Omnia oven/Fox Hill oven

[medora]

Hi all,

Has anyone ever tried the Fox Hill or Omnia ovens in their Escape?

Fox Hill: http://www.foxhill.net/
Omnia: http://www.omniasweden.com

Both are very favorably reviewed and can be used on an RV cooktop. The Omnia is really small and would be great, but I'm not sure I could cook a frozen Amy's pizza with that dern hole in the middle

Thoughts?

[gbaglo]

The Foxhill looks pretty much like the Coleman, except that you lift the top ( letting all the heat out ) vs. the Coleman with a front opening door ( that you could open a crack ). The door on the Coleman is on a hinge. Looks like with the Foxhill you have to lift the lid and figure out what to put it down on so you don't melt something.

That's just my observations from looking at the web site.

The other one looks like it's basically a light weight dutch oven. I'm not sure it even counts.

baglo

[medora]

Glenn, for what it's worth, the Fox Hill gets way better word than the Coleman, it's got a thermometer, and you can use it inside. People swear by them and say that the fact that you have to open the top isn't such a biggie (I use a countertop convection oven to do much of my baking in the house and the same thing happens with that ... I just act accordingly). I'm sure I would figure out a place to stash the hot top. Per the Omnia ... it's specifically designed to bake inside and is way lighter than a cast iron Dutch oven.

I'd like to be able to use something in the camper, as I expect us to camp when it's cold out and often to camp in locations where we don't bother with the outside Coleman stove. I love to bake and I think it'd be swell to treat you all to cookies when we meet you down the pike somewhere

[gbaglo]

I don't understand why you couldn't use the Coleman inside, since it's a square metal box and so is the Foxhill.
I must be missing something. My Coleman has a thermometer. I'm not sure I'd trust it any more than I trust the one on my top end Weber BBQ at home, but it is there. I use a CDN oil-filled oven thermometer for accurate oven temps. I've got back ribs on the Q at the moment, slow cooking at 225f.

What's the address for the site comparing the two? Not that I'm in the market for another oven.

As for the lighter version of a Dutch oven, lighter weight means it won't hold or distribute temp as evenly as heavier cast iron. It can't be any other way.


In any case, the main issue I had with the Coleman when I used it on the ThunderRange butane stove was that I couldn't get the temp down below 350f. On the Weber Q I could get it down to 225f. Our propane burns colder than the butane, so that might not be an issue for you, but as I understand it, baking is a science, requiring close attention to weights and measures and temps.

baglo

[Jim Bennett]

The Foxhill is only 3 lb 11 oz (4 lb 2 oz for the double), whereas the Coleman is 7 lb. Otherwise they way they bake is essentially the same.

I just read a few reviews, some by folks who have used both. They all say without exception that the Fox Hill is better, mostly because it holds the heat better, and keeps an even accurate heat. It seems many people wrap the Coleman with aluminum foil to keep the heat in.

That said, that Omnia oven looks like a great idea for baking, and it gets glowing reviews from everyone who has tried it. The big advantage is that it is only 10.5" in diameter, and 5.5" high, and only weights 1.1 lbs. It comes with a carry bag too. It really is not at all like a dutch oven, either in style, size or the way it works. This oven has me quite interested.

What I bring along is the Outback Oven. LINK
It weights less than a pound, and packs down real small, just the size of the pan, as the lid and other bits fit inside it. I have baked lots of risen dough pizza and bread. Mix the contents of a box of cake mix right in it and bake. Even bannock is nicer baked in this than in a pan or on a stick. I have had it for many years and take it canoeing a lot.

Pizza being baked.



Yummy!

[medora]

Don't ask me why, but the Coleman oven is not supposed to be used inside. I checked with REI about this, and they said "absolutely not.". Ditto on their product website. Maybe it has to do with the heat output of the burners. Anyway, given the choice between buying one that clearly states it's okay to use indoors, and another that says don't, I'll choose the former. We ladies, we tend to follow the instructions .

People complain that because the Coleman can be collapsed, it means gaps for heat to escape. So it takes longer, looses more heat, and bakes less evenly. Thus, wrapping it in foil ... ugh.

I'm unfortunately not in the market for a Dutch oven. And I think Jim is right ... this doesn't seem much like a Dutch oven to me anyway.

I'm about to hit the hay so I can't post a bunch of links tonight ... If you're curious I'd Google the two. Here are a few links I have handy ...

