Baking is one of the most fun and satisfying thing in the world. Some even consider it to be therapeutic, which is understandable due to the finished product.
You can find a lot of bakeries in your neighborhood, which cuts down on your baking time. Simply walk into one and get your favorite cake or bread and enjoy.
But doing it on your own, not only soothes your body but also your mind. The process of mixing the ingredients, the aroma that it gives out, and the smell of the baking, nothing can replace that. It’s like the first rain on the ground kinda thing.
There is though, the fact that you might not have an oven. Or the one you have is out of service for the moment. But you need to bake right away.
Put your worries aside because we have brought a few methods of how to bake without an oven in our article.
You will find all the things that are already in the house that you can use to bake.
Ways of Baking Without an Oven
If there is an issue with your oven or if you don’t own one, this should not limit you from baking. You can basically bake with anything that can insulate the heat.
Using your friendly stove top, you can even bake with a large size pan. The quality will be slightly different, but it gets the job done.
But to get the same type of baking taste and quality, you can go for these 3 alternatives to an oven.
- A pressure cooker.
- Rice cooker.
- Cast iron skillet or dutch oven.
Baking With a Pressure Cooker
Everybody is familiar with pressure cookers nowadays. It is the ultimate way to cut down on your cooking time, makes your braised meat tender and juicy, and can be used for generations and more.
To use your pressure cooker as an oven alternative, you have to take off the whistle part and the rubber around the lid. We don’t want to pressure our cake down to a flat.
Place some rock salts or sea salts on the bottom of the pressure cooker and put them on the stove. And you have your oven.
We suggest you use a big pressure cooker, no less than 5 liters. This will give you space to bake efficiently and a good size cake or bread.
Now put your baking goods on a baking tray or pan and place them on top of the salt. It’s time to put on the lid.
Check on it occasionally and use a skewer to poke into your baked goods to check if it’s cooked thoroughly. And in no time, you will have your warm fluffy goodness ready.
Rice Cooker Can Also Be a Baker
Familiar with sushi? Or anything Asian? Then you should also know the pride of the Asians, the rice cooker. Yes! Cooking rice is now more technologically advanced than baking bread.
Did you know, you can use your rice cooker as an oven too? Some rice cookers even come with the baking function on them.
Simply use a pot rack on the bottom of your rice cooker to keep your baking pan or tray elevated and start cooking.
Place your baking mixture, be it cookies or cake, on a pan and place it on the tray inside the rice cooker. This is done so that the heat doesn’t burn the baked goods. Rather bake them instead.
You have to check on it occasionally opening the lids. And if you have a bake function already, then you can just press it and enjoy your time. Your baked goods will be ready without burning their bottom.
Cast Iron Skillet or Dutch Oven Baking
Almost everyone owns a cast-iron skillet. Even if humans perish from the world, the skillet will remain as a reminder of civilization. It is that tough and rugged.
If you don’t have a pressure cooker or a rice cooker, but a cast-iron skillet, you are in luck! Because it can act as an oven.
Simply place parchment paper in the skillet and pour it into your baking mixture. Place it on the stove and bake away.
No parchment paper? Use butter or anything to grease the interior of your skillet to make it nonsticky.
Additionally, the dutch oven, as in the name, can act as an oven. In the wild west, while traveling, they used it to bake bread.
Simply dust or grease the bottom and mix and bake in your batter. You can also use the rock bottom technique and place your baking tray over it with a dutch oven. But it requires a lot of heat as it has thick interiors.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I bake without an oven or microwave?
If you don’t have an oven or microwave, you can use your stovetop to bake. You will need either a pressure cooker, cast iron skillet, or dutch oven as your oven. At the same time, if you have a rice cooker, you can use it as an alternative to an oven. Some rice cooker also comes with baking settings.
Can I bake on a stovetop?
Of course. Using a pressure cooker or an iron skillet or even a large pan, you can bake on a stovetop. You will need to create a barrier between your pan and your baking tray or pot in order not to have the heat directly onto the baking goods. Because it will burn the bottom of it. Rather you want to create the insulated chamber like an oven and place your baking mixture inside it.
Conclusion
Baking without an oven might sound a lot of work and hard, but it actually isn’t. Not everyone owned an oven back in the days and they had to bake bread and cakes every now and then. Even when out camping, you can bake a cake for your fellow campers’ birthday if you wanted. It’s also an enjoyable process that will give you a new experience and something to experiment with.
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