Folks who may not have the necessary sunlight in January to use a solar cooker can still bake whatever goodies they like with a simple "camp oven". A camp oven uses charcoal briquettes with a cardboard box thrown over it to keep in the heat. Each charcoal briquette will give off 40 degrees of heat so if your recipe calls for a 360 degree oven you'd use 9 briquettes. This is for OUTSIDE cooking only!

And please remember the "Fahrenheit 451 Rule"...never, never, never use more than 10 briquettes or your paper box will go up in flames! (Big bummer, big mess, no food.)

Bon appetit!

LunaC

-- LunaC (LunaC@moon.com), December 07, 1999

Answers

I'd really hesitate to put a cardboard box over burning charcoal. At least don't put it too close to the house.

Internal temp. will depend on size and thickness of the box, wind, outside temperature, amount of food inside, type of briquettes used and probably some other things.

-- Gary S. (garys_2k@yahoo.com), December 07, 1999.

Love your cute name...LOL. Just a thought: this is a good idea, but I think if there is a time when things are bad enough to need to do this come Y2K, you aren't going to want to do ANY cooking outdoors, where it can be seen and smelled.

-- Elaine Seavey (Gods1sheep@aol.com), December 07, 1999.

> Love your cute name...LOL.

Thanks...but you'd be surprised by the number of people who whiz right past it and don't GI!

> Just a thought: this is a good idea, but I think if there is a > time when things are bad enough to need to do this come Y2K, you > aren't going to want to do ANY cooking outdoors, where it can be > seen and smelled.

Good point. If things get that bad you could use this gizmo in the fireplace as long as you don't have a rip-roaring wood fire blazing away.

LunaC

-- LunaC (LunaC@moon.com), December 07, 1999.

In girlscout camp we learned to make solar ovens just by lining a cardboard bow with aluminum foil shiny side up. I wonder how inverting my homemade solar oven over the charcoal would affect the temp, since it then is less likely to catch fire, plus it will reflect some of the heat, letting me minimize the amout of coal needed. Anyone hear of this before?

-- Hokie (nn@va.com), December 07, 1999.

sorry, should read cardboard BOX

-- Hokie (nn@va.com), December 07, 1999.

I have used the "outfitter" camp oven in my home by using it over a can of sterno. It made corn bread easily.

-- mwerks3 (mwerks3@yahoo.com), December 07, 1999.

LunaC, This is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Firs of all, the cardboard box will keep out oxygen and put out the charcoal. Go buy a dutch oven. It is a case iron pot that you put charcoal on the lid.

-- nobody (nobody@nowhere.com), December 08, 1999.

The cardboard box oven will be a bit more efficient if you line the interior with aluminum foil. I've done it without but takes a little longer. Do remember to leave about an inch or so open at the bottom for air flow. These ovens have been used by the Scouts for years and there's a Scouting web site that has good information on box ovens and on using camp Dutch Ovens. Good post.

http://www.macscouter.com

..............Alan.

The Prudent Food Storage FAQ, v3.5

http://www.providenceco-op.com

-- A.T. Hagan (athagan@sprintmail.com), December 09, 1999.