Thread: Bedourie Spun Steel Camp Oven

Originally Posted by I Love My Landy!

G’day everyone,

I have a Bedourie spun steel camp oven that I have seasoned as per the instructions supplied (oil rubbed in evenly over all surfaces, but with the oil staying clear, unlike when seasoning cast iron camp ovens). I know that a Bedourie camp oven is designed to be used with coals evenly spread around it, but does anybody know if you can use them on a gas burner (with intense heat localised to a small area)? This will burn the seasoned oil on the base of the camp oven, but is this really a bad thing? Could this layer of brown burnt oil actually be what the seasoning layer is supposed to look like? I also understand that cooking in this manner would burn any food in contact with the base of the oven, however I will always be cooking with a tall trivet and will turn the food in the oven if need be.

The reason I’m asking is I’ve had this camp oven for years but I have never had the chance to use it on a proper fire, however I would get a lot more use out of it if I was able to use it on a gas burner (i.e. for simple meals things like warming up meat pies and sausage rolls etc.)

Thank you in advance!

Edward

Put it in the oven at home and season it that way.

Baz.

As Baz says.

I have used both types of oven and have always found that the "best" was the cast iron oven for use with a cooking fire. Due, presumably, to the mass of the cast iron the oven maintains a much more even heat than the Bedourie oven.

Remember... the Bedourie oven is not (and was never meant to be) a replacement for a cast oven. The Bedourie oven was used because it was light and did not break.

Hi
We use our cast iron camp oven at home all the time with heat beads below and on top, There is also a cover for camp ovens that allows you to use a gas burner, fits over the oven and keeps the heat in for a even temp.

Do a search for camp oven cooking I'm sure you will find it. Would not be too hard to make something up out of old gas bottles.

Andrew

Thank you to everyone for your replies!

I have actually already seasoned the spun steel camp oven in the oven at home according to the instructions. The result was a sticky layer of oil on all surfaces, but the oil layer remained colourless. Is this okay or should the oil layer be brown (i.e. by heating the oil to a higher temperature, in effect burning the oil to the surface)? I know when you season a cast iron camp oven you want to get a brown/black patina oil layer. I thought this would be the same with a spun steel camp oven but i was advised otherwise.

Cheers,

Edward

I did mine in the oven at home and it went a nice brown colour, I used the cook's spray canola oil, did that twice.

Cheers

Kieren

We use our Bedourie a lot on the gas cooker.
The lid makes quite a good frypan.
Seasoning procedure should be as for a new wok, which is also spun steel. Use a high smoke point oil like peanut oil, NOT olive oil but the oil basically needs to smoke for a while.