Cooking Tips for our Tiny Ovens?

[Jeepers!]

Any experienced Tiny Oven Cookers out there? Now that we have a working tiny oven again we are ready to try it. Looking for hints, tips, suggestions, do's, don't do's etc.

We really like the fact that our Caravel is all L.P. and boondock ready. All the original gas appliances work; heater, light, water heater, stove, oven and fridge. We don't have any 110v appliances!

[HeadWest]

Get an old school oven thermometer so you know the actual temp. I find it most helpful since the dial is just a guess.

I love having the gas oven, especially for baked potatoes when I'm grilling something since I don't have another pan to wash. My favorite is to make apple crisp in the fall and have the smell of apples and cinnamon wafting through the trailer.

Enjoy!

[KJRitchie]

Also, place an unfinished tile (not glazed) or pizza stone above the burner. Helps keep the heat uniform.

Kelvin

[PKI]

From our experience you deserve an AS merit badge when you learn how to light the pilot on the oven. Evidently, you can use a stick of pasta as a punk to keep the fingers clear if you don't have a long lighter. Whip up a batch of muffins. They freeze well and make for a quick breakfast. Unlike meats that splatter, the bake goods don't require cleaning the oven. Well, there are those pesky pies that have too much filling, but a 1/4 sheet pan will catch their overflow. Pat

[Foiled Again]

Originally Posted by KJRitchie

Also, place an unfinished tile (not glazed) or pizza stone above the burner. Helps keep the heat uniform.

Kelvin

Times 2 - EXCELLENT advice.
Preheat for 10 minutes, then put a pie directly on it, the bottom crust will be cooked and not total mush.

Dutch Oven cooking idea too. PrudencePB my sister came up with this one. Use a cast iron trivet to cook pies in a DO, but put it in upside down so that only the three legs support the pie pan. No hotspots that burn while the rest of the bottom crust doesn't thoroughly cook.

[karenjude]

We bought a 6 qt enamel Dutch oven from Target Threshold Cast Iron Dutch Oven - 6 qt : Target
I make no knead bread and different variations of this and cook it in our trailer's gas oven. Fits perfectly in our small ovens, and the bread comes out great ! I know many people make bread in their camp Dutch ovens but this way is nice in case you're out for the day and can't monitor/change coals on the camp oven. If you're into making bread, you may want to purchase one of these.

[Tom Nugler]

KJRitchie. Good call on the pizza stone. Have to try that. Thermometer is a must.
We've cooked any number of cakes, casseroles, brownies and cakes in the oven.
I let it preheat longer than the home oven in an attempt to help it absorb as much heat as possible.
We also use ours as a second oven for Holiday gatherings. Last year we cooked a squash souffle for Thanksgiving.
As for Thanksgiving, this is from a '77 Airstream Story sales brochure. I showed it to my wife, who said with some sarcasm, “Yeah. I want to be that broad.”
Good Luck Cooking,
Tom

[samb]

I have been using an unfinished tile for years. That and an oven thermometer are a must.
Besides cinnamon rolls, muffins, and cookies, I also use the oven as a "slow cooker" (crock pot).
I set the temp for 200* or a bit less, mix up a beef stew or something similar, and let it cook while I am out rockhounding or exploring, or fishing for the day. Best results are during cool or cold weather. Wander in cold and tired after a long day and supper is ready, the trailer is warm, and the smell of your meal ready and waiting is one of the best "welcome homes" you can imagine.
The last thing I cooked in the oven was a cherry pie. That was the perfect finish to a cold day of winter steelhead fishing a couple of weeks ago.

[Jeepers!]

Originally Posted by karenjude

We bought a 6 qt enamel Dutch oven from Target Threshold Cast Iron Dutch Oven - 6 qt : Target
I make no knead bread and different variations of this and cook it in our trailer's gas oven. Fits perfectly in our small ovens, and the bread comes out great ! I know many people make bread in their camp Dutch ovens but this way is nice in case you're out for the day and can't monitor/change coals on the camp oven. If you're into making bread, you may want to purchase one of these.

No way that would fit in our Caravel's oven. No way.

[Jeepers!]

