Joanne
Adventurer
My friend recently picked up a neat set of GSi hard anodized aluminum ovens. The set consists of a 10” nestled into a 12” along with a lid holder, all packed into a GSI semi-hard case. The whole setup doesn’t weigh much more than a single 10” cast iron oven. Of course weight isn’t the only advantage. The lack of rust in wet environments can be a real benefit to kayakers and canoe campers.
The ovens nestle into a semi-rigid case making transport quite easy.
The set contains a 12” with legs, a 10” without legs, a lid holder that doubles as legs for the 10”, and the carry case. I looked to see whether this set is available on the GSI website and couldn’t locate it. The pieces may have to be purchased separate and combined as a set.
The surface finish is quite smooth and the bottoms have been machined for a flat surface. GSI also offers an oven in a 14” size.
My friend Tony and I headed out to our mine to spend a week camping and cleaning out the bottom of the mineshaft. I decided to bring the set along to see how I liked them. The altitude is right at 6,000’, the temp in the 50s to 60s, and little or no wind as I was cooking. Pretty much perfect conditions for cooking so I didn’t get to see how they perform in adverse weather conditions.
So the first morning I decided to bake up some “tube” cinnamon rolls in the 10” oven. You can see that the oven is sitting on a lid holder to keep it above the coals. Although having legs on the oven would be convenient, the ability to nest really keeps the set compact for transport.
The following morning it was time for biscuits.
Some sausage and eggs cooked. (Camp Chef Weekender stove and a 12” Lodge skillet)
I just never get tired of food like this in camp.
So far I have been really pleased with how the ovens have been doing. I’m using the same coal count as I do on cast and everything is turning out great. My next test was a double batch of Almost No Knead bread. I really like the recipe since it’s so easy to make and turns out great loves.
Oh Yeah…. Fresh bread out in the middle of nowhere. Tony says he doesn’t eat nearly as well at home as he does with me in the middle of the desert.
Have to post a glamour shot!
We are about 15 miles outside of Tonopah, NV.
A couple of weeks later my room-mate and I were “glam camping” in her trailer over the Halloween weekend. We decided to make up some pumpkin pancakes and wanted to try the 12” lid as a griddle. It worked just fine on the trailer stove.
Of course I baked some more bread so we made French Toast it. The A.N.K. bread makes great sandwiches and French Toast.
One experienced camp cook mentioned that the ovens won’t perform as well in cold or windy conditions since the ovens will give up heat easily. The fast heating can be a benefit when baking and trying to get the oven up to temp quickly so the dough can get a nice oven spring as it starts to bake.
It was also noted that the 10” oven is a bit “tippy” when filled with liquid. Although I didn’t cook anything liquid in the 10”, I did fill it with water as a test. With a little movement the water would rush to one side causing an out of balance condition that resulted in a spill. So that is a definite drawback to the design.
Lastly, I noticed that the rim around the outside of the 10” lid is a bit lower than most of the ovens that I use. I had to be more careful to keep ash from falling into the food as I removed and replaced the lid.
Overall though I really like the set. The small, compact size of the set is a benefit when space or weight is limited. Someone who struggles with heavier ovens might also like these. I’m not ready to trade in my cast iron, but these are great ovens especially if you have special weight, size, or rust requirements. I wouldn’t hesitate to take them with me whenever I head out for some camping fun.
Joanne
The ovens nestle into a semi-rigid case making transport quite easy.
The set contains a 12” with legs, a 10” without legs, a lid holder that doubles as legs for the 10”, and the carry case. I looked to see whether this set is available on the GSI website and couldn’t locate it. The pieces may have to be purchased separate and combined as a set.
The surface finish is quite smooth and the bottoms have been machined for a flat surface. GSI also offers an oven in a 14” size.
My friend Tony and I headed out to our mine to spend a week camping and cleaning out the bottom of the mineshaft. I decided to bring the set along to see how I liked them. The altitude is right at 6,000’, the temp in the 50s to 60s, and little or no wind as I was cooking. Pretty much perfect conditions for cooking so I didn’t get to see how they perform in adverse weather conditions.
So the first morning I decided to bake up some “tube” cinnamon rolls in the 10” oven. You can see that the oven is sitting on a lid holder to keep it above the coals. Although having legs on the oven would be convenient, the ability to nest really keeps the set compact for transport.
The following morning it was time for biscuits.
Some sausage and eggs cooked. (Camp Chef Weekender stove and a 12” Lodge skillet)
I just never get tired of food like this in camp.
So far I have been really pleased with how the ovens have been doing. I’m using the same coal count as I do on cast and everything is turning out great. My next test was a double batch of Almost No Knead bread. I really like the recipe since it’s so easy to make and turns out great loves.
Oh Yeah…. Fresh bread out in the middle of nowhere. Tony says he doesn’t eat nearly as well at home as he does with me in the middle of the desert.
Have to post a glamour shot!
We are about 15 miles outside of Tonopah, NV.
A couple of weeks later my room-mate and I were “glam camping” in her trailer over the Halloween weekend. We decided to make up some pumpkin pancakes and wanted to try the 12” lid as a griddle. It worked just fine on the trailer stove.
Of course I baked some more bread so we made French Toast it. The A.N.K. bread makes great sandwiches and French Toast.
One experienced camp cook mentioned that the ovens won’t perform as well in cold or windy conditions since the ovens will give up heat easily. The fast heating can be a benefit when baking and trying to get the oven up to temp quickly so the dough can get a nice oven spring as it starts to bake.
It was also noted that the 10” oven is a bit “tippy” when filled with liquid. Although I didn’t cook anything liquid in the 10”, I did fill it with water as a test. With a little movement the water would rush to one side causing an out of balance condition that resulted in a spill. So that is a definite drawback to the design.
Lastly, I noticed that the rim around the outside of the 10” lid is a bit lower than most of the ovens that I use. I had to be more careful to keep ash from falling into the food as I removed and replaced the lid.
Overall though I really like the set. The small, compact size of the set is a benefit when space or weight is limited. Someone who struggles with heavier ovens might also like these. I’m not ready to trade in my cast iron, but these are great ovens especially if you have special weight, size, or rust requirements. I wouldn’t hesitate to take them with me whenever I head out for some camping fun.
Joanne
