rbillion, welcome to the qj
check out these plans, its a very servicable oven and you can access baked goods by folding back the top

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This reflector oven looks like a much better idea than my lightweight dutch oven scheme I rubed up last summer.  Thank you all for the plans - this is definitely going with my on my next trip!

whatcha cooking?  if its a main part of the meal (not dessert) you definately need atleast 2. or,  eat in shifts.  i believe most manufactured ovens will hold a 10" pan at most.  im a rookie here....so wait for someone who really knows what they are talking about.   Jan

I thought about bringing a Dutch Oven but that is a lot of weight to carry on portages. All my ovens are cast iron and not aluminum. I guess I could buy an aluminum one since I don't have one. I am a gear whore you know.

Outamatches wrote on Mar 9^th, 2007 at 12:04am:

OM-

From my experience, I'd say that a typical reflector oven is an adequate baking surface for up to 4 people.  Beyond that, you'd likely be looking at preparing two batches of whatever you are baking (cornbread, bisquits, brownies, cookies, etc.) to prepare with a single reflector oven.  It is important that the baking goods not be obstructed from above and below, so "stacking" is not an option as it would be in a conventional "home" oven.  However, when set up correctly, the reflector should give you superior performance to what you've encountered with a backpacking oven, albeit more bulky.

I'd say that the only downside (other than bulk) you'll experience with most reflector designs is some difficulty in checking the progress of your effort.  Most designs only give you access to what's cooking by reaching in front of the oven (which means over the fire).  I've adapted the design I made to permit a "rear port" access hatch.

dd