what do you cook,,,ON.

[john warren]

Originally Posted by dylanear

I have no doubt about that, but could I make some toast with two full batteries and not have a completely dead batteries afterwards?

I'm just curious. How long would 2 grp 31 120 amp hour batteries power a 1500 watt inverter under a strong load??



Cute, but still a bit big for me. I'm looking for something like 5lbs, big enough to fit one steak. 8x10 perhaps. Probably doesn't exist.

there is some formula for calculating load and how long you can las,,,,but i am not very good at math,,,though i do love pi!

[RogerDat]

Originally Posted by dylanear

I have no doubt about that, but could I make some toast with two full batteries and not have a completely dead batteries afterwards?

I'm just curious. How long would 2 grp 31 120 amp hour batteries power a 1500 watt inverter under a strong load??
.....

You need to know the draw on the 110 device your running. Then you have to use ohm's law figure out how many watts at 12 volts it takes to get same same amount of power as you draw at 110 volts.

If you know any two of the values you can solve for the third using ohm's law.

Size of inverter does not matter, it's watts drawn for how long to compare to watt hours stored in battery.

There are some electrical engineer types on the site that can give the exact conversion formula. I would have to figure it out or find one of their posts.

[Jon Vermilye]

While there are many variables, the basic calculations is to compare amp hours out vs amp hours in. For example, I use a 1000W inverter to make a pot of coffee in the morning. It draws 60 amps @ 12v for 10 minutes. So, I take 60 amps X 10 minutes which equals 600 amp minutes or 10 amp hours from the battery. I have a 95 watt solar panel that generally puts around 4 amps back into the batteries during the average morning. So, in 2.5 hours, the batteries will back to where they were before I made coffee. Of course if I'm also using the 12V system for other things, it will take longer to get back, and if I'm in full sun, less time. Most days with a couple of LED lights, short use of the water pump, and half hour or so on the laptop I'm back to 100% by 10:00AM...

[Ruthe]

I'd like to revive this conversation and learn a little more about the dutch ovens. Does anyone use one outside on an outdoor stove?

[carlkeigley]

Welcome to the Forum Ruthe........

I'm a dummy to the dutch oven, but would like to know myself.

[Carol H]

Welcome Ruthe, yes a lot of folks cook with Dutch Ovens.... I have only tried a couple of items. There have been a number of Dutch Oven workshops help at fiberglass rallies and Linda and Dale did one at the Bandon Oregon meet and put the workbook they handed out on here in PDF form.

If you look under the Camp Cooking, Food & Recipes of this forum you will find other recipes.

[Green Frog]

Originally Posted by Ruthe

I'd like to revive this conversation and learn a little more about the dutch ovens. Does anyone use one outside on an outdoor stove?

The Dutch Oven comes into its own when used with open (wood or charcoal) fires. You build up hot coals around the bottom of the oven (some folks even dig a fire pit to surround and contain it) Then put a good layer of hot coals on to top, held in place by the rim around the outside of the lid. Now you have a true oven and can bake anything in it you wish. I especially like blackberry cobbler!

Just because it's a big heavy pot with a flat bottom, it isn't necessarily a dutch oven. It has to have feet and a tightly fitting top with the aforementioned rim to hold coals. I generally cooked in a pot inside the oven and spaced off the bottom by 3-4 pebbles to provide air circulation under the pot. Others cook directly in the oven, especially when making stews, etc. There are also several good cookbooks for dutch oven style cooking

Froggie.

[Ruthe]

Okay now I get it. Thank you!

Ruthe

[Glenn Baglo]

Keep in mind that a lot of pots that the manufacturers call "Dutch Oven" have a domed lid, which means the coals will fall off. The lid needs to be flat with a rim to hold the coals.

[Ruthe]

That's what was confusing to me -- I thought a Dutch Oven was a pot that you put on top of a stove and could never figure out how it was supposed to be behaving like an oven.

[Sandy Christie]

Ruthe

Dutch Ovens fit on or in a Volcano grill/stove. Volcano stoves will burn charcoal briquettes, wood, or there is propane adapter for it as well. We have used all three and would recommend the unit to anyone. You can do just about anything in a Dutch oven that you can do on your home stove or oven. We have baked bread and cakes, cooked chicken and pork, made 1 pot meals. The list can go on and on. We have Lodge Camp Dutch Ovens (the ones with the 3 little legs and the lipped lid). Would not leave on a camping trip without them and the Volcano.

