# When you don't have an oven



## neldarez (Apr 10, 2011)

You know, I was thinking about our propane camp stove, bbq, and various items we have to cook on and I thought, how do I cook in an oven when I don't have an oven? Most of you are probably cracking up right now at that comment but I'm serious..:rofl: How do you bake a cake, muffins, cornbread, etc...if you don't have an oven. It's very important that I have chocolate cake, brownies, cornbread and occasional pie so this is a very serious question and I need you guys to tell me what to do...:eyebulge: thanks


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## PrepN4Good (Dec 23, 2011)

:threadbump: :bump:


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## DJgang (Apr 10, 2011)

Sun oven:beercheer:

Also......

I've been researching a "wonder oven"


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

My mom has a few "pans" with a lid that is for baking bread on the stove eye ... I've never seen them in a store and to be honest I have no clue where to get one. If I remember right she made cornbread in them more than anything else. 

You just poured the batter in & cooked for 10 minutes then flipped the pan to cook the other side. I'll see if I can find a picture to post.


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## DJgang (Apr 10, 2011)

*Andi said:


> My mom has a few "pans" with a lid that is for baking bread on the stove eye ... I've never seen them in a store and to be honest I have no clue where to get one. If I remember right she made cornbread in them more than anything else.
> 
> You just poured the batter in & cooked for 10 minutes then flipped the pan to cook the other side. I'll see if I can find a picture to post.


It wouldn't happen to be Saladmaster?


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

Coleman makes a camp oven that works on top of the stove. My wife has two of them. We've used them over open fires (put a flat steel plate under them), on top of our wood stove, and on top of the camp stove.

We also have a solar oven that works by the sun. We've used a reflector oven in front of the fire (you can purchase them or make them, I made an impromptu reflector oven from a stick frame with aluminum foil for the reflector parts).

For cobblers, stews, pies, biscuits and some breads you can't beat a dutch oven.

You can also make earthen ovens as used in the very old days!

I'm sure others can come up with more ideas.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

mosquitomountainman said:


> Coleman makes a camp oven that works on top of the stove. My wife has two of them. We've used them over open fires (put a flat steel plate under them), on top of our wood stove, and on top of the camp stove.
> 
> We also have a solar oven that works by the sun. We've used a reflector oven in front of the fire (you can purchase them or make them, I made an impromptu reflector oven from a stick frame with aluminum foil for the reflector parts).
> 
> ...


Plus 1:2thumb:

Also be what they call a reflector oven what works with a camp fire.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

They call this a miracle maid Omelet pan ... but it looks just like the one my mom has ...

http://compare.ebay.com/like/130781402858


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## kappydell (Nov 27, 2011)

You make an oven, of course. Find a big ol' can, like one of those popcorn cans they sell around Christmas (I NEVER throw those out, and look for them at Goodwill). Put the can on your stove grill. Inside put some stones distributed to keep the inner pan off the bottom of the baking chamber. Insert your batter in a pan that fits (I use a round cake pan). Cover (I put a cookie sheet on top, or a fry pan big enough to cover it and not slide off. Bake away. Watch closely the first few times until you get a feel for how long it takes to cook things - too fast and the bottom burns before the center & top are done. It helps to have the heat kind of medium. You can also use the same covered tin concept only use rocks to hold the cooking pan out of some water you put on the bottom. It kind of steams, but it does cook. Either way, the main idea is to moderate the heat so it heats the chamber, not just the bottom of the cooking pan. Not as fancy as an 'ovenette' but the same general principal. Boy scouts use a big tin coffee can, and a tuna can as a small cake pan. It makes nice little individual cakes.


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## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

How about an Adobe oven. These are used all over the world

http://www.thefoodguys.com/adobeoven.htm

http://www.ehow.com/how_5700378_build-bread-oven.html

Those are just a couple websites, google search Adobe oven and you'll find a LOT of infoz!


