Oven decision…. Please advise.

[WillyB]

Very unfair to compare good oven baked goods to any bagged cookies. On a multi month trip some nice foods made in the oven are soooooo nice.

While I have baked my wife's scrumptious mac and cheese in the BBQ, it is just easier in the oven. Especially when using the broiler for a bit at the end. As mentioned before, we don't use the oven all the time, but when we do anything that comes out of there it sure is delicious.

The oven warms the trailer and the yummy food warms my heart.

I agree. I've been relegated to making cookies on our outdoors gas grill. I miss the smell inside of fresh cookies.

 

[Ramdough]

A friend is trying to convince me to get a convection microwave instead of the oven.

Any thoughts on this? I have never had a convection microwave. We use a convection toaster oven and a convection oven…. But never tried a convection microwave.

 

[brroberts]

Our ETI installed convection micro works well as an oven. It also works fine as a micro. We are not too fond of how it air fry’s. We don’t have, nor want, an inverter, so it’s only useful for us when we have hookups which is probably around half of our camping time.

 

[occer]

We have the Convection/Micro oven, it works.
By having the combination we have an extra cupboard where the Micro would have been installed.
The Convection/Micro is much larger inside. The Propane oven is about 4" tall inside.
The Propane oven works as long as you have propane, which you probably will.
The Convection/Micro needs hook ups or Lith batteries and an inverter.
If you go with a Gas oven and seperate Micro you will need hook ups to run the Microwave.

Someday when the existing batteries age out we will replace with lithium and be able to use the Convection/Micro oven more often. We use the Micro more often then the Oven feature.
Our previous trailer had lithium batteries and an inverter with a Gas oven and seperate Micro oven. We almost never used the Gas oven but did use the Micro all the time.

You need to think about how you camp and then decide which will work best for you, not how your friend camps.

 

[Ramdough]

We are getting a 23 and plan to upgrade the batteries and solar capacities. I also have a Honda 3000i that I plan to bring, so I plan to be capable in any situation.

We have never camped with an oven or microwave, so either one will be an addition.

We will probably precook some foods but it would be nice to bake some things onsite as well, like bread, pizza, cookies, stuffed peppers, lasagne, etc…. We may remake, and just warm up.

Worst case, I can bring a toaster oven also, but prefer not to have to.

Right now I am leaning towards the convection microwave and then only if that does not work well, drag a toaster oven along.

 

[brroberts]

I think baking in the convection will be fine. I don’t see a toaster oven adding anything beyond toast. When it’s hot, the convection does not heat the trailer as much as a propane oven. When it’s cold however, the converse is true.

 

[OneCentHillman]

Based on our camping experiences with our Casita, we did not include an oven on our "wish list" build sheet for our E19 in early (Covid) 2021.
While were waiting in the LONG line for our Escape to enter production, a pre-owned E19 came up for sale just an hour away that we purchased. It had an oven. Turns out we wanted and oven and didn't even know it! We used it a lot and were grateful someone else had made that decision for us!
When we ordered our E23, an oven was a must have!

 

[Jim Bennett]

I agree. I've been relegated to making cookies on our outdoors gas grill. I miss the smell inside of fresh cookies.

And the taste of fresh baked too, warm out of the oven. Mmmm......

A friend is trying to convince me to get a convection microwave instead of the oven.

Any thoughts on this? I have never had a convection microwave. We use a convection toaster oven and a convection oven….ndn But never tried a convection microwave.

The biggest issue I have with that is the need for electricity, something we have maybe 25% of the time. We do mostly use the oven when it is cool or cold out, which is much of the time up here.

Heck, it was an easy decision to not get a microwave, something mostly used for reheating coffee and leftovers at home, and camping we drink the coffee hot right away, and cook meals with no leftovers. Plus, I have a monstrous pantry drawer I built in instead.

 

[Ramdough]

We ended up ordering the convection microwave. My guess is we will use the convection part more than the microwave part. I am not too worried about the power draw. I will be upgrading a lot of the power system and I have a small Honda generator I plan to bring when boondocking.

Thanks everyone for the advice. We will report back what we learn.

 

[P&L]

I bring our Cuisinart toaster oven and bake outside using it. Went to Oregon, picked blueberries and made scones. In our 19, I prefer the cabinet space and slip the toaster oven under the bed in our E19.

 

[bicefamily]

I use the oven in my propane stove/oven more than I use the cooktop. I use it for pizzas and other frozen meals, chicken, meatloaf, etc as well as over 40 blueberry pies. I did add a large pizza stone to help even out the heat.

For awhile I carried a toaster oven large enough to bake a 12" pizza or pie, but it was more than my 1500 watt inverter could deal with, and it took up an entire shelf in the closet. I still carry a smaller 4 slice toaster oven / air frier that I use for some frozen meals and bagels, particularly when I have hookups..

