl shape means it usually will not get hot enough. Also, an induction stovetop does not produce hot air that can rise and produce top heat.

The could certainly address the bowl shape. Not sure what the "does not product hot air" comment means. They say it is a problem here, but they also say that it can be used with a ceramic cooktop, which would seem equivalent. Dunno.

[booster]

Originally Posted by avanti

Ah. That must be what @Urlauber meant by "propel".

Their website explains that the center "chimney" is how heat gets to the top, with a separate mechanism for the "bottom heat". They also address induction use with this current product (which was not what I was proposing):



The could certainly address the bowl shape. Not sure what the "does not product hot air" comment means. They say it is a problem here, but they also say that it can be used with a ceramic cooktop, which would seem equivalent. Dunno.

The ceramic cooktops are just regular heat coils under a ceramic cover and get physically hot. My guess would be with the gap to the bowls it might quite inefficient compared to a gas burner though.

[Urlauber]

Originally Posted by booster

The ceramic cooktops are just regular heat coils under a ceramic cover and get physically hot. My guess would be with the gap to the bowls it might quite inefficient compared to a gas burner though.

Yeah exactly.

My thermo class has been a while ago too, so just try that... hold one hand 6" over a lit gas stove, the other 6" over an electric stove...

Anyways... Picture time.



2 cups of flour
1 cup of water
1/2 tsp yeast
1/2 tsp salt
3 tblsp olive oil



It's funny, when I leave this on the counter, over the course of the day it shrinks, until there is a single slice left in the evening.

[booster]

Yep, my two quarters of thermo were 53 years but probably all of got "heat" in our jobs much more recently.