When I started considering the upgrade to my camp kitchen, there was another wish right at the top of my list: baking. Just like cooking, baking is another passion of mine—and my better half—and let’s be honest, every ambitious chef needs an oven. Bread, pies or cake, following a recipe or free-style, if it needs to go in the oven, then it’s on my must-have list
Unfortunately, the privilege of taking an oven on a trip is usually reduced to drivers of big and expensive expedition trucks. Well that’s disappointing…moving on…back to calculating the on-board electrical supply. Or was this decision made in haste? Admittedly, a full-size oven like the one at home really isn’t going to fit in the back of my Land Rover, but there is certainly space for a 500 g alternative.
I’m talking about the Swedish Omnia oven; this may resemble an extraterrestrial vehicle (or at least a requisite from a ‘50s movie), but fortunately for us, it works with earthly means. Instead of an incorporated heat source, the Omnia is simply placed on a gas stove, for example, and the air flow creates a constant and even top and bottom heat for baking.
I’d be telling a lie if I said I didn’t have a few doubts after reading the website. But my inquisitive side got the upper hand and, as we all know, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
No sooner said than done. On the face of it, there isn’t much to say—the Omnia does exactly what it says on the box and what my domestic oven can. Bread, croissants, pork pies, oven vegetables, mac’n’cheese, I tried everything I could think of. Even the acid test, to bake a cake for the pastry expert, my grandmother, was passed with flying colours—she loved it.
The Omnia comprises three components, base, pan and lid, and is supplied with a simple pouch for storage and a short recipe book to get you started. For increased versatility, there is a range of useful accessories.
As I mentioned earlier, I enjoy a culinary challenge; I ordered all the accessories I could find—I have no regrets. The baking rack and collapsible muffin ring are self-explanatory (the latter comes with a few recipe ideas). Silicone liners have exceptional non-stick properties, are dishwasher safe, deep-freezable, and can even be used in the microwave (without the metal pan: to make sure you don’t produce your own MythBusters episode). The foil baking trays with card lids are just what you need if you want to prepare dishes at home and/or deep freeze them before taking them with you into the field.
To complete the baking set, there is a larger pouch which organises the Omnia and its accessories for transportation. Finally, baking enthusiasts can don the Omnia apron before exploring the recipe book for most occasions.
€45 (oven), €36 (silicone mould DUO two-pack), €12 (oven rack), €19 (muffin ring), €15 (bag), €14 (apron) | omniasweden.com
This article was first published in the Winter 2020/21 edition of Overland Journal.
