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Best Camp Ovens in Australia (Cast Iron and Spun Steel)

For many of us, camping food is something simple that we need to eat that gets us through the day while out and about. It’s often compromised further due to the lack of a home kitchen and pantry – but it need not be.

BBQs are often the focus of bush cooking due to most campsites having a fire when allowed and grilling being quick and easy, but if you are not careful, it can result in half-burnt uneven cooked food.

But what if we told you that you could be eating nice slow cooked oven-baked foods or big stews or curries instead? Well with a quality camp oven, you can. A camp oven uses fire or gas to heat and you can create super-hot spaces to bake bread, casseroles, roasts or even pieces of chicken tandoori style.

Ovens are one of the most versatile cooking appliances we have and you don't need a fancy wall oven to achieve oven-baked food cooked to perfection. Sure they take a little time, but we usually have that in bucket loads around the campsite.

So if you or one of your camping friends love to cook and eat great food, then read on as we have reviewed the best camping ovens on the market in Australia so you can enjoy varied and tasty food while out in the bush.

 

Campfire Cast Iron Camp Oven 9 Quart

Charmate Round Cast Iron Camp Oven 9 Quart

Camp Chef 10in/25cm 6 Quart Deluxe Cast Iron Camp Oven

Dr Livingstone's Bedourie 10in/25cm

Southern Metal Spinners Aussie Camp Oven 12in


Best cast iron
Campfire Cast Iron Camp Oven 9 Quart
Charmate Round Cast Iron Camp Oven 9 Quart
Camp Chef 10in/25cm 6 Quart Deluxe Cast Iron Camp Oven
Dr Livingstone's Bedourie 10in/25cm
best spun steel
Southern Metal Spinners Aussie Camp Oven 12in

31.5L x 31.5W x 17H cm

31L x 31W x 17.5H cm

32.4cm x 32.4cm x 17.1cm

26L x 26W x 13H cm

30L x 30W x 18H cm

Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron

Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron

True Seasoned Finish cast iron

Heavy Gauge Spun Carbon Steel

Spun Steel

8.5 L

8.5 L

4.7 L

6.5 L

9 L

8.9 kg

8.5 kg

8.2 kg

2.5 kg

3.24 kg

1 Year

1 year

1 year

1 Year

1 Year

Best Camp Ovens Australia

Campfire Cast Iron Camp Oven 9 Quart

Campfire Cast Iron Camp Oven 9 Quart

Best Cast Iron Option

Pros
  • Pre-seasoned cast iron (this means you can use it straight out of the box)
  • Spiral carry handle
  • Flanged / concave lid
Cons
  • Reports of rust spots after minimal use

Cast iron camp ovens are usually the first thing that springs to mind as they are ubiquitous to the old school ideas about living in the bush. Damper anyone? Wallaby or possum stew? Early settlers of Australia used cast iron ovens as their primary cooking method, taking recipes from the UK and adapting them to Australia.

The Campfire Cast Iron Camp Oven 9 Quart is a classic design with a solid heavy-duty oven base, a spring handle to reduce heat and pressure on your hands when moving it and a flanged lid that will allow you to place coals on top of the oven to ensure all-around radiant and even heat.

People who have purchased this oven and used it while camping have nothing but glowing reviews. Finding something negative about this product was difficult - with only one person saying they found some rust spots on theirs.

Provided you have some idea of how to cook, this oven will help you create delicious meals for you, your friends and your family while out enjoying the bush.

Charmate Round Cast Iron Camp Oven 9 Quart

Charmate Round Cast Iron Camp Oven 9 Quart

Runner Up

Pros
  • Pre-seasoned cast iron
  • Spiral carry handle
  • Flanged / concave lid
Cons
  • None!

The Charmate Round Cast Iron Camp Oven 9 Quart is another classic style camp oven that is large enough to cook just about anything.

This style of oven is very versatile and provided you have a nice base of coals providing your heat, you can literally cook anything in this that you could cook at home. It also has a flanged or concave lid that allows extra coals to sit on top to ensure even cooking.

This is a newer product and as such there are not as many online reviews. The reviews that are available, however, are unanimously loving this.

