Posted: 1/10/2009 11:26:37 AM EDT
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I've been working on my preps again. I have bulk food, light, stoves, protection etc. But what about baking with all that flour?
I know that there are a lot of dutch oven fans out there. I do have a ton of natural fuel for those but burning wood attracts attention. I live in an urban area and want to keep a very low profile. So, what do you guys plan to use for an oven when a hurricane or earthquake hits and the power is out for weeks? Any input on what works and what doesn't would be helpful. |
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there are a number of camp stove/oven options out there.
I'm building a solar oven off the plans from this guy. stealthy no, but requires 0 fuel on a sunny day, even during our winters. 300-350 temps should be doable. solar oven vid here's a roast that was done link |
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There was a thread here not to long ago about this and there were some outdoor brick ovens that you could build that worked with wood, and they were pretty neat. We love to make fresh bread and homemade pizza. That was on my 08 calendar of things to do - then shit happened..... 
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There was a thread here not to long ago about this and there were some outdoor brick ovens that you could build that worked with wood, and they were pretty neat. We love to make fresh bread and homemade pizza. That was on my 08 calendar of things to do - then shit happened..... 
I feel your pain Bro, same thing here maybe later this year.. 
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I've made bread on a Weber charcoal smoker/grill after I cooked the meat. Just put th dough in a cake plate and kept an eye on it. I used a damper bread recipe and it turned out fine. Damper bread is an Australian bread like a big biscuit. Somewhat bland but I could have just had a plain recipe.
Also, look at fry bread recipes as well as flour tortilla recipes. Not you typical bread but can be good. You can also make a charcoal oven from a copy paper box, alum foil, and a few other items. Scouting type of set-up but it works. jd1 |
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Deep fried brown sugar cinnamon bannock is the shit.
If the S has truly HTF, we're going to have to think outside the box anyways. There are plenty of things to cook with flour that aren't traditional bread. Tortillas, bannock, soda bread... Really, anything that has a "stretchy" (as opposed to runny) dough can be cooked, quickly, over an open fire, either in a pan or wrapped around a stick or something. |
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Here is a simple way we have cooked bread over a campfire. Make some dough. Take a stick about 1 inch in diameter and remove the bark about 4-5 inches down. Wrap dough around end of stick and cook over the open fire. When it is cooked, pull it off of the stick and stuff it with whatever you want.
You can also take a pie iron and make a calzone type sandwich. Open pie iron. Put dough stuffed with whatever you like in pie iron. Close it and hold over fire until cooked. May take a couple of tries until you get the time right based on the thickness of your dough. AccurateOne Found this from preparedpantry.com http://www.preparedpantry.com/howtobakebreadonyourgrill.aspx http://www.tidbitsandstuff.com/articles/food/bread.shtml |
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Redoing my outside propane grill this weekend. It needs a new burner since one side does not really work properly anymore.
It also needs a temp gauge and I am considering just drilling a hole and installing a turkey kind of thermometer in it. Not sure if it will work but sounds amusing. I also have what used to be an apartmnt sized propane stove top. Someone mounted it into a kitchen drawer and I use it when car camping. I have more than a couple 20lb propane tanks around as well, always looking for more. The solar cooker is something I won't try in my apartment, no real room or good place in the sun to try it out. I have plans for them and could do it at the relatives in one of their yards but that kind of takes the fun out of it. To some extent I also want one of the coleman stove top box oven things as well. I don't really want to make an aluminum foil covered box and trust it so I figure I will go with the coleman sheetmetal thing since I have some small camping stoves and stuff I could use with it. I have some of the coleman white gas 2 burner camp stoves, need to get around to cleaning some more up and fixing em as well. And at the bottom of the list is walking to one of the relatives homes and cooking outside. |
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I'm in a similar situation. Dense urban area, apartment. Currently bake my own bread with a machine, plus pitas and cornbread in the oven. My blackout plan is to use my gas-powered camping stove and make flat bread. Flat bread is easy (flour and water) and cooks quickly, so doesn't use a lot of fuel. I've tried it and it works fine. Just need to have enough fuel around to last you through the blackout.
