Outback Oven & Outback Ultralite Oven Review
First The Outback Ultralite Oven
I purchased one of these on Ebay from fl native plant for $US 49.00 including
postage. This is the item as delivered:
It easily fits in my Primus 8 inch non-stick frying pan with
removable handle:
The package includes a small instruction leaflet which is
comprehensive and useful. This is what you get (shown with my stove, frying pan
and trangia frying pan, which I use as a lid):
The tent-like object is the heat proof shield and
convection device. The small cylinder is the thermometer, (three readings; "warm
up", "bake", "burn!". The brownish disk is the heat disperser. The round wire
thing sits on the heat disperser and supports the baking dish, ie the frying
pan, in my case. The folded metal sheet unfolds (after you have cut it to size
with some scissors) and is the heat reflector that sits under the
oven.
When I unpacked it and read the instructions, I panicked because I
do not have a lid for my Primus
frying pan... however I found my Trangia
frying pan makes a good lid, being exactly the right size. If you buy the larger
oven the baking dish is supplied. The beauty of the ultralight is that you are
saving weight by using the frying pan and Trangia lid which you are carrying
anyway.
These are laboratory tests only, in perfect wind free conditions
and using a £7.00 Aldi gas stove.
Here are photos of the assembly
process:
Reflector ready to install:
Reflector installed:
Heat disperser and wire baking dish support placed on stove,
after gas ignited at very low setting:
Baking dish (frying pan) and lid (Trangia fry pan) placed on
wire support and thermometer placed on top of lid:
Convection dome placed over baking dish
At this point, baking commences. You can view the thermometer
through the top of the dome:
The leaflet gives you plenty of advice on temperature
regulation... I was pretty rough and ready during the trials... and checked
progress by checking the bread or scone when I thought they might be done, ie,
the thermometer was showing Burnt!
My first trial was a bannock... made
with 1 cup of flour, baking powder, salt, milk,cheese and chili powder... the
result was superb, gently browned on top and a nice crust at the base... it got
eaten before I could photograph it.
I was given a bum steer on the
properties of self raising flour and my second bannock was not as
good.
Then I tried date scone. Again a superb result, although the base
was slightly burned.
The chief food technician took over at this point:
and then did her famous 1950's housewife
impersonation:
Needless to say, this batch was gone in under two minutes
This review was first posted on our forum so if you have any comments or questions post them HERE
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Next The Outback Oven
Having recently had the chance to use my new outback oven in the 'outback' as
opposed to in my kitchen I thought I would post a few photos and some
thoughts.
I guess I bought it because I like gadgets and I like my food but
having said that I cant remember having ever baked anything before!
I
bought the standard 10 inch oven, there is an ultralight version and also a
larger version. The oven comes in a neat net bag which holds it all together.
Everything fits inside the non-stick pan.
I used a pocket rocket stove with a fairly small gas cylinder.
I first thought that it would be a bit top-heavy but in practice I had no
problems (I did have a flat surface to set it on though)
The stove
consists of :
A non-stick pan and lid, the handle of which is a simple
bi-metal thermometer,
A riser bar and 'scorch buster' this arrangement
gives a space between the heat source and the pan
A refector collar which
stops the stove and fuel supply getting too hot
The Pot Parka - keeps the
heat in.
My first attempt was a simple bannock mix which turned out very
well. It tasted great and cooked evenly right through although it didnt brown on
the top as much as I expected.
Having checked the instructions (what do you
mean - why didnt I read them at the start?!) It does say that by removing the
lid of the pan and setting the pot parka directly on the food you can get much
more 'browning'.
Baking in progress!
The end result.
So what comes after bannock? As I said I
know nothing about baking so I thought I would buy a book.
A quick look on
Amazon and I found 'The Wilderness Chef' by John Weber - not just a camping cook
book but a book written specifically for the Outback Oven. There is some general
info about the oven and loads of recipies, all with ingredients that dont need
refridgeration.
The recipies are all based on pre mixing some of the
ingredients before you leave in plastic food bags and then mixing the bags
contents in the oven pan with water etc.
I ve tried loads of cakes and
breads (banana nut bread is my favourite so far- 12 mintues baking time!) and
the next step is to try some of the casseroles and pies. All the recipies in the
book are vegetarian (in so far as the contain no meat solids i.e. from a
practical as opposed to an ethical point of view). TVP (textured vegetable
protein) being used instead of meat or chicken etc. I have no experience of this
and my local Sainsburys doesnt seem to sell it. That said, I guess dried meat
can be used instead . I make my own jerky so maybe I shall try some of
that.
All in all, Im really glad that I bought this and I see myself
taking it on every trip from now on.
American website with all the
details:
http://www.backcountrygear.com/catal...oductID=BP1000
I
bought mine from www.i-canoe.com in Ireland
http://www.i-canoe.com/catalog/produ...roducts_id/186
69
Euros (about £47 ) with free delivery to UK although I think that might have
been a limited time offer.
I have no connection with I-canoe other than
as a satisfied customer.
This review was first posted on our forum so if you have any comments or questions post them HERE