Camp Chef 10in/25cm 6 Quart Deluxe Cast Iron Camp Oven

Camp Chef 10in/25cm 6 Quart Deluxe Cast Iron Camp Oven

Best For Baking/Frying

Pros
  • True seasoned finished cast iron
  • Has small legs for stability
  • The lid also has legs for use as a fry pan
  • Built-in thermometer notch
  • Includes a lid lifter
Cons
  • Lid lip doesn’t hold coals very well

The previous two camp ovens are near identical, they are of a classic design that hasn't changed in a hundred years, which is what makes them so useful and versatile, however, sometimes a little bit of design tweaking can be a very good thing.

The Camp Chef Deluxe Cast Iron Camp Oven is made from heavy and solid cast iron and is slightly smaller with a 4.7-litre capacity, however, this oven has a few more things going for it that the others don't.

First is a notch where you can insert a cooking thermometer to ensure a steady temperature throughout your cook. Knowing your temp and keeping it even are invaluable if you are cooking bread or roasted meats.

This camp oven also comes with legs for stability but also a lid that can be turned over and used as a frying pan whenever you need one. It also comes with its own lid lifter so you won't be searching for an oven mitt or have to put your hand close to an extremely hot oven.

Customer reviews are very positive with the only negative being the lid isn’t as good as holding coals as the classic design. While this oven is smaller than the classic, 4 litres or so of a stew is still enough to feed an entire family and you can enjoy fried eggs anytime with the handy lid.

Dr Livingstone's Bedourie 10in/25cm

Dr Livingstone's Bedourie 10in/25cm

Best For Fast Cooking

Pros
  • Much lighter than cast iron
  • Heats up quicker than cast iron
Cons
  • Requires seasoning the oven before use
  • Cooking is not always as even

Here is a camp oven that is far lighter than the other models, coming in at only a quarter of the weight of the cast iron ones listed. It is made out of heavy-duty spun carbon steel, which can heat up quicker than cast iron, and in turn can have you cooking quicker.

The oven itself with the lid off is easily used for frying a quick breakfast if need be or can be used for any fry pan or oven style dish from bread, to stir-fries to roast meat and vegetables. It has a decent capacity of over 6 litres so you could easily feed a large crew at once with a pot full of food.

The handle tends to get hot fairly quickly and the lid is smooth, meaning you can’t place coals on top of it. As it also heats up quicker – this can affect the heat distribution whereas a cast iron oven will be very evenly hot, this lighter version can be a little more at the whims of the fire. It also requires seasoning before use which can be a hassle. Still, reviews are positive from all users thanks to it's lightweight and fast cooking nature.

Southern Metal Spinners Aussie Camp Oven 12in

Southern Metal Spinners Aussie Camp Oven 12in

Best Spun Steel Option

Pros
  • 5 products in 1 – oven, fry pan, boiling pan, hanging pan and trivet
  • Spun metal is 75% lighter than cast iron
Cons
  • Heat is not always even
  • Needs monitoring when used as an oven

On the trend of lighter and more versatile camping ovens, here is the Southern Metal Spinners Aussie Camp Oven 12 inch version, which is Australian made and owned. This oven is made with multiple functions in mind.

As it is not cast iron, like the Dr Livingstone oven, it heats up and cools down much faster. The versatility of this product however is fantastic. You can fry food on the upside-down lid, bake bread using the oven, steam foods using the trivet, slowly cook fatty meat using the trivet or even just boil some vegetables with it.

Customer reviews are all very positive, with the negatives predictably about it not baking bread as well as a cast-iron oven.

While this is not particularly important for most people, if it is for you then this may not be your oven of choice. For everyone else, the versatility of this product alone deserves high marks and this oven is great at quick and varied cooking.

What To Look For When Buying Camp Ovens

We all need to eat, but not everyone loves to cook. For the chefs in your family group, there are some considerations you will want to make before heading out to buy an oven or ordering ono online.

Cast Iron or Spun Steel?

As you have read, some of these camp ovens are made of heavy cast iron, while others, being much lighter, are not.

Cast iron is much heavier – it serves the purpose of providing steady and even heat much better than even some home ovens. However, it takes longer to heat up and cool down but provides very even heat, reducing the chance of burning your food.