Sandy C

[Otters]

Yummmm, I love to cook in my dutch oven. There's a formula that I use to determine how many coals on top and bottom of the pot to = the temperature you need for the recipe. Its usually in any dutch oven recipe book or on the internet with a quick google. I usually line mine with foil if I'm making a cake or something that can stick to the bottom and sides. I'll also use a pan inside the pot too like Charlie mentioned. A nice well seasoned dutch oven is money well spent. The only downside is the weight. Try it, you'll like it!

[ericw]

We own a Lodge dutch oven as well. It is a camping staple for us. We usually use it over a fire or with charcoal. We favor desserts in them and most of those recipes like heat from the top and bottom. I agree that tin foil on the inside helps with cleanup. You can cook just about anything in them that you use your oven for at home.

On a humorous note, I was in Japan and discussing camping with some acquaintances. Thinking unlike tent or sleeping bag, this was not likely the first word they learned in school, I was trying to describe a dutch oven saying it was a big black cast iron pot to be used with coals.... All of sudden my companion replied, "You mean like Lodge dutch oven?" Turns out it was popular there also.

[Ruthe]

Theses are exactly the things I've wanted to know. We don't always have a campfire, so knowing about the Volcano Stove is important. However, one of the reasons I haven't cooked much over the fire is that I didn't know where to begin. We always just used the basic Coleman stove. We are planning to get an Escape 19 -- we used to have an Airstream, and I always tried to cook outdoors -- being outside I didn't care how long it took to make a meal. Even though I had an oven in the Airstream, I don't remember using it much, and now I'm thinking we just won't put one into the Escape. Should I worry about resale without an oven and with only 2 burners?

Ruth

[Alf S.]

Hi: john warren... How's about this for Sat. nite marshmallow roast/ Sun. morn breakfast?
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Tom Trostel]

Here's more than you may want to know about Dutch ovens,

Dutch oven - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

When campers use "Dutch oven" they are talking about a "camp Dutch oven"; cast iron, with 3 legs and a flat rimmed lid. This allows you to bake with heat from below and above. If you're not baking, then a kitchen style Dutch oven will work over a camp fire or on a propane stove.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Ruthe

Should I worry about resale without an oven and with only 2 burners?

Ruth

I wouldn't as most people I know who have ovens rarely use them and know more than one who has pulled the one they had out to gain more storage space due to the lack of use. I have a 3 burner stove and if I was ordering a new trailer I would only get a 2 burner as even though I use my inside stove often I dont recall ever using all 3 burners at once.

[Bobbie Mayer]

I was just at Costco and saw an oven alternative- a Camp Chef combo stove and oven that runs on propane. Huge and heavy, though, but meant for camping. It would be a nice alternative if you sometimes camp for days at a time and don't do a lot of driving to get to your campgrounds. It is about 40 lbs and about the size of a small trailer oven/burner setup, just not installed in the trailer. I wasn't at all tempted due to the weight and bulk although I'd enjoy having an oven.

Camp Chef Oven

[Ruthe]

Coleman Portable Propane Stove/Oven - Free Shipping at REI.com

This option from Coleman looks interesting.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Carol H

I wouldn't as most people I know who have ovens rarely use them and know more than one who has pulled the one they had out to gain more storage space due to the lack of use. I have a 3 burner stove and if I was ordering a new trailer I would only get a 2 burner as even though I use my inside stove often I dont recall ever using all 3 burners at once.

We were on a three week camping trip with my buddy and his wife . One morning as I headed out to enjoy my morning coffee I see my buddy Paul at the picnic table reading . Curious I asked what he was reading and he replied
"The owners manual for our oven" . Soon out came my wife with her coffee and asked Paul where his wife Renee was , he replied "She is inside taking the packing material out of the oven" They have owned the trailer for 5 years and had never used the oven. Since in Minnesota we camp mostly in the summer adding more heat to the trailer to be removed by the A/C seems silly but a homemade pie could change my mind