Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2007 14:09:48 -0600
Reply-To: Martin Jagersand <jag@CS.UALBERTA.CA>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Martin Jagersand <jag@CS.UALBERTA.CA>
Subject: Re: Camping Oven- Betty Crocker Bake Off
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I have had a backpackers pantry outback oven for about 8 years now. I agree
with Larry that it is difficult to not burn the bottom of what your baking.
Still I get lots of use from the oven and I have it with me in Europe this
year.
I find that I get a bit more heat circulation on top if I don't use the lid,
but just put the aluminized cloth hood directly on top of the pan.
Maybe there are even better tricks to get more heat on the top?
Suggestions?
What I do most:
Heat/toast bagels. Works great and just turn them once to get
them evenly toasted.
Bake pre made frozen pizza or similar items. If the food is
wet/messy on top I use a spacer to hold up the hood in the middle.
(such as the spacer that come with delivery pizza boxes, or a piece
of cut off cardboard tube, from a roll of household paper.)
I've probably only baked from scratch a handful of times. In the bus
I'll mix the wet and dry ingredients in a sturdy zip lock bag and then
kneed the dough by kneading the outside of the bag. Much less messy
than sticking your hands in the dough.
The pan also serves well as an extra frying pan, though it is lacking a
handle, so have to use a glove or cloth to pick it up by the hot rim.
Obligatory bus trip content:
I still remember the first time I used the oven in the bus in 1999.
Had been canoeing near the Shenandoah staircase, and pulled up just
before the confluence with the Potomac. Was hungry and mixed a dough
for pizza using the zip lock bag method. While the dough was raising I took
a scenic drive on a very tiny dirt road upstream along the Potomac. A bad
thunderstorm came in, and lightning must have struck either the bus or right
next to it. I must have passed out for a few seconds and came to
conscience
noting that I was going slowly forward with the (then new 1.9l TD swap)
Diesel puttering at idle. Luckily I was still on the road (it was pretty
straight just there and had some tire ruts to help the bus stay on track).
I was shocked and half deaf for a while. (Never imagined that a close
lightning stroke would be sooo loud).
Then the weather cleared as quickly as it had gotten bad, and I drove
up on a bluff above the confluence of the rivers and baked and had a
very scenic pizza dinner. (It tasted delicious)
Martin and 82 Westy "Poppie"