I do plan on getting a Dutch oven soon and trying some recipes, but that would definitely be a backup plan, not my go-to plan when the lights start flickering. I just really want to buy a Dutch oven––-I love cast iron 
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This is what we use:
I did a couple jobs in Puerto Rico and saw a version of these. The locals use these for cooking during power outages from tropical storms and hurricanes. I made red beans and rice on top and cooked corn bread in the oven. I am really impressed with the quality. The dimensions and specs are: * Matchless Igniter burners * Stainless steel construction * Nonstick enamel cooking surface * Oven thermometer * 2 oven racks. * Powered by a disposable 1 lb propane tank - Can be adapted to use a bulk tank Specs: Range 5,300 BTU's per burner, Oven 3,500 BTU's per hour Top burner dimensions 12 x 21 Product in Inches (L x W x H): 23.0 x 15.5 x 19.0 Inside Oven dimensions W 16" x H 10" x L 10" Top oven heat 400° degrees Weight 35 lbs |
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there are a number of camp stove/oven options out there. I'm building a solar oven off the plans from this guy. stealthy no, but requires 0 fuel on a sunny day, even during our winters. 300-350 temps should be doable. solar oven vid here's a roast that was done link Neat, that looks like a fun project. Think I'll be trying that as well this summer, could be a cool way to cook when on a long car camping trip. |
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This is what we use: http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj288/showpare/coven.jpg http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj288/showpare/coven_2.jpg Who makes these? Do you know what country they're manufactured in? Looks pretty handy, but I'm trying to buy American as much as possible. Anybody use a Dutch oven on a propane-powered stove top? I want a Dutch oven, but my most likely "survival" cooking would be on a camping stove powered on some kind of natural gas. I currently have a single-burner Coleman stove and will probably be getting an Optimus Nova multi-fuel stove soon (my old backpacking stove died, RIP). |
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You can check out this web page. Wal-Mart sold them, too. In fact, I got this one on clearance, for about $150.
http://www.campchef.com/catalog/item//0/0/C-OVEN/256/Outdoor+Camp+Oven+2+Burner+Range+and+Stove.html cut & paste, I don't know how to do the hot link Here is the link to the wal-mart clearance item: look quick, they will take it off the web site until they get more in. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=7857646 They are a little cheaper, now! Quoted:
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This is what we use: http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj288/showpare/coven.jpg http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj288/showpare/coven_2.jpg Who makes these? Do you know what country they're manufactured in? Looks pretty handy, but I'm trying to buy American as much as possible. Anybody use a Dutch oven on a propane-powered stove top? I want a Dutch oven, but my most likely "survival" cooking would be on a camping stove powered on some kind of natural gas. I currently have a single-burner Coleman stove and will probably be getting an Optimus Nova multi-fuel stove soon (my old backpacking stove died, RIP). The flat lid, three legged, dutch oven is better suited for campfire or charcoal cooking. I have cooked several things with the dutch ovens while camping and in the back yard. |
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there are a number of camp stove/oven options out there. I'm building a solar oven off the plans from this guy. stealthy no, but requires 0 fuel on a sunny day, even during our winters. 300-350 temps should be doable. solar oven vid here's a roast that was done link Very good idea jj01. One thing that appears to be causing the experimenter to lose a LOT of eficiency in his solar oven is the steam constantly being released that he talks about. It takes a whole lot of [in this case] solar energy to boil off that much steam. Thinking out loud here, if you were to paint a small pressure cooker black, double bag it in those turkey oven cooking bags [for insulation], and put it in the broad focal point of some reflectors, you could probably cut the cooking time in half. |
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there are a number of camp stove/oven options out there. I'm building a solar oven off the plans from this guy. stealthy no, but requires 0 fuel on a sunny day, even during our winters. 300-350 temps should be doable. solar oven vid here's a roast that was done link Too bad that would never work here. From mid September to mid May the sun don't shine too much here.
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there are a number of camp stove/oven options out there. I'm building a solar oven off the plans from this guy. stealthy no, but requires 0 fuel on a sunny day, even during our winters. 300-350 temps should be doable. solar oven vid here's a roast that was done link Too bad that would never work here. From mid September to mid May the sun don't shine too much here. To never work there the sun must not shine much in the other months as well.
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Use a dutch oven on your gas grill.
+100 We have used them to bake bread, cook roasts and boil stew.. The dutch oven is the most versatile cooking tool that you can get, no matter the heat source. c0 ____________________________ Failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine. http://Tpass.org |
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Wow, I asked a simple question and in return...... no flames, no bs just a wealth of great information and ideas. Thanks guys.
