Cooking evenly in the boat oven.

[Nostrodamus]

I cannot believe the price of a boat cooker when you compare it to an all dancing and singing model you use in a house but that is not the point.

We have a force 10 oven which by all accounts is pretty good but we seem to be missing something.

Because the burner is in the bottom and central without fan assistance anything we put in there seems to cook from the bottom.

It is quiet difficult to get something properly cooked without burning or overdoing the bottom.

Is there a trick, or some way to make it cook more evenly?

 

[Seven Spades]

I think the temperature gradient is much steeper because of the very high calorific value of the gas. Try turning down the oven and cooking for longer, and raising the shelf to the maximum height you can and still fit the meal.

 

[Robin]

It is a smaller oven than the usual home one and with only one burner at the bottom not top and bottom or sides. The Force 10 has a grill in the top of the oven so I suppose you could use that as well and rely on the thermostatic control to keep the temperature correct, but then you might burn the top as well!

Exactly what is it that you burn the bottom of? Since heat rises, the hottest part of the oven is the top and there is no direct heat to the bottom of a pan, which is actually in the back bottom corner directed up the rear wall.

We had a Force 10 on our last boat and cooked very well with it, but then we didn't do cakes or bread type things just meats and the like. We have a bigger yankee doodle size Force 10 on our new boat but have yet to try the oven and we do have a combination microwave convection oven with a fan as well for when things get really serious.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

Do you have the plate that sits above the oven burner by the width of the oven? Its a key part of the oven and distributes the heat from the flame over a wider area.

 

[prv]

Don't know about the Force 10, but the standard Plastimo etc are fabulously uneven. Not surprising really, as they just have a burner along the back wall from which the heat rises up and escapes out the chimney at the top.

Best thing to do is keep things as far forward as possible, turn them round during cooking, and if you have two shelves put an empty (and somewhat sacrificial) baking tray on the bottom one to act as a heat spreader.

Pete

 

[Nostrodamus]

Do you have the plate that sits above the oven burner by the width of the oven? Its a key part of the oven and distributes the heat from the flame over a wider area.

You mean the plate that scares the do-berries out of us after we switch the gas off and it cools down contracting with a rather large bang. Yes we have that.
It also states you should not have the grill and main burner on at the same time.
We do cook all sort in there but cakes do seem to come out with ethnic bottoms and light tops.
The burner is right in the middle bottom of the oven. I must admit after a year of use we are getting there slowly but any hint's or tips are welcome.

 

[Nostrodamus]

We are currently cooking using "Camping gaz" and although I believe it is French it is expensive. (22 euros)

I have just found out that a garage has a promotion on and will sell a butane bottle and regulator (double the size of camping gaz bottle) for 15 euros. They also do a refill for one euro!!

Can the force 10 be run on butane and is there a difference from camping gaz.

Can you get butane in Spain and Portugal where we are heading next?

Is it worth changing over?

Thanks

 

[Robin]

Gaz is butane, just like UK Calor (in the blue cylinders) is butane and both Gaz and Calor even get filled from the very same tap in the same depot, just that you pay about double to have it in 'Gaz' livery. Spain and Portugal et al all sell Gaz which as I said is butane but I expect they have their own local cylinders that are much cheaper too if you are prepared to play mix and match with regulator connections.

 

[TQA]

I have a Force 10 too.

Keep things at the front of the oven and turn them around fairly frequently. I get pretty good crusty bread this way.

If anything gets to the back expect it to get burnt in a short space of time.

 

[VicMallows]

I suspect the problem is that the vast majority of people now use electric ovens at home (often with fan). A gas oven, whether domestic or on the boat behaves quite differently. Took us many years to get used to (and even eventually like) electric ovens in holiday rental properties.

 

[ukmctc]

I cannot believe the price of a boat cooker when you compare it to an all dancing and singing model you use in a house but that is not the point.

We have a force 10 oven which by all accounts is pretty good but we seem to be missing something.

Because the burner is in the bottom and central without fan assistance anything we put in there seems to cook from the bottom.

It is quiet difficult to get something properly cooked without burning or overdoing the bottom.

Is there a trick, or some way to make it cook more evenly?

We have an old Atlantic by Plastimo done 3 very good xmas dinners and 3-4 sunday roasts, just remember to turn what ever you're cooking regularly.

happy cooking......

you'd think fan assisted wouldn't be a problem

 

[GrahamM376]

Can you get butane in Spain and Portugal where we are heading next?

Camping Gaz (butane) easily available, around 14 euro in Portugal, Spain was a bit cheaper last year. Local bottles available but won't fit most gas lockers and different reg connection to UK Calor. Some people have a converter and get the Calor bottles refilled locally or DIY but I can't be bothered.