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  |  |  |  | best spun steel  | |
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
Best Cast Iron Option
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
Runner Up
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
Best For Baking/Frying