By KK Owner Monica Coleman
Which is best – cast iron or spun steel?
They are both great at different things so I travel with one of each. Hubby’s not too happy though as he’d love to replace the weight of the cast iron pot with even more tools and spare parts! But then again he does love his food….
My Bedourie Oven is made of spun steel and hence is nice and light. This means it will heat up very quickly but will also cool down very quickly. So it’s ideal for quick cooking such as scones, pies, frittatas and other egg dishes. The pot itself can also be used as a saucepan on the stove top and really comes in handy when you’ve caught some yabbies or crabs. Its lid covers the pot completely, which reduces the chances of getting ash inside but also makes it hard to remove easily.
My cast iron pot is heavy, so it will take a long time to heat up and is best pre-heated before use. Once you’ve got those hot coals loaded on top it will stay hot for a very long time. It’s great for roasts, stews, curries etc. The lid sits on the inside rim of the pot so you have to be very careful when lifting the lid otherwise you’ll be eating charcoal stew.
What else do you need?
Whichever pot you end up with, you’ll need some basic accessories. The most useful item is a pair of welding gloves, allowing you to lift lids and move pots about on the coals. A hook for lifting the lid on the cast iron pot is also essential. My Bedourie Oven came with a removable handle but it’s not well balanced so I prefer to use the gloves.
A trivet is also a great investment. This is a circle of mesh that has an edge or feet on it. Place it in the bottom of your pot when baking and your food won’t come into contact with the pot so shouldn’t burn or stick. Obviously a trivet is not much good if you’re making a stew!
Baking paper is also very handy. If I’m baking I’ll put down my trivet and then put a layer of baking paper down. A useful tip to stop the paper from blowing around is to scrunch it up into a ball first then flatten it out.
If I’m making a pie or something small that doesn’t need the whole pot, I put down a trivet and then place a smaller metal or silicone baking dish on that.
If I’m cooking a large piece of meat like a leg of lamb or a whole chicken, I like to put it into an oven bag. Don’t forget to make a hole in the top of the bag to allow the steam to escape.
Season the pot before use
The box will say that it’s been seasoned but probably not well enough. Do this at home before a trip. Heat up your oven. Place the pot (and lid separately) into the oven and heat to about 175 degrees. Take them out of the oven and rub the inside with vegetable oil using paper towel. Don’t use olive oil and it can go rancid quite quickly. Mop up any excess oil and wait till the pot is cool enough to touch before repeating the process. You need to do this at least ten times – a bit of effort now will pay long term dividends.
How to keep your pots in good condition
Never, ever use soapy water to wash the pot. I’m lazy, especially after a few glasses of wine, so I simply add a little water and let it sit overnight. If you’re one of those people who just has to clean up, bring the pot with a little water up to the boil, either on a stove or on the coals. When it cools down a little, rub the pot with paper towel. This should loosen any leftover bits and pieces. Drain the water away and wipe the pot with paper towel. Now bring the pot up to high heat and repeat the seasoning process mentioned above. You’ll be pleased to know you only need to do it once! Once cool, wipe away any excess oil and store your pot. Incidentally, I never do anything to the outside of my pots.
Recipes
Keep an eye on this blog for more camping recipes.
Feature Focus – Kruiser Off Road Caravan Plumbing & Water Conservation
Product feature - Off Road Caravans - Water Conservation A key design driver in the Kimberley Kruiser range is ensuring water is used smartly to reduce the amount weight carried and maximise comfort when camping. Let's face the fact, water is a precious resource off grid. Since 1994 Kimberley has been a pioneer and leader in off grid travel resource conservation. With the introduction of [...]
Recipe – Pork Belly With Crackling In Camp Oven
By KK Owner Monica Coleman Now you’re probably thinking that you’d have to make enough coals to heat the camp oven for hours and that’s a lot of wood and time! But here’s a much more clever way of going about making this delectable favourite. At Home Treat yourself to some pork belly for dinner one night and par-cook a couple of extra pieces. 1) Score [...]
Why We Love Our Kimberley Karavan by Ian & Lyndal Hall
Ian and Lyndal Hall from Queensland We are very privileged at Kimberley Kampers to have a wide variety of customers from all walks of life. We have professionals, business owners, lotto winners, farmers, tradies, celebrities, employees, employers and everything in between. We recognise our customers are our strongest sales force and are the best advocates for our products and brand. We will be spending many $000's each [...]
Places We Have Been In Our Kimberley Kamper by Monica Coleman
By KK Owner Monica Coleman Mt Moffat Section of Carnarvon National Park - QLD Everyone’s heard of Carnarvon National Park in Queensland, and rightly so, with its stunning gorges and great walking. That’s the main Gorge section of the park. Next time you’re in the area, why not check out the more isolated Mt Moffat Section of the park? Turn NW at Injune and it’s another [...]
Feature Focus – Kimberley Kamper Upright Fridge
Product feature - Kimberley Kamper - Upright fridge in a Camper Trailer - Pros and Cons Kimberley Kampers were the first to introduce the upright fridge into a hard floor Camper Trailer into their range of Kimberley's in February 2017. So three years on, what have we learnt? At KKHQ we have a guiding design philosophy that everything we introduce has a useable purpose, must [...]
Kimberley Kampers HQ July Update
July Update from KKHQ Welcome to our July 2020 update from KKHQ as we start a new Financial Year. We have now completed our first 18 months since our re-birth in January 2019 and what a tumultuous rollercoaster it has been. From being affected at a crucial time by the credit crunch after the Royal Commission in April 2019 to suffering some of the worst [...]
