SC - Coleman oven

[James F. Johnson]

Robin Carroll-Mann wrote:
> 
> I bought a Coleman oven a while back, and at a camping event this
> weekend I got to try it out.  It's the kind that is a collapsible metal box
> which sits over a burner of a propane stove.  I only used it once, and
> that was to make some biscuits.  Judging by the thermometer in the
> door, I could not get the oven as hot as the 425 F that the recipe called
> for.  It would only get up to 400, even though I had the burner on full

I went to a store and looked at a Coleman collapsible stove. For those
that have never seen one, it's a little larger than a foot square (holds
up to 8" pan plus space to allow heat circulation), with vertical hinges
at the side corners and down the middle of the side walls, allowing it
to collapse front to back like an accordion. To help this, the rack
comes out, the top swings down along the front, and the bottom swings up
along the back. Heat enters an round opening in the bottom about six
inches across, with a stamped metal reinforcing bar about two inched
wide across the opening. Above the opening is a perforated metal plate
in a shallow 'V' to serve as a diffuser. There is a small vent hole on
the top and a thermometer set in the front opening door.

What I noticed is that there are a lot of gaps along the corner and side
hinges, plus the three or four pairs of holes cut in the sides where the
rack notches in. Seems to me there would be noticeable heat loss through
the sides, precisely where the diffuser directs most of the heat via
it's 'V' shape. That combined with the fact that the heat inlet sits
_above_ the gas burner by at least an inch or two, letting every cross
breeze blow the flames sideways rather than up into the oven. 

While the oven is convenient by it being collapsible into a 12-14" x 3"
x 3" package and having a front opening door, it just seems very
inefficient heat wise. Especially for US$45. Not sure I want to find out
for that investment.

I wonder if covering the sides with a layer of heavy duty aluminium foil
would improve it's performance any.

Seumas