Baking a cake without a kitchen may seem impossible, but with a Coleman oven you can do that and more. A Coleman oven is a box-like metal device that you place over the burner of your camp stove. The oven traps heat, allowing you to bake cakes, potatoes or any other food favorites. When you are done, the Coleman oven folds flat for easy transport.
Use a Full-Size Camp Stove
A Coleman oven fits over a full-size camp-stove burner, which provides the correct amount of heat for baking and heating purposes. Smaller camp stoves may not have burners large enough to supply the correct amount of heat. The company advises owners to use the oven only with properly functioning, full-size camp stoves.
Storage
Your Coleman oven, once folded, is small enough to place in your baggage with your other camping gear. After you use the oven, allow it to cool completely, then wipe it down with a moist cloth to remove grease and food remnants. Collapse the oven according to the manual's instructions and store it carefully. Do not rest heavy objects on it, or it may bend or break.
Avoid Wind and Rain
If you are cooking outdoors, the weather could cause problems. If the temperature fluctuates due to the flame flickering or going out, the baking process will have poor results. If possible, move to an area shielded from wind and rain. Avoid placing the camp stove too close to materials that could catch fire, such as sheets, tents or other flammable items.
Test for Doneness
Although the Coleman oven is designed to maintain an even, consistent heat, in some situations the weather can cause wild fluctuations in oven temperature. For this reason, you cannot simply rely on cooking times or outer appearances of doneness. Use a kitchen or barbecue thermometer to test for doneness, especially when cooking meats or other products that could harbor dangerous parasites or bacteria.
Always Preheat
Like most ovens, your Coleman oven requires some time to build up to the correct temperature. Preheat the oven for several minutes before beginning to cook your food. A stable temperature will help your food cook evenly and within a somewhat predictable time frame.
Center the Oven
Since different models of camp stoves often have different burner configurations, you may have to shift your Coleman oven around to find the optimal location. The product manual suggests centering the oven over one burner for best results. If there are two burners, the manual suggests folding up the camp stove's right windbreaker so that it rests against the lid.
Keep Food in the Center
The center of the oven is the optimal location for baking because it will have the most even, consistent heat. Place food items there for best results. Also, the product manual warns owners to avoid using pans larger than 8 inches in diameter since they may interfere with the circulation of air within the oven.
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