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Camp Ovens and cast iron cookware???


Yoodles82

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Hi everyone,

I'm in the market for some cast-iron cookware and want to know everyones opinions on brands???

Anaconda has spinifex camp ovens on special at the moment...has anyone used these? Any good?

I've heard the BCF ones are pretty crap...and can crack/warp.

Any ideas? Also want fry pans etc.

Cheers

Nat

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my experience has been to always buy the most solid cast- ironware. as you've been already told, thin stuff warps and cracks under heat stress. they all crack if you dunk them in water when they're hot!!! i have a METTERS brand some 45 years old plus one that i reckon banjo patterson probably used cos it belonged to my grandfather and i'm 76 next week or so. search the second hand shops particularly in out of town areas and when you get some good old stuff look after it. got some recipes if you would like them.B)

good luck yoodles82 dont buy aluminium

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I think the key to cast iron cookware is in the seasoning of them from new.

Yes they tend to get brittle if they are not run in.

I have a couple of the spinifex brrand and they have been going strong for ages. I also have 1 i purchased at BCF, it to works fine.

As i said its all in the run in.

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I go camping with 2 guys who are camp oven fanatics. One has a Ballarat Black, which is a good oven but no longer in production. The other guy has a Furphy, which is an excellent oven but it's bloody heavy!!! The theory is that the lighter ones tend to develop "hot spots" that cause burning of the tucker.

Having said that....I know a bloke up at Cooyar who does camp oven catering for large groups of people. He uses the cheap imported ones because he uses so many, and his food is spectacular.

I think the only cast iron camp oven manufacturer left in Oz is Furphy. Check out their website. Furphy ovens are about 3 times the weight of the imported ones and 3 times the price.

Not many bargains in 2nd hand aussie ones either, unless you stumble across somebody who doesnt know the value of what they have. Old Aussie camp ovens are collectors items and actively sought after.

As Shortie said, seasoning and correct care is probably the most important consideration.

Lots of camp oven sites on the net.

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Shop around... some of the camping sites are poisonous on the price of furphys.

You can ring Furphy and buy over the phone with you credit card. Delivery is about $25 to your door and could work out a lot cheaper than going to a retailer.

The website used to list their retailers. Go and look at the ovens at the retailer and price it but know your prices from Furphy first.

As i said, they're excellent ovens but freakin heavy.

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I have both old school and BCF brand ovens and skillets and have never found a problem with them. To season a camp oven or skillet, get some cheap as lamb flaps from the butcher and if doing a camp oven put a couple on a trivett and then heat the oven from cold, till there is smoke billowing out the sides. Then let the oven cool again without opening lid or anything. The heat in there makes the meat bubble and spit all over the place coating the inside when the casting is at its more porest when hot. Same with skillet, just heat slowly though so you dint burn the flaps on the skillet.

Always when buying a camp oven, look for lids with a lip on them. It makes it so much easier to pile coals on top and the keep them there when you move the lid.

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