Long Handles That Are Safe To Hold
In order to be safe to hold over the campfire, you will need a long handle to ensure that whoever is using it doesnt get too close to the flames.
We recommend going for handles that are at least 16 inches long.
These handles need to be very heat resistant, so that the heat from the campfire is not conducted straight through to your hands. A wood handle would be a good choice.
The Pie Iron Tips And Advice
- Grease the pie iron before cooking with oil, butter or cooking spray to help with browning. Add in the sandwich and close the pie iron.
- Some pie irons come with locking mechanisms for tighter seals.
- Cook the food for a few minutes on one side, flip it over and cook it for a few more minutes. Then, it should be done.
- Aluminum pie plates are more prone to warping.
- Pie irons are affordable and great for camping, cabins and motor homes.
- Do not let children use pie irons without adults present.
But Why Is It Called A Pie Iron
You may be confused about why an instrument thats ideal for making toasted sandwiches is called a pie iron. Well, theres an additional feature to this tool that can answer that question. You see, the concave plates on a typical pie iron envelop the entire sandwich in metal, meaning that it gets cooked on all sides, almost like toasting it in an oven. As well, the edges of the cast iron plates crimp the edges of the sandwich, sealing in all the fillings. In effect, youre left with a sandwich that resembles a hand pie or empanada.
But pie irons can also help you easily make pies, too, and not just sandwiches that look like pies. If you replace the bread with dough, you can bake a little personal pie almost anywhere you want. You can even cook a whole meal on a campfire using a pie iron a calzone for your main course and berry pie for your dessert. You can even make a sumptuous French toast breakfast with this handy tool, like this
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How To Use A Pie Iron
Pie irons are designed for campfire cooking. Whether youre having a safe cookout in your back yard or youve escaped city life for a back-to-nature vacation in the woods, pie irons are perfect for warming up and/or cooking your breakfast, lunch, and dinner over a fire.
When using a pie iron, you first want to heat each half over an open fire. You want it to be warm when you add your sandwich or other food for cooking, but you dont want it to be so hot that your bread or dough will burn. Usually, about 5 minutes in a hot fire is perfect.
Set one half on a burn resistant surface and coat the inside pocket with a small amount of oil. Spray oils are very convenient for this. Campfires are difficult to temperature regulate, so use an oil with a high smoke point, like grapeseed or avocado oil.
Place your bread or dough along the bottom and fill with any fillings you want inside your pie. Once filled, top with another piece of bread or dough.
Spray or coat the top of the iron with a bit of oil and close the iron, using the fastener at the lower end of the handles to close it together tightly.
Place the pie iron on a bed of hot, flat coals. It doesnt have to be directly in the fire if the iron is already warmed.
Depending on your filling, youll need about 25 minutes per side. Check after about 2 minutes per side. Its cooked when its golden brown.
Uno Casa Cast Pie Iron
The Uno Casa Cast Pie Iron might not be the most popular option, but those whove used it have nothing but good things to say. First of all, we love the size of this pie iron as its big enough to take two chunky toasted sandwiches. Its a nice option when there are several hungry tummies to feed! Also, theres a free bonus, which is a downloadable e-book of pie irons for camping recipes!
Apart from that, the handles are worth two thumbs up as well! Theyre heat resistant and comfortable to hold, thanks to the wood grips. At 13.8 inches, theyre pretty long and can be extended out to 21.7 inches. Dont worry the handles are removable so that you can stow the parts away for transport easily. Lastly, this pie iron for camping comes pre-seasoned, so its good to go as soon as the box arrives!
- What We Love:
- A highly convenient option thats designed with your comfort in mind.
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How To Select The Best Pie Iron
Are you still wondering what to look for when selecting your pie irons? Weve got you covered!
MaterialMost cast irons are made from cast iron or aluminum. Cast iron is a popular choice as it is virtually indestructible. These cookers tend to be quite heavy. However, theyre strong enough to be placed directly over hot coals. Keep in mind that cast iron cookers need to be seasoned. Opt for a pre-seasoned option or prepare to do some initial maintenance.
Aluminum pie irons are a popular alternative. While these cookers are hardly as durable as the cast iron alternatives, they do pose a weight advantage. If youre looking to hoover your cooker over an open flame, the aluminum irons are going to be far more tolerable.
Size/ShapePie irons come with varying capacities. Traditional pans are designed to hold a standard-sized square sandwich. However, many manufacturers have produced cookers that can cook two separate sandwiches. Weve also seen circular and heart-shaped presses. Shape and size are usually a matter of personal preference.
HandlesThe pie iron cooking heads are attached to long metal rods. These need to be sturdy enough to support the heavy cooking heads and all of your ingredients. The support rod ends must be mounted securely to the base of the cooking heads. There may even be a small S-hook attached to the bottom of the rods. It can be clamped over the alternative rod to tighten the tension between the cooking heads.
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Coghlans Cast Iron Cooker & Broiler
Having the best pie irons for camping recipes is useless without the best pie iron for camping. That said, our number one pick is Coghlans Cast Iron Cooker & Broiler. This item is available in several versions, which include a single cooker, a double cooker, a single broiler, and a double broiler. As the name suggests, the double cooker can take two sandwiches whereas the single cooker takes only one. Meanwhile, the broilers are similar to the cookers but are rounded to take rolls or muffins rather than traditional sandwiches.
