Thoughts about GSI hard anodized camp ovens

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.

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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.

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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.

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The following morning it was time for biscuits.

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Some sausage and eggs cooked. (Camp Chef Weekender stove and a 12” Lodge skillet)

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I just never get tired of food like this in camp.

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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.

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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.

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Have to post a glamour shot! :) We are about 15 miles outside of Tonopah, NV.

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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.

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Of course I baked some more bread so we made French Toast it. The A.N.K. bread makes great sandwiches and French Toast.

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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
 

Hilldweller

SE Expedition Society
Nice review, Joanne. I've been using the 12" for many years and have no complaints. In cooler weather I erect a wind-break and use a few more coals; I've done this down to single digit temps.

I also nest my ovens but have a Banks FryBake living inside my 12" GSI. It's also hard anodized aluminum and is remarkably tough.
http://store.nols.edu/Store/pc/Fry-Bake-Pan-p42.htm#.VGYIgslrODU
Shop around for deals on the FryBake or apply for the NOLS discount.
 

Black Dog

Makin' Beer.
I just never get tired of food like this in camp.



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.

AlDO_003.jpg

Me neither on the good food!

I've been cooking a really good bread a lot lately that your loaf looks similar to. Google the Alaska from Scratch dutch oven crusty bread recipe, its super fool proof and super easy. I'm working on adapting it to a regular oven recipe (pan of boiling water in the oven for steam, remove the pan in the last 15 minutes) and reshaping it from a boule to more of a longer loaf for sandwich slices. I'd like to convert it to sour dough too which shouldn't be too hard since its such a simple recipe.
 

Joanne

Adventurer
Me neither on the good food!

I've been cooking a really good bread a lot lately that your loaf looks similar to. Google the Alaska from Scratch dutch oven crusty bread recipe, its super fool proof and super easy. I'm working on adapting it to a regular oven recipe (pan of boiling water in the oven for steam, remove the pan in the last 15 minutes) and reshaping it from a boule to more of a longer loaf for sandwich slices. I'd like to convert it to sour dough too which shouldn't be too hard since its such a simple recipe.

VERY similar recipe to the one I bake. My recipe substitutes beer for 1/4 of the water. The long rise time has two main benefits, little or no kneading, and better flavor development. Baking in cast iron adds thermal mass as well as retaining the steam that helps the crust creation. I've tried various methods of getting steam in a home oven, but none have been as successful as I get out of the DO. In culinary school we got to use ovens with steam injection and that worked great. Nothing like good bread.

Oh yeah, the bread recipe that I'm doing is the Cooks Illustrated Almost No Knead Bread. Although Cooks Illustrated is subscription only, the recipe is all over the internet.


Joanne
 
Last edited:

FJR Colorado

Explorer
I've been cooking a really good bread a lot lately that your loaf looks similar to. Google the Alaska from Scratch dutch oven crusty bread recipe, its super fool proof and super easy. I'm working on adapting it to a regular oven recipe (pan of boiling water in the oven for steam, remove the pan in the last 15 minutes) and reshaping it from a boule to more of a longer loaf for sandwich slices. I'd like to convert it to sour dough too which shouldn't be too hard since its such a simple recipe.

VERY similar recipe to the one I bake. My recipe substitutes beer for 1/4 of the water. The long rise time has two main benefits, little or no kneading, and better flavor development. Baking in cast iron adds thermal mass as well as retaining the steam that helps the crust creation. I've tried various methods of getting steam in a home oven, but none have been as successful as I get out of the DO. In culinary school we got to use ovens with steam injection and that worked great. Nothing like good bread.

I tried that bread this morning with pretty good results.

I let the dough rise over night. It didn't rise as much as I thought it would. But still came out pretty good. The exterior crust was superb. I was hoping for some larger air pockets. I like "bubbly" bread. What's the secret to getting max dough rise? Beer? Maybe a little sugar to ignite the yeast?

Per the on-line recipe, I did not knead at all. Maybe it really does need some kneading?

I used an enamel coated DO in the oven at 450. Heated it well. Used some canola spray. That part went better than I expected.
 

Black Dog

Makin' Beer.
Per the on-line recipe, I did not knead at all. Maybe it really does need some kneading?

I don't technically knead mine, but when I flop it out of the bowl after rising I turn it over a number of times on a floured board, I end up working about another 1/8 cup of flour into it which seems like it helps firm it up a bit.

I also add an extra half teaspoon of salt just to bump up the flavor a bit too. My next venture with this recipe is to tinker with the baking temp and time to make the crust thinner and softer for sandwich slices.
 

java

Expedition Leader
I tried that bread this morning with pretty good results.

I let the dough rise over night. It didn't rise as much as I thought it would. But still came out pretty good. The exterior crust was superb. I was hoping for some larger air pockets. I like "bubbly" bread. What's the secret to getting max dough rise? Beer? Maybe a little sugar to ignite the yeast?

Per the on-line recipe, I did not knead at all. Maybe it really does need some kneading?