Spun steel or other metals, while being far lighter, are still in the 3-4 kg range, meaning you probably won't be hiking with one. These models heat up (and cool down) much quicker and don't quite provide the same even heating as cast iron will, especially if your heat source is only from the bottom.

But for many people, it doesn't matter: quick-cooking and baking are what they want and spun steel will allow you to do this.

Classic or New designs

There is something to be said about a design that has not changed in hundreds of years and is used in Europe, the US, southern Africa and Australia. It's heavy and it works.

You can make some of the best bread you will ever make or some of the best very slow-cooked stews, curries or roasts whilst at a campsite, all you need is a decent fire. The classic design is large enough to feed a lot of people if needed but also usable enough for a one or two-person meal.

Newer designs and tweaks of classics are available and they are more versatile. If you want to fry something quick, or even steam some vegetables, then ovens like the Southern Metal Spinners spun steel that comes with different functions could be better for you.

Likewise, the cast iron Camp Chef with additional legs and notches, while smaller than the classic, gives you a little more versatility.

Camp Ovens FAQ

Is a cast iron or spun steel camp oven better?

For baking bread or slow cooking a stew or a roast, cast iron will almost always produce a better-finished meal. If you want to stir fry, steam or boil then the results will be about the same.

Cast iron takes longer to heat up and is much heavier, but will provide stable even heat, even if your fire starts to die down. Snowys has a good breakdown on the difference between the two.

What is the best size camp oven?

This is a little like the piece of string question. The larger the oven the more useful it will be for different types of bread or roasting meat and vegetables, even for one or two people.

Large ovens can also produce up to 8 litres of stew, which is enough to feed far more than just two people. Smaller ovens are just that, smaller. They can still cook amazing meals but perhaps won't fit that roast chicken and potatoes in there quite as easily or as many bread buns.

At the end of the day, you should buy the oven size based on what you like to eat and how many people you plan on cooking for.

What can you cook in a camp oven?

Anything you can cook in a normal oven or a frying pan you can cook in a camp oven.

Both leavened and unleavened bread cook great in their high heats, it can act like a tandoori oven for marinated chicken, a whole pot roast or meat and vegetables or a stew or a curry cooks great too. You can even use it for boiling prawns or yabbies.

The only thing you probably can't do, is get some good griddle marks on your sausages or steak like you would be able to do with a camping BBQ.

Can you use a camping Dutch oven at home on the stove?

Yes, you can, home Dutch ovens tend to be made more of ceramic, which is heavy like cast iron, but not as durable. You can heat them in your actual oven or cook with them on your stove just like you would in the bush.

Final Thoughts

Camping ovens can improve your cooking skills and the quality of food you eat while out camping. They are fantastic for cooking a wide range of food types and styles and have been the backbone of cooking for people for a long time.

Combined with a good camp stove, you can cook just about anything!

A quality camp oven will cook food better than at home, whether it’s for you and your partner or a big group of people, cooking with an oven like a classic Campfire Cast Iron or a newer design like the Dr Livingstone will have you eating well at every meal.


This article may contain affiliate links. I will earn a commission if you choose to purchase a product or service after clicking on my link. This helps pay for the cost of running the website. You will not be disadvantaged in any way by using my links.

Note that while every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this page, there may sometimes be errors. Check all specifications with the manufacturer before purchasing any product.

Our Testing Process

In creating this article, we have completed a rigorous review process on the best out there, comparing products in total, and reading hundreds of reviews from fellow campers to help form our opinions.

The primary goal of our research is to help figure which product is right for you, the user. We systematically go through all of the available options on the market to determine which ones are worthy of our list.

Here’s a full list of the options we considered for this article. Please note that we have never accepted free products from manufacturers.

Full List Of Considered Products


This article may contain affiliate links. I will earn a commission if you choose to purchase a product or service after clicking on my link. This helps pay for the cost of running the website. You will not be disadvantaged in any way by using my links.

Note that while every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this page, there may sometimes be errors. Check all specifications with the manufacturer before purchasing any product.

Louis

While Louis does most of his trips near his home in south-east Queensland, he has been camping as far afield as South America and Africa. He loves researching, testing and experimenting with camping gear whenever possible.

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