How to Make a Reflector Oven

As part of the Campground Cooking series on the Lakeshore RV Blog, there are some recipes I plan on posting in the future that call for a reflector oven to cook in.  The thought recently occurred to me that many of you may not know what a reflector oven is, so I thought now would be a great time to teach you how to create your own reflector oven. In this week's blog installment, Campground Cooking meets Campground Crafts!

Creating your own reflector oven is easy. Depending on what you have lying around, it may take a quick visit to your local hardware store.

Supplies you will need:

Rack, grill rack, cake rack or refrigerator rack
3 aluminum roasting pans
4 medium sized rocks, all the same approximate size
Roll of wire

Make sure to follow the follow steps below and create your reflector oven BEFORE you light your fire to begin cooking!  Here's how to make your reflector oven:

• Take your four rocks and place one on each corner of where your campfire will be.

• Using the grate you have selected, place the grate over the top of the four rocks.

• To create the reflectors, you will be using your aluminum roasting pans. Two of the pans are for the sides and one is for the back.

• Poke two holes into the left side of the first pan and two holes on the right side of the second pan - these pans are the sides.

• On the back pan, you will need to poke two holes on the right side and two holes on the left side.

• Wire the pans together through the holes you have created (see diagram below) - you will be creating a three sided box. Make sure to leave the wire a little loose so you can adjust the pans if need be.  Your reflector oven is now complete!

Place your reflector oven around the fire and wire grates. Heat from your fire will reflect off your pans and heat cook your food right on the rack, in aluminum foil, or in a pot or a pan on top of the rack. On windy days, you will find using a reflector oven is effective as it allows you to block any wind that might make cooking over a campfire difficult.

I hope you enjoyed making your reflector oven with me today, stay tuned, as I will be sharing recipes that you can easily cook in your reflector oven!

Until next time, Good Eating and Happy Camping!