I used an enamel coated DO in the oven at 450. Heated it well. Used some canola spray. That part went better than I expected.

Made this last night too. I just dropped the dough out of the bowl it was rising in and shaped it a little, no kneading. Mine turned out similar to yours, very good crust, but "spongy" lots of small pockets.

I just ordered a cast iron DO with legs. I will be trying a loaf on coals shortly!!
 

Joanne

Adventurer
I've also struggled to get a consistent open crumb structure in my breads. Sometimes I get it and sometimes I don't. It seems like when I was baking a lot, the structure was consistently good. Now I only bake it a few times a year and the grain is tighter. The flavor is good, but it doesn't have the open structure I would like to achieve.

Here's an article I found discussing this exact topic, and even talks about the "No Knead" recipe. www.culinate.com/columns/ask_hank/holey_bread_tips

I believe that there are three primary factors: dough hydration, raise time, and dough handling. Strive for a moist dough, long rise time, and stretch the dough a couple of times.

I get a lot of requests for the bread this time of year. Maybe I'll start baking loaves as gifts and write down notes of how each batch was processed to see if I can track down the "magic". I'll post my results here if I can get it figured out.

Joanne
 

FJR Colorado

Explorer
I've also struggled to get a consistent open crumb structure in my breads. Sometimes I get it and sometimes I don't. It seems like when I was baking a lot, the structure was consistently good. Now I only bake it a few times a year and the grain is tighter. The flavor is good, but it doesn't have the open structure I would like to achieve.

Here's an article I found discussing this exact topic, and even talks about the "No Knead" recipe. www.culinate.com/columns/ask_hank/holey_bread_tips

I believe that there are three primary factors: dough hydration, raise time, and dough handling. Strive for a moist dough, long rise time, and stretch the dough a couple of times.

I get a lot of requests for the bread this time of year. Maybe I'll start baking loaves as gifts and write down notes of how each batch was processed to see if I can track down the "magic". I'll post my results here if I can get it figured out.

Joanne

I tried it again with a moister dough and it really came out great.

It rose like crazy. After 4 hours it was so puffy I decided to go ahead and bake it. Perfect exterior crust all the way around just like before. But big nice air pockets.

The fresh crunchy bread was great for a sandwich. It would have been great for soup dunking.

This morning I used the left overs to make french toast which was off the charts.
 

Joanne

Adventurer
I tried it again with a moister dough and it really came out great.

It rose like crazy. After 4 hours it was so puffy I decided to go ahead and bake it. Perfect exterior crust all the way around just like before. But big nice air pockets.

The fresh crunchy bread was great for a sandwich. It would have been great for soup dunking.

This morning I used the left overs to make french toast which was off the charts.


That's great news! It can take a bit of trial and error to get the technique dialed in just right. Whenever we have leftover bread at the end of a camp-out, French Toast is the last morning's breakfast. As you know it makes amazing French toast. Your friends will be stunned when you bake a loaf of bread right at the campground. My only warning: You will be expected to bake fresh bread every camping trip!

I baked four loaves this weekend using a 10" Dutch Oven inside my kitchen oven. I too had noticed that my dough was too dry so I went back to the basics. I had been using 5 ounces as my weight for a cup of flour. It seemed to work well in the past but I recently moved over to King Arthur flour. I checked their website and their recommendation is 4 1/4 ounces per cup. Sure enough the dough was spot on. Some times it helps to go right back to the beginning and check everything.

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Congrats again on your bread success!

Joanne
 

java

Expedition Leader
Well since this is now a bread thread :)

Thoughts on rapid rise vs normal yeast. All I had was rapid, and I used the whole pack. Was left 12 hours. Make much difference crumb wise?
 

Joanne

Adventurer
I don't technically knead mine, but when I flop it out of the bowl after rising I turn it over a number of times on a floured board, I end up working about another 1/8 cup of flour into it which seems like it helps firm it up a bit.

I also add an extra half teaspoon of salt just to bump up the flavor a bit too. My next venture with this recipe is to tinker with the baking temp and time to make the crust thinner and softer for sandwich slices.

I would be interested in hearing how your experiments turn out. I love the crust on mine, but it is certainly thick and chewy if it's been stored overnight. Still makes for a great sandwich.

Joanne
 

Hilldweller

SE Expedition Society
Well since this is now a bread thread :)

Thoughts on rapid rise vs normal yeast. All I had was rapid, and I used the whole pack. Was left 12 hours. Make much difference crumb wise?
I've only used rapid for pizza crust and it turned out very good.
 

Black Dog

Makin' Beer.
I would be interested in hearing how your experiments turn out. I love the crust on mine, but it is certainly thick and chewy if it's been stored overnight. Still makes for a great sandwich.

Joanne

It turned out alright the first loaf I made. I still did the same time and temp but didn't do it in a dutch oven and used the steaming pan of water. My problem was that I shaped the loaf too long and thin so it made for some small sandwiches. I'm going to start another loaf for the dutch oven tonight and back tomorrow for Thanksgiving, this one will be different because I'm going to substitute a bit of rye.
 

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