Week 18 - Use Your Box Oven, #10 Can Stove and Oven. Fire Starter and #10 Can Cooking Ideas

Week 18 - March 31

Practice cooking with your tin can stove, tin can oven, and box oven.

Home food Storage: Purchase your favorite canned item

Fire Starters 
Fill toilet paper rolls with dryer lint (do not pack). 
Fill cardboard egg carton sections with dryer lint and pour melted wax over each section of lint until filled. Tear off each section as needed to start a fire. Coat cotton balls (not cosmetic puffs) with Vaseline.  Pack into a pill bottle for pocket or 72 hour kit. Add a toothpick to the bottle to help remove the cotton balls.  Put loosely into a resealable bag for other uses.  Use one for each fire.
Cut a cotton cord into 1″ lengths and soak in melted wax. Let dry and store in empty film container or resealable bag.
Soak a piece of charcoal in lighter fluid. Coat with wax.
Use cotton string about 3-4″ long, put in wax paper bathroom cup with about an inch hanging over the edge.
Fill cup nearly to the top with saw dust and pour melted wax into the cup. The extra string length is a wick to light.
Keep a plastic “twister” type of pencil sharpener handy. It’s great for shaving kindling (especially if wood is damp).
Newspaper cut into strips (3″ to 4″ wide). Roll up and tie with string. Cover with melted wax.
Use pine cones plain or covered with wax.

#10 Can Cooking

Can stoves were used for cooking during the Depression.  They were called Hobo Cookers or Depression Cookers.  They were made from various can sizes and shapes.  The basic design is still the same.
Sticks were used for cooking with.  Instead of using a buddy burner with a foil damper you can use sticks and adjust the door on your stove to control the temperature.

Save the lid you removed from the can for a baking tray.

Bacon, fried eggs, scrambled eggs, pancakes, grilled cheese sandwiches, hamburgers, and other small portions of meat can be cooked directly on the can.
Dry foods like cakes, bread, and biscuits should be placed in a clean greased tuna can and set on 3 small rocks about 1/2 inch high in a triangle formation on top of the stove to allow better air circulation in the oven and prevent the bottom of the food from burning.  Lining the inside edge of the can with foil or parchment paper will make removal of the item easier.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Grease the inside of a tuna can.  Line the inside edge of the can with parchment paper or foil.  Place 1 pineapple ring in the can.  Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp of brown sugar.  Add 1 Tbsp of pineapple juice.  Fill the can about two thirds full of cake batter.  Bake in oven about 20 minutes. 

Baked Apples or Applesauce

Cut apples in half and core.  Peal for applesauce.  Place apple half in a clean tuna can.  Add 2 Tbsp water.  Sprinkle apple with cinnamon and sugar.  Cover with foil and bake until soft.  Mash for applesauce.  Use a larger can for larger quantities.  For 4 to 6 servings use 4 to 6 apples, 1/2 cup water, 1/3 cup sugar, 2 teas cinnamon.  Place in a larger can, cover with foil and bake about 20 minutes. 

Orange Muffins

4 medium to large oranges, 1 egg, 1/4 oil, 1 3/4 cups flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 2 teas baking powder.  Cut oranges in half.  Carefully scoop out the insides and place in a resealable bag.  Try not to break or tear the peels.  Set peels aside.  Carefully squeeze bag of orange to make juice.  In another resealable bag add egg, oil, flour sugar, baking powder, and 3/4 cup of orange juice.  Seal bag and squeeze until thoroughly mixed.  Pour muffin batter into 4 orange peel halves about 2/3 full.  Place in a container on top of rocks and bake in tin can oven about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Week 17 - Box Oven, Purchase Canned Vegetables

Week 17 - March 24
Create an oven from a cardboard box. A box that is 12” wide 15” long and 10” deep is a good size.  It should easily hold a 9” X 11” pan.   Tape the flaps on the top of the box closed.  Now cut the top of the box you just taped closed along the outside edges of the two short sides and one long side of the flaps, so they now open as one piece.  The uncut long edge will be the flap on top used to open and close the oven door.  Line the entire inside of the box with one to two layers of aluminum foil.  Two is better for cold weather use.  If using glue to hold the foil in place allow 3 to 4 days for the glue to dry.  Do not use tape.  It will melt.  Roll the foil to the outside of the lid when covering it.  Straighten 3 or 4 wire hangers or other long sturdy wire and punch 3 or 4 holes on each side of the box oven halfway up and evenly spaced across the sides.  Insert the wires through the box and secure the ends as desired to hold them in place.  Twisting the ends together works well.  This will be the rack to cook on.

