Camp Oven
Cooking
Cast iron camp ovens are fun and a time-proven way to cook a variety of food including breads, roasts, stews and casseroles. Camp ovens come in various sizes and a good one will last a lifetime if cared for. Most camp stores carry good quality ovens but look for one that has a strong handle and a lid with a large lip to hold the coals.
Useful Tools
There are a few essential tools for cast iron camp ovens. The first is a long strong hook to lift the lid of your camp oven to check on cooking progress and to remove the oven from the coals. You can make your own from thick wire or you may find one in a good camp store. They are usually sold as tent peg pullers, are 60 - 70cm long and come with a wooden handle.
You will also need long handled tongs, a pot scraper (a spatula or putty knife), oven mitt or heavy pot holder, a small whisk broom (not nylon) to remove the ashes from the lid, paper towels and oil.
Cooking with coals from the camp fire is fine but it will take a bit of practice to get enough coals in the right place to avoid burning and to cook the meal to perfection. A great alternative to camp fire coals is heat beads. They are easier to control, hold their heat longer and you can use them to practice the art of cast iron camp oven cooking at home.
Seasoning a Camp Oven
All new camp ovens need to be seasoned before use. Here I show you what to do to keep your camp oven as good as new and an indispensable part of your time exploring Australia.
Grease the inside of the oven with vegetable oil using a cloth or piece of paper. (Don't forget the inside of the lid too). Add heat. There are 2 or 3 different ways of doing this. You can fill the camp oven with paper and light a fire inside it. You can fill the camp oven with water and bring to the boil for 15 mins.Or place the camp oven in a hot oven for 10 minutes
If you burn something in the bottom of the oven, don't try and scour it out with soapy water. Just fill it with water and bring to the boil and it should all loosen. Then simply wipe out with paper. 
When storing a camp oven, remember to smear inside and out with vegetable oil to prevent rusting.
Recipes:
Main Meals
Soups & Snacks
Cakes, Scones, Biscuits & Damper
Desserts
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