Essential camp oven cooking kit

When we go camping, we place our camp oven cooking kit in the back of the car to ensure we have just about everything we’re likely to need to prepare delicious meals around a campfire.

The whole kit packs into a plastic milk crate, with solid sides and base to prevent smaller items falling through.

Our kit includes our two-quart cast iron camp oven (we cook for just two) which travels inside a canvas carry bag. Inside the camp oven we pack a stainless steel trivet, two aluminium rings which we use for stacking heat beads (one holds 24 in a conical stack, and one holds 14 in a cone to cover the needs for higher heat recipes, with lots of heat beads on top and bottom or slow cooking), a round cake tin, a flat steamer tray and a larger wire trivet. On top travels a shallow steamer tray and a small wire trivet.

The camp oven and its contents fit neatly inside a 9kg gas bottle camp fireplace, with the cut off top acting as a bowl underneath to catch any ash falling through the bottom breathing holes.

Down the sides of the fireplace we poke:

• an old fireplace poker
• a lid lifter for the camp oven
• a fold-up cooking base, which can hold the camp oven off the coals if that is required
• a natural fibre brush for removing ash from around the edge of the lid (do not use nylon as it will melt)
• a stiff bristle brush for scrubbing out any food which might stick to the inside of the oven
• a brass wire brush in case we do burn a meal (it does happen) and have to scrub out the oven
• two steel rods bent to fit through holes across the top of camp fireplace to support a billy over a fire or coals
• an old newspaper for lighting fires or wiping up messes
• an old belt with wire hooks to string around a nearby tree to hang cooking utensils
• a wire handle which can be used to carry the fireplace around if hot
• stainless steel wool
• a nylon pot scourer
• an aluminium pot holder with added wooden handle for better grip
• aluminium foil baking trays to place in the bottom of the camp oven

The only extras needed are a pair of leather gauntlets to protect hands around the fire, long-handled cooking tongs, a ‘chimney’ to light heat beads and a packet of heat beads. These travel in our camper trailer.

With utensils, try to stick to wooden or plastic tools that will cause less damage to the seasoning.

This is a pretty exhaustive list of stuff, and if you like to travel simply just a pair of gauntlets, a lid lifter and trivet will get you through most occurrences.

The full feature appeared in Camper Trailer Australia #107 2016. Subscribe today for the latest caravan reviews and news every month!