Oven or no Oven

[sharon]

BF and I just spent 9 days boondocking in the desert in his toy hauler. I had put out a tri-tip to cook and he wanted to know did I want him to start the BBQ. It was windy and cold, so I said no, I was gonna cook it in the oven. He said, what oven? I said, that oven, and pointed at the micro-convection. He said, that's not an oven, that's a microwave and I hate meat cooked in a microwave. Now, he's had this trailer for over a year...where did he think I've been cooking biscuits, pies, cookies, cornbread etc. for the past year? Did I just wiggle my nose and they appeared hot and ready to eat?? I said, it's an oven, too. He said, how can it be an oven and a microwave? I said thru the miracle of modern technology it switches back and forth depending on what I put in it. It just knows. He didn't appreciate my explanation. Don't know why. Tri-tip came out fabulous. The microwave knew what to do.

[dpf]

I have an oven and I do use it.

[BarbaraRose]

Men! How do they ever survive without us?

[Nasoosie]

Oven? What's an oven? Is it that pantry underneath the stove top that has a rack in it?

[Colliemom]

Soos

[cpatinjones]

I have an oven and wanted one. I have used it once. I would get another oven if I ever bought another RV.

[Forestgal]

I have both an oven and microwave, and will probably opt for both when I change RVs. With a trailer I can use the oven if I don't have hook-ups if I want something not grilled. The microwave requires a generator and I don't always want to haul that with me. I've used the oven to bake cinnamon rolls -- did it for the Quartzsite GTG a few years ago & they were yummy.

Laura

[kdmac]

I guess I need to be honest about why I dont' use the oven....I just know that it would never look the same again after it got "initiated" by a blackberry turnover, or some other gooey spill. I always considered the need to keep it clean for resale purposes...maybe I should get over that and just use the darn thing.

[rvgrammy1953]

Hate RV ovens.....never used this one since we bought the 5er...it's our bread box....would love the extra storage....use a convection/toaster oven for baking.....next new rv will not have oven....

[VickieP]

I've used the oven in the Raptor a couple of times, but used it a lot in our previous rv, especially when we had to live in it after the flood. I think I'd always want an oven in there, just to have it if I needed it, you can store stuff in an oven, but you can't bake in a cabinet!

[jemek]

Confession....everything you guys cook in your RV ovens...I cook in my Dutch Ovens...we take at least 2 dutch ovens..1 large one, 1 small one.
I even have this dutch oven tray thingee..so even if we are at a site with no firepit/grill. I can still use my dutch oven. There is reason I did not want to confess that...because I am sure when I make it to a GTG...I would be cooking...LOL

I had not even thought about the micro/convection oven...have to keep that in mind.

Soo's....yes it that storage with the rack...LOL

[Carolinagal]

I've enjoyed the pros and cons of having an oven or not. I have one, but like Soos, thought it was a neat storage area with a rack Lived in Fl. for so many yrs with the r.v. and couldn't see running the AC to bake something, so it never got used. Now that I'm alone, I usually have my pre-cooked freezer meals or something that can be cooked on the stove. In other words, 'easy ' for just me.

I like how Vickie summed it up. But its a personal decision, and after all of the different responses here, not sure if your decision is easier or harder to make.

Good Luck,
CArol

[Birdie]

Liz has the neatest microwave gizmo in Silver Lining. It is an Apollo 1/2 time microwave, convection, grill, oven, stove type thing. It is absolutely great. You put your food in there and cut the normal cook time in half and it cooks. It is absolutely a marvelous item. I'd like that in my next rig, but I still want the propane oven and stovetop.

Just cooked biscuits yesterday in my mw/convection as I was hooked up to unlimited power. So today I warmed one of those biscuits in the mw, cooked an egg, with cheese on it and warmed up my bacon with that on the stove top. Life is good when you got cooking on the mind !!

I do store my skillets, a small pot and the kitchen towels, in the oven. Easy to remove them to cook.

[JudyJB]

Thanks everyone!

The consensus seems to be that ovens are nice, even when you don't use them for anything but storage. (I liked Vickie's point that you can store in an oven but not cook in a cupboard!)

I also had not realized that there may be times when you have only propane, but not enough power for the microwave. Good point.

So, I guess having an oven is worth it, even though the microwave/convection will work fine.

JudyJB