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

I swear I saw a survival show once where they dug a hole and started a fire inside. Once it burned down to red coals they covered it with flat rocks, set a metal baking pan with a tight lid on top of it (I think they were making corn bread) and then buried the whole thing in dirt. An hour or so later they dug it up, cleaned it off, let it cool and ate it. I saw another show where they baked a turtle in the shell by doing basically the same thing, sans the baking pan.


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## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

Sentry18 said:


> I swear I saw a survival show once where they dug a hole and started a fire inside. Once it burned down to red coals they covered it with flat rocks, set a metal baking pan with a tight lid on top of it (I think they were making corn bread) and then buried the whole thing in dirt. An hour or so later they dug it up, cleaned it off, let it cool and ate it. I saw another show where they baked a turtle in the shell by doing basically the same thing, sans the baking pan.


that sounds like either Survival Man with Les Stroud or I forget the name of the show but there's a 2 man show with Cody Lundin. I think he's nuts for running around barefoot everywhere but the man definitely knows his shit when it comes to survival and practical applications with impromptu situations.


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## oif_ghost_tod (Sep 25, 2012)

Sentry18 said:


> I swear I saw a survival show once where they dug a hole and started a fire inside. Once it burned down to red coals they covered it with flat rocks, set a metal baking pan with a tight lid on top of it (I think they were making corn bread) and then buried the whole thing in dirt. An hour or so later they dug it up, cleaned it off, let it cool and ate it. I saw another show where they baked a turtle in the shell by doing basically the same thing, sans the baking pan.


I have cooked fresh crabs and shrimp like that, by digging a hole, building a fire and then covering the coals with green leaves and palm fronds. Buried the whole lot and waited. Maybe the best seafood ever.


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## EXPERT_SURVIVALIST_RANGER (Sep 24, 2012)

neldarez said:


> You know, I was thinking about our propane camp stove, bbq, and various items we have to cook on and I thought, how do I cook in an oven when I don't have an oven? Most of you are probably cracking up right now at that comment but I'm serious..:rofl: How do you bake a cake, muffins, cornbread, etc...if you don't have an oven. It's very important that I have chocolate cake, brownies, cornbread and occasional pie so this is a very serious question and I need you guys to tell me what to do...:eyebulge: thanks


...... Build one


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

neldarez said:


> You know, I was thinking about our propane camp stove, bbq, and various items we have to cook on and I thought, how do I cook in an oven when I don't have an oven? Most of you are probably cracking up right now at that comment but I'm serious..:rofl: How do you bake a cake, muffins, cornbread, etc...if you don't have an oven. It's very important that I have chocolate cake, brownies, cornbread and occasional pie so this is a very serious question and I need you guys to tell me what to do...:eyebulge: thanks


Easy ...

I bake pizza and buns and pancakes and bacon and eggs and ... all in my BBQ in the backyard. It gives the food a very wonderful smokey flavor that cannot be beat. For most foods, I will place a cast-iron pan (or pot) on the BBQ and light-er-up, for pizza, I will lay heavy-duty tin-foil on the rack and then cook the pizza on the tin-foil (if no heavy-duty tin-foil, use a couple layers of the thin stuff).

:yummy: :yummy: :yummy:

Now, you could also go the easy route and just buy a propane oven ..

http://www.basspro.com/Camp-Chef-Propane-Camp-Oven-and-Stove/product/102150/


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## Hispoptart (Sep 19, 2012)

kappydell said:


> You make an oven, of course. Find a big ol' can, like one of those popcorn cans they sell around Christmas (I NEVER throw those out, and look for them at Goodwill). Put the can on your stove grill. Inside put some stones distributed to keep the inner pan off the bottom of the baking chamber. Insert your batter in a pan that fits (I use a round cake pan). Cover (I put a cookie sheet on top, or a fry pan big enough to cover it and not slide off. Bake away. Watch closely the first few times until you get a feel for how long it takes to cook things - too fast and the bottom burns before the center & top are done. It helps to have the heat kind of medium. You can also use the same covered tin concept only use rocks to hold the cooking pan out of some water you put on the bottom. It kind of steams, but it does cook. Either way, the main idea is to moderate the heat so it heats the chamber, not just the bottom of the cooking pan. Not as fancy as an 'ovenette' but the same general principal. Boy scouts use a big tin coffee can, and a tuna can as a small cake pan. It makes nice little individual cakes.


