reflector oven

[Mike in Virginia]

Anyone use a reflector oven for baking at a camp sight?  I've fried and roasted and boiled, but never baked.  I see where you can buy an aluminum fold-up model pretty cheap.  Wouldn't it be great to have hot biscuits or pie or cornbread or any of the good things we put in the oven at home? 

[tacklebury]

These work great if you live where there's a lot of sunlight.  You also need to work it between 12-3pm typically to get good effect for baking.  Most solar cooking is done with fresnel lenses because they gather more heat.  I have several sizes depending on the job in my survival kits.  I have them ranging from 2"x3" business card size up to 8-1/2"x11".  I put them into pages of a couple of manuals I keep in my kits to protect them.  If you make a small aluminum box with a hinged flap door that will fold flat, you could easily heat it using 1 or more of the large lenses. 

[Victor3]

 We have a very simple one my Wife's Grandfather made from a 1 gal Coleman fuel can. Basically just the can with one of the short-width sides cut out of it, and about 10 coat hanger wires going through from top to bottom of the can to support a small pan. Kind of like the one pictured here but ours is square...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Reflector_Oven_01.jpg


 Works good for cooking refrigerator biscuits, heating rolls/danishes, etc.


 Could always get one of the old Coleman folding camp ovens...


http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-COLEMAN-CAMPING-OVEN-5010A700-W-BOX-/181132339195?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a2c5427fb

[wolverine_1]

Victor 3, looked at the Wicapedia picture and also so in in the Back Woodsman Magazine. However, it appears to me that it sits on a bed of brickets, so that seems somewhat different than a reflector oven as I understand it. 

[Victor3]

 You're probably right. The terminology is not correct for our particular one. Just what we've always called it. It cooks though. 

[Mike in Virginia]

Yeah, I should have clarified.  I was talking about the kind that sits directly in front of a ground fire, and uses the heat of said fire to bake.  It reflects heat from top and bottom and the biscuits or whatever are on a pan between top and bottom.  It gets its cooking strength not directly from the fire, but indirectly via the shiny metal parts that reflects heat from the fire. 
 
I think they must sort of be out of style, 'cause you don't see them for sale much.  Lots of easier ways to cook in the wilds.  I just thought it would be really great to have hot baked goods for supper in the woods. 

[FPH]

What is wrong with a good Dutch oven for home made biscuits, pies and corn bread?

[Victor3]

 Well, nothing.... But don't you have to be from the Netherlands to use one of those things?