dogbowl oven shakedown run (preliminary temperature test)

I assembled the dogbowl oven and heated it gently to watch the internal air temps. This run was limited by my having only a food thermometer that maxxes at 220F.

the gear

  • the bowls listed I ordered off Amazon. I used the smaller cooking bowl since it was shorter and would not touch the temp probe (see Process below)
  • the bottom spacer is actually the cooking grate out of the Ohuhu mini gasifying stove I drove off and left in a campsite in Q. :-( You’re welcome, New Owner.
  • Taylor food temperature probe thermometer
  • a generic propane single-burner camp stove. It was given to me years ago and has no markings.
  • my beloved flame diffuser (handle removed), inadvertently left on the stove but not a bad idea given the results below

the process

With the top bowl off I set the temp probe far enough in that the tip was in the center (in air). I marked the side of the probe with a sharpie so I could tell from the closed oven when it was in the correct place. This meant there was a small gap where the probe was inserted between the bowls:

I set the propane stove to the lowest it would go and still hold a good flame, added the diffuser, and set the dogbowl oven on top. There was only the spacer and small bowl inside for this first test.

the observations

  • 0 minutes - 58F (ambient)
  • 1 minute - 100F
  • 2 minutes -120F
  • 3 minutes - 145F
  • 4 minutes - 180F
  • 5 minutes - 215F

I yanked the probe at 5 mins as we were right up to the 220F limit. I did not want to damage it with heat beyond its normal range.

I tried to use the IR temp gun but the polished stainless would not give up accurate results. I think this is due to lower emissivity. I tried looking up relevant numbers for stainless to adjust the observed temp reading but the values are wildly different for even seemingly-similar forms of stainless. The wiki article says one can

...measure the temperature of a reflective surface by applying a non-reflective paint or tape, with some loss of accuracy... > >

but I suspect oven temps would be bad for tape. High temp black paint maybe?

what’s next

https://amzn.to/32ZJgjn

  • Repeat the above with a temp probe that can handle oven temps to see where it levels out. I ordered a BBQ temp probe that goes up to 550F (at right). It has a threaded stem, washer, and nut to hold it in place so a small hole is all that will be needed. This will eliminate the intra-bowl airgap, which may or may not be an advantage.
  • Repeat the above without the flame tamer. I predict faster rise and somewhat higher terminal temperature.
  • Repeat with some water in the bowl. I think this will not make a difference since we are measuring air temp.
  • attempt to cook canned biscuits (low investment)
  • if successful, attempt to cook DIY biscuits

The BBQ thermometers and some other stuff will meet me in Farmington, NM next week. It’s the only place I found (quick look) between ALB and SW Colorado. No Amazon hubs/counters in Cortez or Durango, for example. Farmington is on the way anyhow.

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