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
- 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.