- Apr 18, 2021

Review | Omnia Swedish Stovetop Camp Oven

I’d probably best describe myself as a passionate amateur baker. Throughout college you could catch me tossing together a batch of granola, kneading pizza dough or turning whatever fruit was in season into a cobbler or crisp multiple times a week. I can’t remember exactly when I first saw the Omnia oven, but I happened upon a picture or a blog post or something about it and instantly knew it was the solution to baking in the van.

(For anyone who is interested in baking A LOT in their rig, I’d recommend installing a Camp Chef camp oven. We decided this wasn’t the best use of our space, but we still think they’re a great option for a kitchen on-the-road.)

Baking on the road is definitely more of a luxury than an essential, but now that I have my Omnia oven I can’t imagine traveling without the ability to bake my favorite treats. I love whipping something up on rainy afternoons, when the warmth and the smells make the van feel extra cozy.

What I Like and Dislike About the Omnia Oven

Even though the oven has earned it’s spot in our van, it isn’t perfect. Here’s what I’ve noticed as I’ve used the Omnia oven.

Pros:

Allows me to cook a wider variety of food in the van. Being able to satisfy my hunger to bake, and make some of my favorite recipes makes the van feel just that much more like home.
Lightweight, compact and easy to clean. I also love Dutch Oven baking. However, Dutch ovens are bulky, heavy and take special care to keep properly seasoned. They also require a coals or embers to properly bake in them, and while we love hanging around campfires, they aren‘t an everyday thing for us.

Cons:

The ring shape— which is completely necessary in order for the food to bake on a stovetop. While I can adapt most recipes to fit the shape and volume of my Omnia, larger cuts of meat and fish don’t fit.
The opaque lid— I love being able to peek inside and check on whatever I’m baking through the glass of an oven door.

How the Omnia Oven Works

Using the Omnia oven is as simple as preparing your favorite recipe just as you normally do. Just spoon. The batter or place the food straight into the oven and turn on your stove to medium-low (I find this to be ideal for most recipes). Everything about the oven is designed to help distribute heat from the stove the oven is sitting on evenly around the sides and top.

For anyone interested in the physics of the oven it works like this:

The most takeaway for any user is that you must use the base plate, the pan, and the lid together to achieve the best results. When I’m baking, I often have the urge to open the lid every few minutes, but I try to limit that as much as possible in order to keep the heat even and properly circulating.

Tips on Using Your Omnia Oven

We haven’t had any problems using the Omnia for the recipes we’ve tried, from chocolate chip cookies to nachos to rolls to banana bread. However, I do have a few helpful tips that make sure things always turn out:

1. Use Omnia’s silicone pan insert to make clean-up easier. Using the liner isn’t necessary, but if you don’t, make sure to grease your pan appropriately. Omnia even offers additional accessories, like a muffin liner and a baking grid depending on your needs.

2. The volume of the pan is about the same as that of a loaf pan. It makes recipes like my favorite banana bread (shared below) easy to adapt. Recipes that call for a 13x9 pan I cut in half. If you are in doubt about how high to fill the pan, fill it only halfway for recipes that will rise (like bread, cakes, muffins, cookies) and about an inch below the top for recipes that won’t rise (nachos, casseroles, baked fries).

3. Preheat the base ring for a minute or two before putting the pan on.

4. The Omnia manual recommends low heat. I think low-medium offers the best results, as depending on your stove low heat might not be enough to fully get hot air circulating.

5. The Omnia oven won’t brown the top of your food as much as a traditional oven. Be careful to not burn your food by waiting until the top of the food has browned.

What Can You Bake In Your Omnia Oven?

Go ahead and try anything you’d bake in a traditional oven at home. See my tips above for adjusting recipes to fit the size of the pan.

This week, after watching our bananas grow brown, I decided to bake some banana bread. It was great as a Friday night treat and snack out on our ski tour the next morning! I know that many people have their own, but trust me, this loaf is perfectly moist, has a rich banana flavor and comes out perfectly every time. After sending a picture of our Friday night treat to my family, my brother deemed it “vanana bread”, and I have a feeling the name will stick!

Vanana Bread

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg
1⅛ cup sugar
½ cup vegetable or canola oil
2 tablespoons buttermilk or milk
½ teaspoon vanilla
3 bananas mashed very well
½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Add flour, baking soda and salt to a small bowl and set aside.
Mix egg, sugar and oil and stir until well combined
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir well. The mixture will be thick and dry.
Next add milk, vanilla and bananas and stir until incorporated.
Finally, add in walnuts (if using). I like to mix half into the batter and sprinkle half on top.
Pour batter into Omnia oven (either lined with silicone mold or greased with butter). Cook on low-medium heat for 25-30 minutes. Take off stove once a knife comes out clean.