We won’t take possession of ours until August and I’ve never seen one of these ovens in person. Will a 14 1/2 x 16 1/2 stone fit inside of it? I have one that size and I’m wondering if it will work. What size pans fit in your oven?

 

[occer]

You can probably go to the manufacture website and get actual dimensions.

Suburban web page; 17 Inch Elite Series Plus Ranges & Ovens for RVs & Campers - Suburban

Dometic web page; https://www.dometic.com/externalassets/rv-1735-bsp_9610002671_99379.pdf?ref=-115594375

 

[vermilye]

My oven is what Escape provided in 2017 - a Dometic, but different from what they are currently supplying so I hesitate to suggest anything concerning what will fit. That said, the following fits in my oven:
Unicook 11 3/4" X 15" by 1/2" stone - Amazon has them in square sizes, but I don't see what I have. I did go through a number of other brand stones that shattered due to road vibrations.
2 - 12" X 14" AirBake Cookie Sheets
15" X 10" 12 hole muffin tin
14 1/2" X 9 1/2" Baking pan & a 9 1/2" X 10 1/2" Baking Pan
12" Pizza pan

All are stored in the oven when not in use.

 

[Escapeesinmo]

Our used E23 didn't have either an oven or a microwave. I figured I'd throw a old countertop microwave in the cabinet. I carried outside and was shocked it didn't even fit in the opening. It was maybe 1/4" too tall. So, I am leaning toward investing in a convection / microwave. I'll just cut the opening, so it fits. I like the idea I can store the oven in the cabinet and shut the door to hide it. Plus, that cabinet is pretty large and will hold other things.

 

[OneCentHillman]

We won’t take possession of ours until August and I’ve never seen one of these ovens in person. Will a 14 1/2 x 16 1/2 stone fit inside of it? I have one that size and I’m wondering if it will work. What size pans fit in your oven?

I use a 15" x 11.8" x 0.6" rectangular pizza stone in my oven and it's a great fit. Good heat distribution.
Amazon link for pizza stone...

Amazon.com

 

[WinterIsComing]

A friend is trying to convince me to get a convection microwave instead of the oven.

Any thoughts on this? I have never had a convection microwave. We use a convection toaster oven and a convection oven…. But never tried a convection microwave.

We had a lot of angst over our "oven" choices when we configured our 21c last fall. Our previous experience with conventional trailer ovens has been terrible. They are tiny, the heat is uneven, and we've had two Suburbans that didn't work and/or work well--one wouldn't work at all from day one. It was replaced under warranty with another that had a very small leak from day one that would flash over (not sure that's the correct term) We stopped using it and gave up.

SO, long story short, since we bake all our own breads and baked goods from scratch, we needed something for camping biscuits, the occasional cookie, heating bread/baguettes etc. We sprung for the convection oven and just tried it out on our shakedown trip last weekend. Worked great! Delicious baked biscuits.

Downside is the need for shore power. We'll be looking into the Omnia or similar for trips without. We have a Ranger II for outdoor cooking, so hoping it might be a love match.

 

[Jim Bennett]

Our Dickinson Caribbean oven gets used quite a bit, especially if miserable outside and we opt to cook inside. So many dishes can be baked in there. My wife's Mac and Cheese alone makes it worth it. Lots of meats and desserts too. Broiling the nachos after baking is a nice touch. Yum.......

We do use pizza stones in the BBQ and the oven.

In the past we successfully used the BBQ as an oven, but that was usually me. I love cooking when camping, but my dear wife has lots of ideas and baked dishes I don't even want to try making. Eating, for sure.

 

[Wig]

When we were considering options for our 21C the available oven had a maximum height of 4 inches which we felt wouldn’t suit our needs. I can’t say we miss it as we have always cooked outside(mostly sautéing and grilling)whenever possible. I did buy a air fryer last year which has worked out well and we have the option to either bring it or leave it home depending on our meal planning.

 

[RGL2]

I cook professionally and love to cook whether I am working, at home or camping. Some people love cooking outside cooking, over fire (dutch oven, charcoal grill) some love the latest tech device(instant pots, sous vide, induction) some love the comfort of traditional kitchens. Every one of these "Kitchens" can make a meal that any Epicurean would drool over. Go with what works for you- Bon Appetit!

 

[Treblemaker]

We don’t have the oven ( although I did in previous campers) and instead use an Omnia. I love that I can use it on the gas range, or outdoors on our propane stove, as well as on an electric burner. It is very versatile-the only catch is that everything is round- but we have done everything from casseroles to pizzas to brownies. Liked it so much I bought a second one so I can make dessert at the same time I am fixing the main course. Weighs about a pound and stores easily.