How Many Ways Can One Cook Strata?

Skillet, Dutch Oven & Tin can.

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How Many Ways Can One Cook Strata?

Another cooking in the Camping Fire Pit experience.

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First lets set the situation. I made strata for dinner last week. I made too much and had to decide what to do. At first, I was tempted to just toss out the extra, but the mushroom, beans and cheese were begging for mercy. So I thought, we (Angel and I), we need to play with this.

So I loaded the small crockpot and stuck it into the Dutch Oven. This is not necessary, but I wanted to try it in the crock. I usually make the Strata directly in the Dutch oven and it always turns out really wonderful.
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When the crock was filled to where I wanted it, I then put some in the empty Green Bean can. Then I put the rest on a cast iron fajita skillet.
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I don't have a photo of the skillet cooking over the fire, but I put it on the Dutch oven. It sat on the coals that were on the lid. It cooked much like an omelet or scrambled eggs. The charcoal worked great- it heated the Dutch oven and the skillet. I did turn the strata a couple of times to make sure it all got the proper heat. This is the portion that Angel and I ate for dinner.
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Oh, do you notice the cardboard wrapped around the skillet handle? That is the Make-Do hot pad I fashioned for the very hot handle. It worked great. I also used a folded in half piece of cardboard as a hot pad for the Dutch Oven wire handle. I ripped up a box from an empty box of Aluminum Foil, such a handy use of garbage.
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The Green Bean can was filled 3/4's of the way. I then stuck it down in the coals without a cover. I think a foil lid would have been fine, but I was happy watching it bubble. I turned it quite often at first until the whole thing was bubbling. It cooked just fine too.

This is what Pilot ate when he stopped in for dinner. I put it on the cleaned off skillet so he could use that as his plate. He also got a new fork!! Lucky him!!
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So then the last way we cooked was in the crock in the Dutch Oven. This worked out wonderfully. No mess in the Dutch Oven to clean up. I did put a piece of foil under the crock, but really didn't need it. I rotated the Oven in the fire/coals every 10 minutes or so. I didn't have a clock handy, and forgot about looking at my phone so I really don't know how long things cooked. I imagine the Dutch oven took about 45 minutes or so of baking.
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The tin can took 25 minutes or so. The skillet about 10 minutes. But remember I wasn't counting nor did I really care. I cooked by watching, smelling and experience. I basically just let go of the conventional timer thinking and went for watching the food and decided myself when it was done. That was a lot of fun. A weird kind of Freedom! It felt great to be in control and not to question if the timer was right.
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The Dutch Oven held the crock full of strata for a couple of hours at a nice warming temperature of around 145 degrees. I did drop it into the fire a couple of times to keep the oven warm. I love, LOVE, LOVE my Dutch Ovens~!!!!

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