PADDLINGgourmet by tarmo poldmaa
Bakin' in The Outback The first time I saw some serious baking in the wild was while I
was hiking in New Zealand, or “tramping” as they like to call it. I was on a six-day hut-to-hut tramp and along the way I met an energetic Kiwi family—Ma, Pa and their two littlins. The poor father had an enormous pack for his size and I felt sorry for him because I knew he had a hell of a climb ahead. That night we ended up in the same hut. By the time the family
arrived I had finished my simple pasta meal and was busy trying to decide whether to make my chocolate stash last me for the rest of my hike or just eat it all at once. I watched the family take over the gas burners and start making
their meal. It didn't take long to figure out that Pa's pack was filled with baking supplies and cooking utensils. Before long the family was sitting down to an amazing three-course feast followed by a wonder- ful chocolate cake. I know there were two things on the minds of everyone else in the hut that night: not feeling sorry for Pa, and hope for an invite. Since my New Zealand experience I've tried baking while camping.
But outside of cooking the odd meal using tinfoil and a fire, I never really managed to bake consistently. Then I discovered the Outback
Who said kayak tripping meant giving up chocolate cake?
Oven—a lovely piece of equipment that is compact, light, versatile and fairly consistent when it comes to baking. The oven is pretty simple. There’s a special plate that sits between
the burner of your stove and the oven’s baking pan to deflect the heat around the pan rather than just heating the bottom. The oven also comes with a flame/heatproof cover that captures the deflected heat and holds it around the oven. The lid on the baking pan even has a temperature gauge on the top that’s visible through a hole in the cover, although I find that this feature isn't very reliable. Now, don't get the idea that you’re going to go out on your next
kayaking trip and make a soufflé—even my oven at home isn't consis- tent enough to do that. The recipes included here are pretty simple but can add a whole new dimension to your outdoor cooking repertoire. The standard-size 10-inch Outback Ovens lists for $67.90 US (about
$90 Cdn). Backpacker's Pantry, the company that makes the Outback Oven, sells an entire series of camping food specific to the Outback Oven, including things like pizza, lasagna and brownies. Visit
www.backpackerspantry.com for more information on these prepack- aged selections and the Outback Oven itself.
Backcountry Baking Tips Baking Tips 1. The Outback Oven has a tendency to cook the bottom a bit
quicker so turn down your burner to prevent burning. I know it's chocolate, but be patient!
2. Near the end of the baking time remove the lid on the pan and replace the “cone” that traps the heat. This will help with cook- ing the top of your dish. You may have to use some engineer- ing skills because the lid typically supports the cone. Stacking some rocks beside the stove to support the cone works well.
3. Grease the inside of the lid as well. If your cake or bread rises high enough to touch the lid it may stick.
4. Check once in a while. Don't rely totally on the thermometer. But at the same time don't be looking every couple of minutes because your cake could collapse.
5. Watch you don't overheat parts of your stove that are under the cone. If your burner sits above a butane canister or fuel tank, you must install the included reflector shield below the burner. Plastic knobs etcetera can also melt. You can protect them by wrapping them in tinfoil.
20 Summer 2004
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52