Yep I have done something like this on my gas stove top. The oven was not working and it was my DD's best friends birthday, her mom was passed out drunk and doing nothing for her birthday, so I baked a cake for her on the stove top. It turned out really good. and she was not without a cake, presents and love on her b-day.


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## JackDanielGarrett (Sep 27, 2010)

Neldarez, as you know we moved to our new place the 21st of June, 3 days before TS Debby AND to few months sooner than I wanted. When we bought the place I thought the kitchen was salvageable and it wasn't, it was an addition that was "shot out", roof gone and NO use in it. I began adding a room and it is my kitchen, plus more. I say that to say this..I have no operating oven and haven't since we moved in. A toaster oven, but that is not very good, even with canned biscuits...lol.

ALL the ideas from reflector oven to Coleman oven are Great ideas. I use my grill. I use indirect heat, as i do with all my grilling. Heat on one side of the grill, food on the other side. I have baked cookies, meat loaf and about anything you can imagine using this method. It becomes an oven at this point. 

For Pizza I build a fire in the middle and line up about 9 red bricks over the hot coals. Slap your dough on the bricks, add your toppings and close the lid. It works just fine. 

Now for fun, lets talk dutch ovens.... Biscuits, cakes and casseroles, all this and a baked chicken. I am currently working with a tripod...talk about fun...woohoo.

Hope this helps, my friend.
Jack


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## forluvofsmoke (Jan 27, 2012)

You can't beat a camp dutch oven for versatility, especially when fired with charcoal. If you would bake it or roast it in a range oven, or, if you would cook it on the stove-top burner, you can do it in a camp dutch oven just as well. You can cook anywhere you go with a camp dutch oven...of course, you may not want one in your BOB, as the weight would be excessive. I have two 12" - 6qt cast iron D/Os to go along with my 15" C/I skillet and C/I grill/griddle...they will take up residence in my BOV once it's set up and ready to go.


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## Homegrowngirl (Apr 19, 2011)

How about a cast iron dutch oven, like you use when camping.


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## DJgang (Apr 10, 2011)

forluvofsmoke said:


> You can't beat a camp dutch oven for versatility, especially when fired with charcoal. If you would bake it or roast it in a range oven, or, if you would cook it on the stove-top burner, you can do it in a camp dutch oven just as well. You can cook anywhere you go with a camp dutch oven...of course, you may not want one in your BOB, as the weight would be excessive. I have two 12" - 6qt cast iron D/Os to go along with my 15" C/I skillet and C/I grill/griddle...they will take up residence in my BOV once it's set up and ready to go.


I've cooked in DOs with charcoal....but I was wondering....anyone every cooked with wood coals? Shtf we won't have charcoal ..... And I don't mean as direct heat, I mean as in making an oven with wood coals instead of charcoal.


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## neldarez (Apr 10, 2011)

JackDanielGarrett said:


> Neldarez, as you know we moved to our new place the 21st of June, 3 days before TS Debby AND to few months sooner than I wanted. When we bought the place I thought the kitchen was salvageable and it wasn't, it was an addition that was "shot out", roof gone and NO use in it. I began adding a room and it is my kitchen, plus more. I say that to say this..I have no operating oven and haven't since we moved in. A toaster oven, but that is not very good, even with canned biscuits...lol.
> 
> ALL the ideas from reflector oven to Coleman oven are Great ideas. I use my grill. I use indirect heat, as i do with all my grilling. Heat on one side of the grill, food on the other side. I have baked cookies, meat loaf and about anything you can imagine using this method. It becomes an oven at this point.
> 
> ...


Thanks Jack.......I've missed you, where the heck have you been!!??We have a bbq and had a propane tank installed at the shop ...we also bought a small round charcoal bbq......thanks for the help. I do actually have a dutch oven ( I think that's what it is) it is very very heavy, has a handle for hanging on the tripod but it's never been used., maybe I better start learning how to use it! Thanks again............glad to see you!