A funny YouTube video of a guy making a cake in an Omnia:

Baking with my Omnia Oven

And a link to a discussion of Coleman vs Fox Hill:
http://www.arveeclub.com/archive/index.php/t-63515.html

The Fox Hill is actually not a whole lot bigger than the Omnia ... and may allow pizza baking. I've got an email in to them asking. Jim, you've got me craving ...

[medora]

One more link .. Scroll a down bit within the book (past the Coleman oven) to see the Fox Hill entry.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0070...qid=1331438838

[gbaglo]

I'm gonna keep my eye out for a species of fish or a cut of beef with a hole in the middle to fit the Omnia. Great for bagels.

I can see that the FoxHill would suffer less heat loss, and it weighs less. But, I can't fathom why it would be approved for indoor use and the Coleman wouldn't. The danger would be from the flame, not the container.

Anyway, I have been thinking about this "oven" thing for some time and my BBQ, with the lid down, is an oven. I have cooked, low and slow, by placing a cast iron skillet upside
down on the grill and then cooking on top of that.
I'm thinking of trying that for a chipotle-spiced brownie. That would disguise the smoke flavour from the pork ribs from the night before...

baglo

[medora]

Response from Omnia, bright and early, from Sweden, is below. Will post Fox Hill email when I get it.

Surprisingly, no mention of giant bagels.

...

Thank you for your e-mail and for your interest in Omnia. There are thousands of people in RVs around Europe that enjoy fresh bread and oven cooked dishes thanks to the little ingenious oven.

Almost everything you can heat, bake or cook in a traditional oven can also be cooked in Omnia. The reason why Omnia provide top heat is the centre hole in the base plate and in the baking pan. Therefore Omnia is only available in one shape. Your cookies will be a "cookie ring" and maybe you have to cut your frozen pizza into smaller pieces. Or bake a calzone.

I hope you will enjoy your Omnia. Best regards
Göran Lundén

[Jim Bennett]

baglo, good point about the BBQ. I have baked on mine a few times before. The biggest issue is usually keeping an even heat, but it most definitely can be done.

I would think fish would work great in that Omnia, you would just have to cut it into segments. We often do this with larger fish anyway. For beef, you just might have to suffer with strip loins.

[medora]

Here's a response from Fox Hill.

....

The baking area is limited to the size of the pan that comes with the oven. We include a non-stick baking pan that is 8x8x2. The Single Oven has one 8" pan, and the Double Oven has two 8" pans. You can use almost any pan that is 8" or smaller. I have a 8" spring form pan for cheesecakes that I use in the Double Oven. You have to use a baking pan for your food.

About cookies, I can usually get 6 cookies in my 8" baking pan (but I like large cookies).

Yes the loaf pans are only for use in the Double Oven. There you have the height necessary for the loaf pans to fit.

....

Now I just need to measure our favorite Amy's pizza to see if it would fit.

[gbaglo]

Are you going to come to the Escape Rally in Osoyoos for a bake-off with Jim Bennett?

You're a sure-fired winner if the rules say you must bake inside the trailer.

baglo

[medora]

Do I have to make bagels?

[Jim Bennett]

I'm game, but we are not sharing the results.

Plus, I can use my oven in the trailer, no problem.

[gbaglo]

You can use the Outback in the trailer?
Where do you build the fire?

baglo

[Jim Bennett]

It uses a stove. See the first picture above. You do have to be able to turn the burner down real low though, as it is extremely efficient with fuel.

[gbaglo]

And, I've been thinking you had it over a wood fire ever since you first posted the pic.

baglo

[Jim Bennett]

I'm not that primitive, you know. Though I do know a few people who use reflector ovens to bake at campfires, and they work real good.

[DaveK]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

I don't understand why you couldn't use the Coleman inside, since it's a square metal box and so is the Foxhil

I recall reading a post a few years ago on the Casita Club forum from someone that had used the Coleman Oven in tbeir Casita. They noticed that the fan hood starting making an odd sound while they were baking. When they checked they discovered that the heat from the oven had melted the plastic fan parts enough that the fan assembly assembly seized up. The oven being essentially a tallish uninsulated metal box made this seem fairly plausible

Dave

[MMarvin]

We use the Omnia oven in the trailer all the time. It requires the lowest temperature setting possible on the cooktop. The cooktop knobs feel uncomfortably warm after the oven has been on for awhile so I just pull them off after adjusting the flame. I could just cover them with foil.

We have an Outback oven also. It also works well but we have two complaints. You have to be very careful to avoid scorching the fiberglass cover. (I have heard that some folks just replace the covers regularly like a maintenance item.) And my wife insists the Outback imparts a funny flavor to everything we cook in it.

Marv