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Field Ovens and Stoves
Google Book Search Excerpt The Mess Sergeant's Handbook By Lucius Roy Holbrook, Patrick Dunne - 1916 - View full text of this book: http://books.google.com/books?id=6soMAAAAYAAJ [top] [end]The Mess Sergeant’s Field Stove and Oven - 1916CHAPTER X[top] [end]FIELD EXPEDIENTSPage 81It is intended that the field range shall be carried so long as wagon transportation is available. Thereafter, it may be carried on a pack mule, but if none is available, it will have to be abandoned, and the boilers and other utensils carried by the cooks. Ordinarily, thereafter, only boiling and frying can be done, unless clay ovens or dug-out ovens are constructed. To utilize the boilers to the best advantage, an iron rack may sometimes be quickly constructed from materials at hand. In good soil, however, a narrow trench for the fire is about the most satisfactory device that can be used. It should be of such width that the boilers may be set across it. If available, green trunks of trees (say about eight inches in diameter) may be laid parallel to each other at a suitable distance apart for supporting the boilers, the fire being built between them; or, similarly, rocks of suitable thickness may be arranged in a convenient manner for supporting the boilers above the fire to be built under them. If more time is available, an oven may be dug in a bank and vertical flues constructed, over which the boilers may be placed. After firing, the coals may be withdrawn and baking done in the same chamber; or, the dug-out may be used for baking and roasting only, and boiling otherwise provided for, so that all portions of the meal may be cooked at the same time. Attention is also invited to the open trench for baking; the clay oven above ground; and to the simple range made by covering a trench of suitable width with a bake-pan or two for a boiling surface, and utilizing two or more coffee cans set end-on, for a flue. Illustration 1 [top] [end]THE MUD FIELD RANGELay out a level piece of ground about 3' 10" by 6' 9" and cover about three inches thick with wet clay; pack well and smooth on top. On the center of this floor lay the barrels end to end with the opening of one where the front of the range is to be. Take sand just damp enough to mold and pack under the sides of the barrels and over the top, making the form for the inside of the oven. With the clay make a thick mud and mix straw into it. This is very necessary, as the straw holds the clay together. Begin on the sides and back and lay on the mud by hand, packing it well as it is laid on. Make bottom of sides about 10" thick and top about 8". Just before the top is to be laid on, place blocks or bricks on end in center of top of each barrel and one over where the barrels join. Pack some of the clay around them to hold them in place while finishing the top. If desired, a hole may be left at the back, and a mud chimney constructed. This improves the draft and is believed desirable, but is not necessary. This oven should be allowed to stand In a dry atmosphere for at least 24 hours; then burn out the barrels with a slow fire. Keep a slow fire burning until the oven is well dried. The sand will then drop out and can be raked out with a hoe. Remove the bricks or blocks and the range is ready for use, but cracks appearing should be plastered up with mud. Time required for four men to build; about 4 hours. When articles cooked on top of the range are done, the fire can be drawn and the oven used for baking bread or meats. Illustration 2 [top] [end]HOW TO CONSTRUCT AND OPERATE A TWO- BARREL CLAY OVEN(Note: This method uses wooden barrels.)Select a piece of level ground about 4' by 10', get two salt or sugar barrels; knock top and bottom from one, and a small section of the bottom from the other (to be used as a flue in burning out) ; place them together head on, the one with the bottom in to the rear. Cover the ends coming together with a little hay, so as to keep the sand from falling in, and stuff up the hole broken in the bottom of the rear barrel. Get some moist sand and cover both barrels completely, moulding it so that it will be about two inches thick on top and splay out at the bottom about two inches on each side. Then mix some clay with hay, straw or grass until you have a pretty stiff mixture, and cover the sand, beginning at the bottom where it should be about eight inches thick and finishing at the top with about four inches. Let stand for a day or two and then add about three inches of clay to the entire oven. Allow to stand a day longer and then cut a hole at the rear, taking the hay from the bottom of the barrel. This will afford a draught and is also an excellent means of regulating the heat. Put a fire in the barrels and burn them out. Care should be taken to put in just enough fire to start the barrels, as a big fire will burn it too quickly, and the oven will cave in. After the barrels are burned out, scrape all the sand from the top and sides and throw it out. The oven is now complete. To obtain the best results with this type of oven, it is best to start the fire as soon as the dough is set. Keep up a pretty brisk fire for about two hours, and as soon as the dough is punched down, spread the coals evenly throughout the entire oven, and close all draughts. As soon as the dough is panned, draw the fire and close the oven up for about half an hour. Then take the oven "count." If you can count seven (second counts) you have just the proper heat. If more than ten, the oven is useless. If less than seven, the oven is too hot. This oven will hold five pans, each 12" x 24", or 50 rations——sufficient for a company——and is equal in baking properties to any oven made. It will bake one batch of 50 rations per hour. (Note on Oven COUNT– An easy test is to hold the hand in the oven and count. Your hand will feel very hot in six counts in a "hot oven." You can count eight before it will feel very hot in a " moderate oven.") Illustration 3 To make a second run, put in another fire for about half an hour, draw the fire and close the oven for fifteen minutes, and the oven will be ready for the second run. It would be well to dig a trench in front of the oven for convenience in handling the bread. Illustration 4 This type oven is handled in exactly the same manner as the improvised two-barrel clay oven. Illustration 5 Handled in exactly the same manner as the improvised 2-barrel clay oven. A flue is generally dug at the rear end, but this is not necessary. Illustration 6 [top] [end]Open Trench BakingTrench about 6' x 15" - 12" deep. Dry out by slow fire and keep slow fire in it about 2 hours before baking. Sweep trench clean and test temperature by sprinkling a little flour on bottom. It should brown in about 2 minutes. Place loaves, moulded dry, across trench and about 2 inches apart. Cover trench with a sheet of iron or zinc and place coals upon it. Regulate top heat as required. Vienna shaped single ration loaves recommended. [top] [end]Related topics[top] [end]External links and references[top] [end]ContributorsUser: W H Hatcher User:Dr Karabi Dutta 2 April 2008 Categories: Cooking | |
Page created:
02 April 2008; Last edited:
08 July 2008; Version: 2 | |
Pagename: ClayStoves @HEDON: FGJA | |
