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HELP! What was this called????


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So about 23 years ago when I was a scout we used to use a aluminum pot with a metal grate at the bottom. You would fill the pot with water to right below the top of the grate and you could cook like the jiffy cakes and cornbread or bake anything really. For the life of me I can't remember what these were called. My dad is looking for one and I am seeing if anyone can help us out.

Thanks!

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An aluminum Dutch oven will do the same thing without the water. As a matter of fact any Dutch oven will do it. Instead of a grate in the bottom, just put three small rocks under the pie pan and it does the same thing.

 

Stosh

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Thanks so much! That is what he was looking for. The bakepacker is what he was looking for. Dutch Oven would work but he is looking for something light he can pack on a motorcycle.
Aluminum Dutch oven. I can hold straight out at arms length, one hand. It is great for holding kitchen supplies as well. For kayaking/canoeing, it's great! I even took it to the BWCA in the bottom of a duffle bag.

 

Stosh

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What I can't figure out is why the water? Wouldn't that make the baked goods soggy? I can see it to protect the bottom of a dry pan from warping, but a steamed cake vs. a baked cake doesn't appeal to me. At least the DO is heavy duty enough to heat dry without warping. I'd be more inclined to go with a reflector oven over the steamer idea.

 

Stosh

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What I can't figure out is why the water? Wouldn't that make the baked goods soggy? I can see it to protect the bottom of a dry pan from warping, but a steamed cake vs. a baked cake doesn't appeal to me. At least the DO is heavy duty enough to heat dry without warping. I'd be more inclined to go with a reflector oven over the steamer idea.

 

Stosh

 

Per the website, it's not a steamer--the food is cooked inside a plastic bag and never meets steam or water. The aluminum grid transfers a greater amount of heat from the boiling water than the water itself can transfer. By cooking in a bag, you've turned a pot of boiling water into an oven that doesn't weigh as much as a dutch oven.

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What I can't figure out is why the water? Wouldn't that make the baked goods soggy? I can see it to protect the bottom of a dry pan from warping, but a steamed cake vs. a baked cake doesn't appeal to me. At least the DO is heavy duty enough to heat dry without warping. I'd be more inclined to go with a reflector oven over the steamer idea.

Stosh

 

The water/steam is to transfer heat. From what I've read about it, it doesn't make for soggy foods. Now, they aren't crisp like dry baked goods, but they aren't soggy. Here's a link to a DIY version:

 

http://www.trailcooking.com/fauxbaker/

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You can make your own out of some type of light material. Depending on the size of your pot, you can try throw away micro wave bowls; just punch holes for the steam and it would work. You can also make sized to fit screen of some kind and simply put a few rocks in the bottom of the pot and drop the screen on top. I am sure there are other ways to achieve the same result.

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Plastic? I really don't like the idea of cooking in plastic, I'll stick to the aluminum DO. I like my baked goods browned. :)

 

Steaming in the culinary world is expressed as cooking with moist heat, it is great for vegetables, seafood, etc. The temperature is limited to 212 degrees F. (unless under pressure) which is a moist delicate heat for delicate foods. All one needs to do is get above 165 degrees to completely cook food. Baking is cooking with dry heat. The temperature can reach well above anything one wishes for baking. <300 degrees, warming oven, 300 degrees, cool oven, 350 medium oven, and 400+ hot oven. Not many people want to go above 450. The result browning and drying moist ingredients.

 

What these people hope to do with a steam baker is beyond me. The best one will get out of it is baking in a warming oven setting. :)

 

If one is not interested in browning, one can always cook their baked goods in a fry pan on the stove. I have seen boys do a fry pan cobbler that is everything except browned.

 

If one wishes light weigh, I'd go with a reflector oven where one is not limited by the temperature of steam.

 

Stosh

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You can make your own out of some type of light material. Depending on the size of your pot' date=' you can try throw away micro wave bowls; just punch holes for the steam and it would work. You can also make sized to fit screen of some kind and simply put a few rocks in the bottom of the pot and drop the screen on top. I am sure there are other ways to achieve the same result. [/quote']

 

You're not getting it. It's not a screen, it's a grid. The steam is not cooking the food, the heat is transferred to the grid in a physical phenomenon called a heat pipe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_pipe), the grid in turn transfers the heat to the food and cooks it.

In your "alternatives" a screen or bowl are just keeping the food out of the water or off the bottom of the pan--that's not the function of the bakepacker grid. Those alternatives do not create a heat pipe.

 

Here's a video:

(It's from the BWCA, jblake ;) )
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Mmmmm' date=' food baked in plastic. ;)[/quote']

 

I have baked muffins and biscuits in an aluminum mess kit as if it were a mini-Dutch oven. Works really well and one doesn't get any plastic flavoring to it. Do the biscuits in the pan/plate combo as a DO and do the sausage and gravy in the boiler. When done, open up the mess kit, pour on the sausage and gravy and it will be far better than any plastic baked biscuit and boil in a bag sausage and gravy.

 

Stosh

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