Another thing that makes us fall in love with this best pie iron for camping is its price tag. Yes, its incredibly affordable! Furthermore, the handles are particularly long at 27 inches so that you can stay well away from the wood stove flames. Plus, there are stay-cool wooden grips on the end. We also love the inclusion of the S-clip to hold the two handles together. Because its cast iron, you can put the pie iron directly on the coals and rest your hands and arms!
- What We Love:
- An incredibly durable and easy-to-use pie iron that every camper loves.
Our Pie Iron Buying Guide
Food experts call the pie iron an underrated camping tool. It boasts a simple design: just two square or similarly-shaped cast iron or aluminum pans mounted onto fireproof rods. The pans are then joined together with a hinge, and presto! It becomes a miniature oven.
Midwestern campers love this product. Pie irons are great for making sealed-edge sandwiches, omelets, mini-pies and many other delightful treats when youre enjoying the great outdoors.
Pie irons are made to use over open flames like campfires. Most are constructed from cast iron, which is durable and can stand up to high temperatures. Aluminum pie irons do not stand up to heat as well but are not as heavy to hold. These outdoor cooking tools have long handles to keep chefs safe from the heat, with grips on the ends.
The best part about pie irons is that the concave plates envelop their contents, which allows the food to get cooked on all sides. The edges crimp the crust and seal all the good fillings inside. The cooked food resembles an empanada or a little pie. Delicious!
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Pie Iron Cooking Is Super Easy To Use Your Cast
Using pie irons for camping is the perfect way to spend some quality time with the family or camping buddies around the fire, singing songs, and making delicious campfire pies!
Rome Cast Iron Square Pie Iron
Price match guarantee
Found a better deal in Canada? Up to 30 days after purchase well match it.
If you see a lower price for this exact item advertised online, in print or in a store, give us a call at 1 847-0770.
If its identical, brand-new, in stock, and sold and shipped by a Canadian-based retailer, well match that price.
S’mores are great, but why not step up your camping dessert game? This cast iron pie maker lets you whip up a delicious pie over your campfire. A long wooden handle keeps your fingers clear of the heat, so there’s no need to bring an oven mitt. Prefer savoury treats? It works just as well for making cornbread, toasted sandwiches or calzones, too.
- Cast iron pie iron, steel rod and hardwood handle.
- Solid cast iron holds up to rigours of campfire life.
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Romes Love Pie Pie Iron
As the original pie iron manufacturer, Rome Industries sure knows how to treat its loyal fans. Romes Love Pie Pie Iron is one of its best products, and its the perfect item for lovers to show their affection. This adorable pie iron allows you to make Instagram-worthy, heart-shaped sandwiches and savory pies! Trust us once you have this item, youll want to take out your pie irons for camping recipes every day and spend the whole day trying them!
Moreover, this iron pie for camping boasts cast iron cooking heads, stainless steel rods, and turned wood handles. Even better, this product is backed by a generous 10-year warranty! It sounds crazy, right? Not to mention, its sold in a pack of 2, so you can make as many love-shaped pies as you want without spending too much time!
- What We Love:
- The is the perfect pie iron for lovers.
What Its Made Out Of
We would argue that the best pie irons are made from cast iron.
But thats by no means your only option. You can also get pie irons that are made out of aluminum. Aluminum irons tend to be easier to use because they arent as heavy, and they are more versatile.
On the other hand however, aluminum pie irons can warp or melt, which is why we prefer cast iron pie irons overall.
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Why Everyone Should Have A Pie Iron
Make hot and toasty treats in minutes no matter where you are with this super handy campsite essential.
There is a certain allure to a grilled cheese sandwich. That combination of crispy, toasted bread and oozing melted cheese is arguably more than the sum of its parts. Tearing into one of these treats is as much a feast for the eyes as it is for the palate as you witness the glistening cheese pull from in between slices of gilded bread. The same could be said about any toasted, grilled or fried sandwich. Even an otherwise boring cold sandwich can become luscious when you expose it to a little heat. However, it may not always be convenient or even possible to make a grilled cheese sandwich, at least not in the conventional way.
Camping or cooking outdoors is a perfect example. Toasty sandwich connoisseurs know that it normally takes a little prep and some equipment a pan and a stove, for starters to make one of these delicacies, and its not always feasible to lug those things around, even if they are portable. However, there has long been a solution to this dilemma that seasoned campers have treasured as part of their kits for decades: a pie iron.
What Is A Pie Iron
The most basic pie iron will have a square body made of cast iron or aluminum, approximately the length and width of a slice of bread, that opens like a clamshell. Inside this body, you can fit a heavily loaded sandwich, if the situation called for it.
Each half is attached to a metal pole, usually around 2 feet long, and they join together with a hinge at the opposite end to the poles. The poles have heat resistant handles, such as wood, so that you can hold onto the pie iron safely.
Theres also an attachment on the poles that clips into place to hold the two halves of the cast iron body together easily.
You can also find pie irons in a variety of shapes, though the standard size fits a slice of bread.
You may also find round irons approximately the size of an English muffin, double-width irons, Panini press style, or even pie irons dedicated to cooking hot dogs or Frankfurters.
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