37 replies to this topic

[SlingMama]

SM, what kind of stove top oven do you have?? What do you like/don't like about it?

I have the Double Oven, purchased from WiseMenTrading http://www.wisementr...tdoorbaking.htm Here are some thoughts:

The oven is unique in the way it opens. There is a wire cage attached to a lid on the top so opening the oven means grabbing the handle on top and lifting the entire cage. If you look at the left hand photo on the WiseMenTrading site you can kind of see what I mean. The "double" part means that there is a rack in the middle of the cage. This gives the oven two cooking racks so that two pans fit in at the same time.

Opening the lid from the top causes some heat to escape (though not too bad though if the oven has been properly pre-heated) but I'm guessing more heat escapes from the Double Oven than from the Coleman's front entry door. However, I guessing the Double Oven people designed their oven the way they did so that a person wouldn't have to get their hands close to hot coals. It seems to me that the Double Oven was designed more with campfire cooking in mind and the Coleman for over a gas grill. I think.


So thus far the Double Oven has worked very well on top of the wood stove. We run our wood stove with a stove top temp of 500 - 600 degrees which equals an oven temp of 350 - 375. Although I once managed to get the oven temp to almost 400 degrees. I've baked pumpkin bread, cooked macaroni and cheese, heated leftovers, made apple crumble, etc. and had really good results.

One difference with a stove top oven though is that the heat comes only from the bottom, unlike an electric stove which has a heating element on the top and bottom. So when I cooked granola it took extra long to get the granola crisp. Still do-able - just takes longer.


Alright, the one thing I don't like about my Double Oven is it only fits pans 8" or smaller. My bread pans don't fit and the stainless steel square pans I bought to replace the non-stick pans included with the Double Oven turned out to have such a big lip that they don't fit. So the Oven is much like a wood stove toaster oven. Which is fine but ...

... it prompted me to make a wildly expensive purchase. I finally broke down and purchased the big oven from Lehman's http://www.lehmans.c...;iProductID=110 and then told my DH he had just bought my anniversary, Valentines, birthday present. Insert DH rolling eyes here Once it comes I'll have to give it a try. I still think I'll be using my Double Oven a fair amount, even after the Lehman's oven shows. The Lehman's oven weighs 24 pounds!!!! I'm sure I'll still prefer my lightweight Double Oven for leftovers or small dishes.

[SlingMama]

The stove top oven from Lehman's arrived today. Straight out of the box I was impressed with how nice this oven looked. Really pretty. I was so excited!! Put the oven on top of the wood stove and ... it didn't fit. Before I ordered I very carefully measured the length and width but I didn't take height into consideration. The chimney in located at the back of the stove but it flares out to a larger diameter, which makes it bulge out a little over the top of the stove, so the chimney gets in the way of the oven, which tilts the oven forward, which means - it doesn't fit.
Also, one of the rack supports inside the stove top oven arrived broken, another rack support loose and the oven door wasn't hung correctly so the door gaps on the right side. I just emailed Lehman's to ask what I need to do to return the oven. Sigh.

[Mother]

OH SlingMama, that is too bad. Perhaps they will let you have your money back instead of wanting to replace it. Then you will be able to find one that DOES fit.

[SlingMama]

See that leads me to another question. Are there any other stove top ovens besides the Coleman, Double Oven and the Lehman's? I just did a Google search and couldn't find any other brands. I would really like an oven bigger than the one I have or the Coleman's. Down in Are You Ready, Campy posted that the Coleman only fits 9" pans. I can't imagine cooking only one loaf of bread at a time. Or having to bake using multiple small pans. Can you imagine how much fuel that would use And the time involved.

I did run across some websites that talked about using an old toaster oven.

Or, I just need a wood cook stove Like that would ever happen They are so much money.

[PureCajunSunshine]

Thanks for the excellent review on that stove top oven!!

So sorry 'bout the Lehman's one not fitting well...I know you've been wanting one of those for a while!

Hmmm...I wonder if you can get a welder to modify it (if Lehman's sends you an unbroken one instead of a refund)?

[Mother]

SlingMama, DH had a suggestion for using the Lehman's stove, or the new one they send you to replace the one that is broken at least. He suggested that you change the chimney instead if you can.

He wondered if the chimney opening on the stove was smaller than the chimney itself and they used a adapter to make it fit. If you were to get another small piece of pipe and use it directly on the stove, putting the adapter above that, would that put the part sticking out high enough to get the oven under it?

Check it out and see if it's possible.

[SlingMama]

SlingMama, DH had a suggestion for using the Lehman's stove, or the new one they send you to replace the one that is broken at least. He suggested that you change the chimney instead if you can.