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## tugboats (Feb 15, 2009)

We are using Dutch Ovens a whole bunch around here, camping and at the cottage. I have multiple sizes and types of them. For most cooking get the ones that have legs on the bottom and a rim to hold the coals on the top.

We have baked "Sticky Buns", cinnamon rolls,Raisin bread for breakfasts.

We are still learning to increase the use of our DO's. We bake breads of all kinds, pizzas, pies, casseroles, deserts, cakes. It is "ton of fun" to use these critters. The choices are almost endless. If you can cook or bake it in an oven you can adapt the recipe for a Dutch oven. Go on you tube and watch some of the DO cooking videos.

I use wood coals from the campfire, charcoal and also use them in the BBQ (propane) either direct or indirect heat. The thermal mass of these ovens is great and when you get it figured out they almost never scorch foods. We average two DO recipes each week. These are my excuse to release the "inner cave man" in me. ME MAN....ME COOK FOOD ON FIRE.....ME DRINK BEER.

Tugs


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## Hispoptart (Sep 19, 2012)

Heres a neat site of someone documenting cooking in a DO for a year.
http://dutchovenmadness.blogspot.com/p/the-1st-year.html

And I just found this one today, looks pretty cool.
http://www.everydaydutchoven.com/search?updated-max=2012-09-12T02:34:00-07:00&max-results=7


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## Startingout-Blair (Aug 28, 2012)

You can definitely use wood coals, or even make your own charcoal. It's not hard at all! Lots of YouTube videos showing how


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## thenance007 (Oct 8, 2012)

*Pizza On The Grill*

In researching long term cooking solutions without electricity, particularly how to bake without a big gas oven sucking up my limited propane supply, I came across a cookbook on Amazon for $10 called "Pizza On The Grill: 100 Feisty Fire-Roasted Recipes for Pizza and More" (http://www.amazon.com/Pizza-Grill-Feisty-Fire-Roasted-Recipes/dp/1600850065/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1350223721&sr=8-4&keywords=pizza+cookbook).

Not your typical pepperoni pizza from Pizza Hut, it has innovative ideas: "Americans love pizza and Americans love to grill--put them together and you have your own made-at-home version of a wood-oven pizza, straight from your gas or charcoal grill. "Pizza on the Grill" contains 100 recipes for innovative, just-got-to-make-it pizzas--including dessert pizzas----think Thai One On Pizza, Pulled Pork Pizza, Cinn-O-Bun pizza, Kung Pao Cashew pizza, Yukon Gold, Lucy in the Sky with Pizza, Chicken, chutney or chocolate?, along with traditional classics like Pizza Margherita and Little Italy Pepperoni Pizza." Most importantly, the first 20 pages or so focus on making dough and the techniques for baking it on a gas or charcoal grill so it comes out perfectly cooked.

I'm thinking this could be a great way to "bake bread", use stored preps and fill up your family with very kid-friendly food that cooks in 6 minutes indoors or out. You could use dehydrated veggies, canned meats, etc. and stretch them a long ways. Or roll those canned hot dogs in a pizza dough blanket? Bake hamburger buns? Endless possibilities. This book shows you how to do it without burned bottoms and raw tops. I'm gonna add pizza sauce and pepperoni to my canning list!


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## forluvofsmoke (Jan 27, 2012)

DJgang said:


> I've cooked in DOs with charcoal....but I was wondering....anyone every cooked with wood coals? Shtf we won't have charcoal ..... And I don't mean as direct heat, I mean as in making an oven with wood coals instead of charcoal.


I haven't fired a DO with hardwood lump charcoal yet, but I can tell you from experience with smokers and grills that lump burns much hotter than charcoal briquettes. If I were to use lump for firing DOs, I would try to break the lump down about 1/2 to 2/3 the size of a briquette for my counts on how many for top/bottom heat in order to compensate for the higher BTU output potential. That would probably be a good baseline for temp control, then, either use a thermometer to verify internal oven temps, or just go by touch (palming the oven for radiant heat). Lump will burn much faster, so for longer cooks you would need to add lump more frequently than you would with briquettes for good temp control.