Wow, I think some of y'all may have SERIOUSLY over estimated the size of a 1965 Caravel's Magic Chef 106!

5.5" high x 15" x 15" above the burner, with the grate removed. Even less below the burner - not nearly as deep because of the pilot assembly.

[TWaugh]

I agree with SAMB. I picked up some unglazed 6" tiles and placed them just below the grate to help distribute the heat and reduce the chance of bottom burning when baking. They work fantastic.

http://i1.wp.com/www.thenewlighterli...azed-Tiles.jpg

[Foiled Again]

Originally Posted by Jeepers!

Wow, I think some of y'all may have SERIOUSLY over estimated the size of a 1965 Caravel's Magic Chef 106!

5.5" high x 15" x 15" above the burner, with the grate removed. Even less below the burner - not nearly as deep because of the pilot assembly.

That IS small. If you ever lose your mind and want to cook a turkey in that oven, start with a 10 lb. one and de-bone it, or cut it in half along the keel bone using a food grade hacksaw. If you ever want to bake a ham, you'll have to cut the heel off too.

I got my first Dutch oven just to cook in the summer and not heat up the trailer. Looks like one might be in your future too.

Happy cooking, get some SHALLOW bakeware!

Paula

[kdickinson]

I have had great experience with our oven. I grew up traveling in the trailer my wife and I now use. My Mom originally and now I do not have any challenges with the stove or oven. My Mom actually did cook a full size turkey in the AS oven one year at Thanksgiving on the road. There may be some minor considerations for altitude as you travel for baked goods but those seem to be mostly taken care of now in the commercial mixes for brownies & muffins. Otherwise the food itself has no idea whether it's being cooked in a large oven or a small oven just make sure you take cookie sheets and bakeware that fits into the dimensions of the oven.

[greghoro]

Don't spend a lot on the pizza stone. It will invariably break and not necessarily from travel.

In our trailer, the fixed shelf immediately above the burner does not fully support the stone and it cracked the first time we heated up the oven. This happens a lot in home kitchens, as well.

We found a stone at a resale shop which fit side to side but was too big front to back (oven internal footprint is a bit rectangular). We took it to a tile store and they trimmed a bit off.

Greg

[sallye]

Ha! I use my tiny oven to store my toaster.

Seriously, I did use it once, but it seemed to be more trouble than it was worth. I've considered using the broiler, but then I'd have to clean it and an outside grill is easier.

[crispyboy]

I need to get some of those tiles for our oven as it get used on most every trip. I suppose a big box store carries these?

[Foiled Again]

A "pizza stone" in a fancy kitchen store will cost $35 to $50.
An unglazed tile in your local hardware store - $4

It should be noted that this is a good idea in a gas or electric oven, not in a convection microwave!

Your oven will never know the difference. Another Alton Brown "Good Eats" tip. I also liked his ceramic smoker made from a big terra cotta pot.

Paula

[StreamNTyme]

All good tips...the temp gauge is a must! un-glazed tiles do certainly help with even heat and can also be gotten for next to nothing at a garden or stone dealer, they may even give you some. Another is I put a sheet of aluminum foil on the bottom of the oven immediately when purchased to catch any possible spills. I hate cleaning ovens, so I make sure horizontal flat surfaces are covered. I love to bake so an oven is a must. We also carry a crock pot and an electric roaster.

[Janet H]

Tips:

• Find a couple of pans that fit well in your oven.
• Learn to make toast (broiler). That thing makes great toast.
• Avoid spills at all costs - oven cleaning rots
• If you have to cook a large item like a roast, ham or turkey - cut it in half.
• Make friends with Rhodes frozen cinnamon rolls - they are awesome first thing in the morning and NOTHING smells better than hot cinnamon and coffee.

[Jim Foster]

I found that things tend to burn on the bottom when cooked in the shallow oven of our "65 Caravel. I bought an insulated cookie sheet that will just fit into the oven and placed it on the metal sheet that separates the burner from the oven. This seems to keep the burner from overheating the bottom of what ever pan, cooking dish or cookie sheet is used to bake. It seems to force much of the heat to the top of the oven. That was several years ago, and has worked very well for us.

For a few bucks, you might give this a try.