He wondered if the chimney opening on the stove was smaller than the chimney itself and they used a adapter to make it fit. If you were to get another small piece of pipe and use it directly on the stove, putting the adapter above that, would that put the part sticking out high enough to get the oven under it?

Hmmmm. Maybe. Very good suggestion. The chimney opening on the stove is smaller (I think 6") and then it flares out to 8". Actually, I have the chimney guy coming tomorrow (even with a heat shield on the back of the wood stove the wall behind the stove is getting too hot - he's going to have to install a shield on the wall) and I'll ask him. I just need ... maybe 2 or 3 inches more and I think the stove will fit. Our wood stove/chimney guy is really knowledgeable so he might know how to fix it.


I would really, really like to get this oven to work because, if SHTF in a bad way, my friend, her DH and 7 children are moving in. And possibly another family. That tiny Double Oven is not going to work if we need to cook for that many people.

[Percysgirl]

I was told you can take the plastic and power cord off of an old toaster and use that as a stove.

I have a toaster oven that died back in November. I'm going to try it with that, since I won't loose anything by trying.

[Mother]

Percygirl, my toaster oven is all plastic on the outside. That's a very interesting thought though. There are plenty of older all metal toaster ovens out there cheap.

SM, you might consider putting the adapter at the ceiling but that would mean buying smaller pipe for all the way up and be a bit more costly. I actually like the looks of that better though as there's no bulge in the middle of your pipe, it's above where most people look. Be sure to tell the guy you are cooking on the top and occassionally have the stove burning very hot. Might make a difference in what he puts on the wall behind.

While your chimney guy is there, ask him if he has seen the ovens that go in the chimney pipe. They are basically an oven with a large pipe section around it. The smoke goes around both sides of the oven and into the pipe above. Some had a door at both sides. You used to be able to get them but I've not seen them lately. I understand they were a bit hard to control the temperature. Just curious as I've always thought I wanted one.

Got to love old fashioned AND inovated cooking.

Edited by Mother, 15 February 2009 - 02:32 PM.
forgot to add something...

[Percysgirl]

Mother, mine is plastic on the outside, but I'm going to try to take it apart since it's all metal on in the cooking area.

[Mother]

Let us know how it works please. It's always good to know what we can reuse.

[SlingMama]

I was told you can take the plastic and power cord off of an old toaster and use that as a stove.

Yep, you can gut a toaster oven and use it to cook in. http://powellriverbo...cabin-cake.html
A couple months back I stumbled across a similar blog - but I can't find it again. Anyway, that person used a gutted toaster oven as well.

And now I'm so sad my DH gave away our old, malfunctioning toaster oven. It was last summer before we even had a wood stove so I wouldn't have thought to keep it anyway. But it was a big toaster oven and unfortunately our new one is tiny. I've been eying that tiny toaster oven though. Wondering if I can pull the plastic sides off

[SlingMama]

My new oven from Lehman's showed yesterday - no broken shelf supports, the door is hung correctly and my big bread loaf pans and cookie sheets all fit inside. I was so excited to try it out today and, since we haven't run the wood stove the past few days (lots of passive solar heat coming from the sunroom), I decided to try the oven on the BBQ grill. (Before I ever purchased the oven I talked to Mother about using it over other heat surfaces besides the wood stove. The oven is so expensive that I wanted it to be used all year long, not just in the winter, so I measured the BBQ grill before hand and knew it would fit.)


I'm not sure how long it took to pre-heat because I had to have DH change out the propane tank after a few minutes however, once the grill was going for real, maybe 5 minutes on medium heat to get up to 350°?

I put in the enchiladas and watched the temperature gauge. I was surprised that a setting between medium and low kept the oven at the right temperature. I was worried I would have to keep the grill on high to maintain a high enough temperature - which would have used up the propane super fast.

And I goofed Couldn't learn from my wood stove cooking experience but I used my infamous poly/cotton hot pad to open up the oven and ... well, it melted a bit so now the left edge of the door of the oven has some (gratefully not very noticeable) baked on hot pad. So out came the fireplace/welding gloves. I know this has been mentioned before but if any of you think you might do some over the fire cooking then please buy some welding gloves. Really, buy welding gloves because they are heat resistant and they don't melt.

And here are some not very interesting enchilada photos. You all will have to put up with me because I'm really excited.



See, the cheese melted.




The flames from the BBQ weren't that close to the bottom of the oven but I thought I should check just in case so, after I was finished cooking and the oven cooled, I looked at the bottom. No scorch marks and it looked fine. (Also, cleaned some of the hot pad off the oven door but I'm afraid some will remain baked on forever )

Next on the list will be to build a fire outside, let it burn down to coals, prop the oven up on bricks over the coals and see if I can figure out how to get the right temperature. Although I'm not certain I'm ready to try that just yet.