To use the oven:  Place an empty foil pie pan in the bottom center of the box oven.  In another area outside of the box oven heat one briquette for every 45 degrees of temperature needed.  For 450 degrees use 10 briquettes.   Kingsford works best.  If using a cheaper brand you will need to use 3 or 4 more briquettes.  When the briquettes are completely white use tongs and place them in the pie pan in the bottom of the oven.  Place your lightweight baking dish full of food on the rack.  Close the door and bake as you would indoors.
NOTE: Cheaper briquettes may be used, but I have read that you should plan for one briquette for every 40 degrees.  If the temperature is below 40 degrees when cooking you should add 2 or 3 more briquettes.  You can also create a see through window in you oven if desired, by cutting a hole in the oven door and using a single layer of a transparent baking bag taped on the outside of door.  Make sure you roll the foil through the hole and completely cover the edges of the window.

Home Food Storage: Purchase canned vegetables.


Box Oven Directions

A corrugated cardboard box that will easily hold a 9" x 11" pan is needed.  My box is 20" x 16" and is 12" deep.

Tape the bottom of the box closed so that there are no gaps.

Tape down the flaps in the bottom of the box on the inside.

 

Now tape the top flaps closed so that there are no gaps.  Turn the box so that the top is now the front. Cut along the bottom edge and the two side edges of the box top to create the door that will be connected at the top edge only.

The short box flaps will fall off and need to be taped back into place.

Line the entire box with 1 or 2 layers of aluminum foil.  Make sure the foil is pushed tightly against the edge where the flap (oven door) is connected to the box so that it will open and close easily. I used 2 layers of heavy duty foil, because I had it on hand and it is wider than the regular foil.  Two layers is better for cold weather cooking.

Here is the foil wrapped around the outside of the lid.

After everything was lined I used white glue and glued down all the loose edges.  Allow 3 to 4 days drying time.

Use 3 or 4 wire hangers for the rack inside the oven.  Keep the wire closer to the center of the box.  Mine are 2" apart.  You want good support for a 9" by 11" pan.

The first and fourth wires are 3" from the outside edges.  The wire hangers I had were old and very heavy duty.  It was hard to bend them down.  Be careful not to tear the box when bending the wires.  Lightweight wire can be twisted together to hold in place.

Here is the inside of the completed oven.

I spent $4.00 at the Dollar Store and got two 9" x 11" pans, two 8" square cake pans, and three 9" round pans with foil lids, and two 9"x 11" cooling racks.  One round pan will be for the briquettes.  The cooling racks are for the grill from last weeks #10 can project.

Week 16 - #10 Can Oven, Purchase Canned Fruit

Week 16 – March 17

Make an oven. For a simple oven place your food on your #10 can stove and place the open end of an empty #10 can over the food on top of the stove.  For a see through stove; remove both ends of the can and cut  a transparent baking bag large enough to cover the can opening and hang down the sides a couple of inches.  Secure in place with a wire.  Add a wire handle if desired.

Make a grill.  Cut 8 slices evenly around a #10 can about 1/3 of the way down the can.  Fold the 8 flaps out to form a fan shape.  Fill can 1/3 full with dirt or sand.  Heap with briquettes and light.  Evenly spread out hot coals.  Place a small wire baking rack on top and you are ready to grill.

Home Food Storage: Purchase Canned Fruit.

See Through Oven Directions

Remove both ends of a #10 can. Use one layer of a transparent baking bag that is large enough to cover one end of the can plus a few inches.
Note added 3/31.  Save the can bottom for a baking tray.

 

Cut a piece of wire to make a handle any length you desire.  I did not measure mine.  Fold up both ends and twist together to create a loop at each end.  Cut another wire long enough to wrap around the top of the can that will be used to hold everything together.

Place the transparent baking bag on the can.  Thread the wire that will be used to hold everything together through the loops on the handle.  Wrap it around the can and the baking bag.  Twist to secure, but not tight.  Pull the baking bag so that there are no wrinkles or sagging.

Finish twisting the wire to hold the baking bag in place.  Trim off excess bag and wire.

Place oven on top of your stove.  It is now ready to use.

Grill Directions

Cut slit 8 slits about 2 1/4 inches long about every 2 5/8 inches around the can.  Spread the flaps out in a fan shape.

Fill the bottom third of the can with dirt and cover with foil.

Another angle of the foil on top of the soil.

 

Add briquettes on top of the foil.  Use a wire cooling rack to bake on.

Another angle of the baking rack on the foil.  I bought a package of two baking racks approximately

9" x 11" at the Dollar Store.