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## sailaway (Mar 12, 2009)

In scouts we bake cakes in card board boxes. :2thumb:


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## JackDanielGarrett (Sep 27, 2010)

Neldarez, there are two kinds of dutch ovens. What some may call a pot with a handle and a lid or, the same pot with 3 legs on the bottom. The dutch oven with the 3 legs is the one you can bake in. BUT, remember this, you can bake biscuits in 2 aluminum pans, wrapped in foil too (with the biscuit dough inside of course..lol) on a grill. Flip it a few times and you will have baked biscuits, they aint purty, but they are baked bread. 
You can bake in a cardboard box, plus you can wrap frozen TV dinners in wet newspaper and throw them on the hot coals, when the paper burns off they are done. Rethink everything you were taught, as Davarm does with us about dehydrating. Contained heat will bake, indirectly just like the oven in your home.
Since the "big move" I have busier than a one legged man at a butt kicking contest. AND I love it here! Wooded, quiet and about 1 year of work for this old man..LOL. (OK 2 years work)
Check this out on YouTube...BBQPitBoys. See how they cook.
Jack


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Technically the oven with legs be called a camp oven. The oven without legs be a dutch oven. Ya can bake in either one. Ta use a dutch oven with coals, I used ta drive pole barn spikes inta the ground fer the dutch oven ta sit on an then put a length a chain around the lid ta help hold the coals on.

Yall can do bout anythin in a cast iron oven ya can a regular one an lots a thins ya can't do in a regular oven.


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## lazydaisy67 (Nov 24, 2011)

I guess I just planned on building an earth oven because A: we have all the materials laying around our farm, B: it's not feasible for us to try to stock enough propane to be able to bake bread every day for a couple of years, C: you can make all your food in an earth oven, not just bread, D: personally, I'd rather be a little cold and bake outside in the winter than have to heat up my house with a cook stove in the summer.


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## forluvofsmoke (Jan 27, 2012)

lazydaisy67 said:


> I guess I just planned on building an earth oven because A: we have all the materials laying around our farm, B: it's not feasible for us to try to stock enough propane to be able to bake bread every day for a couple of years, C: you can make all your food in an earth oven, not just bread, D: personally, I'd rather be a little cold and bake outside in the winter than have to heat up my house with a cook stove in the summer.


With an outdoor earth oven and an indoor wood-burning stove/oven you can cook where you want depending on the weather. It would save you a lot of fuel in the winter, especially looking at long-term use...


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

in answer to OP http://www.shoptoit.ca/brand-phoenix-innovations/smokin-sidekick/10871923/
http://www.smokinsidekick.blogspot.ca/

it is designed to be used with the side burner of a bbq


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

mosquitomountainman said:


> Coleman makes a camp oven that works on top of the stove. My wife has two of them. We've used them over open fires (put a flat steel plate under them), on top of our wood stove, and on top of the camp stove.


I recently watched this Youtube video and thought this looked like an option. 




A butane stove is around $20.00, while I've seen the fuel canisters 4 for $5.00.


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## Genevieve (Sep 21, 2009)

If you get a big enough dutch oven you can use a muffin tin that holds 6 in it. The dutch oven will work like an.......oven lol

I use the camp oven. It works really well on propane but you have to watch it so you can learn how long to cook things. It did well on my gas grill but it took just a little longer than over the propane flame itself. Been wanting to try charcoal in a pan on the bottom to see how it does but haven't gotten around to it. 
It folds down for storage and packing but it does have just a little weight to it


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

*Outdoors Oven*

Easy and simple to make, roast anything and with a drain hole you can collect fresh lard.














Chinese cooking box or Outdoors Cuban Oven


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## gam46 (Jan 24, 2011)

A different approach that isn't really baking but will cook breads and cakes is steaming in a wok. Start with water in the bottom of the wok. Add bamboo steamer trays loaded with whatever is to be steamed. Cover and cook. Canned biscuits can be stretched around assorted fillings to make stuffed steamed buns. I would try batters in custard cups. Yeast rolls might work as well.


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