[Mother]

Cheering Sling Mama on. Good going with the grill and the oven. You will have little trouble with the open fire if you remember that it will work a LOT better with hot coals instead of flame. Don't move the oven in this case, move the coals. If something is long cooking you may have to replace coals under the oven a couple of times so keep the fire producing them in the fire pit itself. If you happen to be using charcoal, get them going between your bricks before you put the oven on and then if you think you are going to need more, add them a few at a time around the edges. A long handled tongs works well for that.

By the way, reminder...a small shovel is useful for moving those coals. You can use the shovel from a fire place set but I like just a nice lightweight regular shovel with a longer handle to keep me back from the flame.

(((SlingMama)

[SlingMama]

Thanks Mother for the encouragement. I'm so excited about my oven because now I can cook outside during the summer and not heat up the house. Oh, and I forgot to post that the chimney guy thought the best solution, to get the oven to fit on the top of the wood stove, would be to remove the handle on the top loading lid (our Vermont Castings wood stove has a lid on the top so wood can be loaded from above) and then use some kind of hook instead. DH isn't really thrilled with the idea but I figure if SHTF he'd stop being so picky

Now I just need a fire pit in the backyard. I need to think about this carefully however because living in the desert the whole yard is a fire hazard. It will need to be out of the wind but we have plenty of rocks rocks, rocks, rocks everywhere so I should be able to line the fire pit for quite a distance. Anyway, I'll mull it over and maybe I'll get around to it in a few weeks.

[Mother]

Here's some ideas if you fear a fire when cooking.

If you have plenty of rocks, why not build a windbreak for the fire. For those who don't have rocks, use your firewood stacked on the windward side, perhaps in a U shaped around the fire but far enough out that you can walk around your fire.

Make sure you use wood that doesn't spark easily

Wet the surrounding area down if possible and have a hose or water source near when you have the fire going.

Dig the fire pit into the ground far enough to keep the fire contained. A Dakota Fire Hole is one way to do it. It is great for safety and for hiding a fire as well. It also concentrates the fire under a pot or oven so a smaller amount of fuel is needed. Use hot coals for the oven so you don't get smoke in the food.
http://www.survivalt...kota-fire-hole/ (lots of interesting info here)

The type of fire you build and the wood you use will determine the fire hazard so it pays to experiment with different types of fire pits. I like to use a 'keyhole' style when baking or frying, usually with the large round area towards the prevailing winds with a windbreak positioned around it towards the wind. I build my fire in the large round area and feed it until I have a bed of coals. Then I transfer coals to the narrow 'trench-like' end and use a grill or rocks or ? to hold my pot or oven over those. It's easy to transfer more coals when needed and the round area can be used for other cooking. Frying foods over this trench area is less hazard and hot to use and the smaller area is more like a stove burner than a fire.

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You can also build your fire in a charcoal grill. You can find them in various sizes, often at garage sales or flea markets. Remember, there is nothing says you have to use a conventional fire pit. You can buy patio fire pits now that are decorative and useful. If they are open on the top you can do a lot of cooking with them using a grill on top. A half barrel works with a few holes in it for draft. Any container that is safe to contain a fire can be used but be cautious of galvanized. When it comes to a crisis situation we need to think outside the pit .....errr....box.

Happy cooking

[Percysgirl]

My gutted toaster oven hasn't worked well so far. I'm thinking about ordering the one from Lehmanns to try it out.

How hot do you have to get your woodstove to get what corresponding temperature inside the oven?

[SlingMama]

My gutted toaster oven hasn't worked well so far. I'm thinking about ordering the one from Lehmanns to try it out.

How hot do you have to get your woodstove to get what corresponding temperature inside the oven?

I'm assuming the Lehman's oven will run about the same temps as my Double Oven. (Sorry I haven't been able to try it but we've been getting so much passive solar from the sunroom we haven't had to fire up the wood stove for about 2 weeks. If we have a cold snap I'll be happy to test the Lehman's oven.)

We run our wood stove with a stove top (not chimney) temp of 500 - 600 degrees which equals an oven temp of 350 - 375°. Although I once managed to get the oven temp to almost 400° - I think? - with a stove top temp of 550°.