I never thought of my bar-B-Q as an oven, I should have, it was obvious but it just never occurred to me. One item that was not mentioned here was the bake packer. I have used it on camping trips before and it works great but you need baking bags to use it and you can only make enough for one or two people. I have a family of four so I was looking for something larger. AccurateOne, Thank-you for the cook book. I will be printing that out this morning and adding it to my cook book library. The oven/stove thing looks interesting but is a bit pricy. We will have to see what uncle sugar returns at tax time. Thanks again guys and keep the ideas coming. |
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The flat lid, three legged, dutch oven is better suited for campfire or charcoal cooking. I have cooked several things with the dutch ovens while camping and in the back yard. Thanks for the links. The Walmart link says it's made in USA and/or imported. WTF? I'm thinking of getting a flat-bottomed Dutch oven as I won't be using it much over a fire or charcoal. I assume these can be used on a stovetop, including a camping stove? I'm looking at getting an older Wagner or Griswold, probably 5 quart. The book Wagon Wheel Kitchens: Food on the Oregon Trail has a ton of interesting information on how emigrants on the Oregon Trail cooked. Some good stuff on bread making. The author describes how they baked bread in a Dutch oven, plus fry bread, pies, fruit cakes, etc. |
| I've used a single burner camp stove oven called the Outback Oven with great results. They make two sizes I have the smaller one. The 10" would work for four people I think. You set a diffuser on the stove then a pan w/lid and a temp. gage for the lid handle over that goes a reflective fireproof tent over everything. It's light weight and packs well. |
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there are a number of camp stove/oven options out there. I'm building a solar oven off the plans from this guy. stealthy no, but requires 0 fuel on a sunny day, even during our winters. 300-350 temps should be doable. solar oven vid here's a roast that was done link Too bad that would never work here. From mid September to mid May the sun don't shine too much here. Is your comment based on overcast days or angle of sun. If angle of sun, the cooker is designed with a summer and winter configuration to allow for the difference in sun angle during the different seasons, all that is required is that the unit be rotated 180 degrees. You'll note that the video's are being made in canada. This wouldn't be a replacement for normal cooking, but a way to reduce fuel usage on sunny days. My idea is that I have an option for reducing the fuel needed during a long term shtf even. It also occurs to me that it might be a reasonable option for those living in areas where wood fires might not be an option. |
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there are a number of camp stove/oven options out there. I'm building a solar oven off the plans from this guy. stealthy no, but requires 0 fuel on a sunny day, even during our winters. 300-350 temps should be doable. solar oven vid here's a roast that was done link Very good idea jj01. One thing that appears to be causing the experimenter to lose a LOT of eficiency in his solar oven is the steam constantly being released that he talks about. It takes a whole lot of [in this case] solar energy to boil off that much steam. Thinking out loud here, if you were to paint a small pressure cooker black, double bag it in those turkey oven cooking bags [for insulation], and put it in the broad focal point of some reflectors, you could probably cut the cooking time in half. one of the recommendation for food prep is to take mason jars, paint the outside of the them black with bar-b-que paint and use them to prepare various side dishes. that can be extended to additional cookware. |
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Use a dutch oven on your gas grill. I'm all for cooking on the grill. rosemary bread on the grill |
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That link to the coleman stove top thing is what I was talking about.
As far as not being big enough for a family of four, get a couple of em or make your own perhaps? I have an uncle wanting a new gas grille, his old one needs yet another burner assembly and he just kind of wants a new one. So I might be winding up with a bigger and better propane grille and use my current one as a backup. I have the room for backup storage and with all the relatives in the area I could wind up cooking for a dozen if something happened and went on for a week or so. I like that picture of the thing used in another country, don't know that I want one but it sure does look like a nice all in one setup that is a whole lot better than my current piecemeal setup. |
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I have a Big Green Egg and yesterday I bought the ceramic plate that goes in the bottom to make the heat indirect for baking. We cooked a keish for breakfast and a pizza for dinner on the grill.
I have been very impressed with my BGE and definately consider it a tool for survival. Actually the guy helping us at the outdoor store where we were purchasing the ceramic plate said "You know this grill is very versatile, some people even consider it a survival tool. Big Green Egg Grove |
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Use a dutch oven on your gas grill. I'm all for cooking on the grill. rosemary bread on the grill That was a good thread, made me hungry. 
I hope you don't mind I won't read it again. I'm still on my morning coffee. 
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Curiously, we tested out our Coleman Camp Stove Oven yesterday to cook some homemade biscuits. I bought an extra rack from Coleman to double the shelf space (approx. $15 landed IIRC). Worked great.
One thing I have learned from years of mountaineering and living in NV is to use a windscreen. It is windy here on a daily basis. It can significantly improve efficiency windy or not. When I BBQ, I have large pieces of cardboard I set up on 3 sides of the grill. They block the wind and offer thermal insulation with a noticeable decrease in fuel use. Next, I’m going to try cutting some cardboard that will fit around the sides and back of the Camp Stove and see if it helps. All the burner heat is directed inside the stove, so don’t think it will catch fire. |
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I just saw the CampChef stove/oven in a Sportsmans Guide catalog, I would guess it's on the web site too, $219.97.
Coleman also made a similar stove/oven many years ago that runs on liquid fuel. I found one at a local junk shop for $20.00. It needs to be rebuilt but it does actually work using the fuel that was still in it. They where built in the 1950s I am guessing but I have not found any information on them on any of the collector websites. |
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And for the bargain route:
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=10&f=17&t=617388 |
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I went with a dutch oven. Hell I was not even planning on getting one right away but the clearance price did me in. I was going to get one of those Brinkman brand oven being sold in Walmart that uses propane. Maybe someday I'll still get one. But dutch oven for me at this time. |