Hi camp cooks thanks for visiting OzWit
Quick history of camp ovens
Camp ovens originally named Dutch ovens were made from cast iron and were developed in the Netherlands in the 1700's. Australian drovers, shearers, bushman and miners used the cast iron camp ovens and were a prized possession.
Cast iron is heavy and brittle and the ovens would fall from pack horses and crack in pieces rendering them unusable, this pathed the way for Australias spun steel camp ovens.
Spun Steel Camp Ovens
The Bedourie camp oven is made from carbon steel through a process
known as spinning and was developed in the 1920’s at Bedourie station Queensland.
Current day spun steel camp ovens are deeper and have a lid that doubles as a
frying pan. These exceptional ovens are awesome for travelling as they are light
weight and durable.
Advantages of spun steel
OzWit has been using spun steel camp ovens since 2007. Whilst
travelling Australia their existing cast iron camp ovens were replaced with two spun steel camp ovens at 8kg compared to the one cast iron at 12kgs of weight.
The two spun steel camp ovens comprised of a 10inch oven and a 12inch oven. The 10inch oven fits inside the 12inch oven and goes into a carry bag. OzWit calls this the family pack which also includes heat gloves and instructional camp oven cook books, see OzWit’s Camp Oven Packs
below.
You can throw them in the back of a ute, in your camper, motorhome or caravan and not have to worry if they will crack if they jump around.
Quick clean up by using cold water in a hot camp oven means we can move on quickly, unheard of using the traditional cast iron camp oven.
It may take a few cook ups to learn to regulate the heat using the spun steel camp oven, but we find it easier to regulate the heat, easier to clean, a lot less weight and compact and versatile because the lid is also your frypan.
OzWit has cooked many a meal in the spun steel ovens and have populated three camp oven cook books with easy amazing recipes. See OzWit’s Camp Oven Cooking Collection below.
OzWit's Camp Oven Packs
OzWit bundles two sizes of 10-inch and 12-inch spun steel camp ovens into a unique "Family Pack" which includes two OzWit camp oven cook books, “Cooking with Camp Ovens” and “Fair Dinkum Dampers”, a pair of 300 degree rated Kevlar and silicone heat resistant gloves and a canvas bag. Also available are the 10 and 12 inch camp oven packs.
Seasoning instructions are included in the packs and supported by a video found on our video page.
If you have never eaten a camp oven meal, you’re in for a blast. The flavours produced from camp oven cooking are amazing. OzWit’s Cooking Collection is a great starting point and has
recipes and information for beginners and for the experienced camp chef - see below.
OzWit's Camp Oven Cooking Collection
You just can’t beat sitting around a campfire at night and cooking up a nourishing meal, and what better way to do it than in a camp oven. OzWit has three books with the forth in the making. The recipes within the pages of these awesome books will tantalise your taste buds. "Cooking with Camp Ovens", "Fair Dinkum Dampers" and the latest edition, "The Camp Kitchen" will keep you and your fellow camper busy for many a camping trip.
Camp Oven Tools
- Heat resistant gloves so you don’t burn your hands.
- Long handled BBQ tools, so you don’t burn your hands.
- Camp Oven Lifter or Tent Peg puller works for lifting lid and checking on food, required for all cast iron ovens.
- A trivet for bottom of camp oven to cook damper/scones/cakes. Bread/cake/muffin tin/tray to place ingredients on top of trivet.
- A small whisk broom (horse hair - not nylon) to remove the ashes from the lid, required for most cast iron ovens.
- Roasting meat thermometer gauge.
- High Rack for cooking Pizza.
CLEANING YOUR CAMP OVEN
Simply scrape out the remaining food and clean the oven with hot water and a natural fibre brush and allow to completely dry by sitting it near the fire or the sun.
DO NOT use detergents or soap.
STORING YOUR CAMP OVEN
To store your camp oven, lightly oil all surfaces and store in a dry place with the lid ajar (if possible). The seasoning will improve with each use. It's a good idea to purchase a heavy duty canvas bag with handles to carry your camp oven in. Check out OzWit’s STORE for a great buy on the best camp oven bags you can buy!
You should NEVER pour cold water into a hot cast iron camp oven as it may crack.
You should NEVER drop a hot cast iron camp oven as it may crack.
With spun steel camp ovens you do not have to worry about this, they do not crack under these circumstances.
BREAD ON THE ROAD
As many destinations in Australia are remote and access to good quality fresh bread is difficult baking bread in your camp oven is easy and tasty. we found Laucke Bread Mixes and Specialty Bread Mixes are excellent for campers and travelers.
Each box contains a pre-prepared flour mix you simply add the yeast supplied and the recommended amount of water. Depending on what product you are using you knead the dough, leave it to rest, let it rise and then bake it.
They have an extensive range of products you cannot go wrong with.
They are available all in most major supermarket chains. They have a great shelf life and you can have a bread, damper, pizza dough, scone mix or sweet bread mix ready to go in no time at all.