------------------------

And Mother, addicted to pioneer cooking minds must think alike because I've been eying those patio fire pits for weeks now. I've seen some really big ones that I'm sure I could use with the oven. It's just ... I keep on spending on preps and I'm just waiting for DH to explode at me some day, so I'm trying to keep the purchases spaced out. On the other hand, he might explode if he finds I've dug a big hole in the yard and started a fire. Maybe I can do it far away from the house, while he's at work and swear the kids to secrecy

[Mother]

Percysgirl, thanks for getting back to us on the toaster oven experiment. I had really hoped it would work though as it would be a great way for most people to convert them if TSHTF. I believe that most of our modern pots and pans are not heavy enough for baking on an open fire unless you happen to have some of the heavier ones. They may have to improvise as I've done in the past and use cookie sheets as reflector ovens. Pioneer cooks used something similar or they used slabs of wood to reflect the heat back on breads and such. It can be done and it's probably a good idea for anyone to try it out before they might need the info. But then again, Necessity is the mother of invention...

Slingmama, a bit of advice,,,,,never swear a kid to silence LOL If they are like most kids they will have such fun with the "new" experiment they won't be able to NOT talk about it....Seems to me you will have to find another tactic.

Seriously though, Have you tried talking to him about how serious you feel that you need to learn these things? Not becuse you feel that the world as we know it is going to end but because you feel a connection to the past, to your grandparents, and you need to know them through their skills and tasks. If you are a true Pionifile (that's my word LOL) once started on learning one skill, you won't be able to stop there. It IS addicting but it's also rewarding and truthfully gives so much to your family, even your DH. He will benefit from the skills you have learned because in the long run they save money and now a-days that's important. In the mean time you ARE building a survival base that might come in real handy, perhaps in the near future.

As for spending money for this education,,,well you will probably have to spend some for basic stuff but in general, the pioneer did not spend a lot. They manufactured or improvised what they needed. That should be part of the learning curve too. I do usually encourage MODERN pioneerism but there is nothing more rewarding than trying to figure out how it was done BEFORE. It's amazing what you can do with just a couple of basic implements and supplies. So for those of you who feel you can't afford to learn how the pioneer lived,,,think deeper. You might have more resources at your fingertips than you realize.

Okay, I admit, this last bit should have been in the cooking thread maybe but hopefully people are reading both of these great threads.

[SlingMama]

Oh my, Pionifile That is totally me. This whole pioneer living is utterly, completely and disturbingly addictive. Speaking of which ... I used the BBQ grill and baked whole wheat bread in my Lehman's oven Here is how it went.


The oven took about 10 minutes to preheat. I had the heat set a little lower than high.

The oven is big enough for my three oversized loaf pans but I didn't want to press my luck so I only put in two loaves plus the tiny loaves my kids made. I make five loaves at a time so I put the other 3 loaves in the electric oven.

After about 15 minutes I had to open the Lehman's oven and check on the tiny loaves. The oven temp dropped about 50 degrees. And you know how in an electric or gas oven the oven self-regulates the temp, so if you open the door and let the heat out the oven will bump up the heat to compensate? Well, baking on the BBQ grill I'm the regulator. So every time I opened the oven door I had to remember to adjust the heat up and then back down. Although I'm still figuring that out and sometimes I increased the heat too much. Will just take some practice.
(And to digress a bit. When I used my Double Oven on the wood stove, and the oven temp dropped, I would increase the wood stove temp by opening the stove damper for a few minutes. Just in case anyone was wondering how to regulate oven temperature on a wood stove )

So, finished product. The tops didn't brown quite as much as the electric oven bread which, IMO, is even better because whole wheat has a tendency to over brown anyway.






After the oven cooled I took a look at it. During baking I'd been having problems with the door sticking so badly I had to pry it open. Some of the problem was the sticky residual from my melted pot holder (whoops) but some of the sticky on the frame appears to be melting paint (?). Or something. Along the top edge of the oven frame are strips of something glue like and, when heated the glue-like stuff, causes the door to stick to the frame. I'm not sure what it going on but maybe the steam venting out is causing it?
Latching the oven door tightly makes it stick worse so I figured out that, if I didn't latch the oven, the sticky held it closed just fine and then it would open more easily.

Last thing, a very small bit of paint in the very bottom corners where the door rubs on the frame has come off.

So I'm mulling over the sticky door, realizing that, over time, my oven isn't going to look so pretty and that eventually the paint on the top edge might bubble off. I decided I don't care. Every oven gets discolored and stained. Really, in a SHTF situation no one at my house will care if we have a beautiful oven or not - but hot bread
And I have to tell you it was GREAT having two ovens going at the same time. I usually have to stagger out my bread because my electric oven only fits 4 loaves. This time I baked all my bread in half the time
I gave my DH a big hug and kiss for funding my wonderful anniversary, Valentine's Day, birthday present.

Edited by SlingMama, 06 March 2009 - 10:54 AM.