cooktop vs. stove

[gergstuff]

I have a '78 Argosy 6 metre minuet that is pretty much original on the inside. The old Magic Chef stove looks awful but still works okay. On our way back from a weekend trip this past weekend we stopped off at Camping World to price new stoves. There is a new Magic Chef that looks like it would be an easy and direct replacement.

However, there was also a cooktop which is all we really use anyway so I started thinking that I could go the cooktop route and use the space normally occupied by the oven portion of the stove for a built in microwave which would be more practical for weekend use.

Has anyone done this out there? Looking for any helpful hints or situations to try and avoid etc.

As always, any help is appreciated.

Thanks,

Craig

[mandolindave]

You could put a microwave under the stove top where the oven use to be, or a drawer, shelf, or try to match in a door. I guess a replacement oven would be the easiest. My resoration guy urged me to get a stove top instead of an oven. He said that I would just use the oven to store bread. He was SO wrong. I store donuts instead. Anyway, we were picking in my friends rig last week, and the youngsters were baking up a storm.
Muffins, cornbread, and cookies, warm from the oven. MMM MMM MMM.
I might actually use mine come fall when it's too chilly to cook outside.

[purman]

I would like to get rid of our oven.. It is huge. I could put a turkey in it... The stove top is in a different place.. Just got my new one.... Wedgewood, like the look the best... 3 burner... Just wish the oven was smaller... the wife wants it for cooking brownies and cookies in it... and warming bread...

Otherwise it would be gone.. the microwave is a good idea if you have hookup....

Get rid of it if you don't use it... keep it if you will, or do the microwave, you can get the microwave that is also an oven....

[cameront120]

I must be a minority...I actually use my oven and love it. I actually put my microwave in stroage because I don't use it. The four burners and oven on my Magic Chef work very well and have yet to let me down. Of course, I'm living in my trailer, so perhaps my needs are a little different than if I were just camping for a few days or so.

[gergstuff]

Yes, when we were full timers in a much larger trailer (non-airstream) the oven got used fairly often, now we are 2-3 weeks a year and the odd weekend here and there and we like to keep it simple food wise so we usually go with canned beans or beef stew and the like.

I am not ready to tear into it just yet as I would like to squeeze one more trip in before it turns into winter.

Craig

[purman]

Man I would think you NW folks would want the stove with the rainy cold days..... Grew up in Spanaway, and live in Kent WA. for a number of years... You could always use it for heat!!!!!!! just joking....

[gergstuff]

Well it isn't really that rainy up this way (shhh, don't tell anyone or they will want to move up here) and we have not done any winter camping for awhile, the old Argosy gets mothballed at the end of October.

Craig

[purman]

It is nice up there, kinda like Sequim. I have some friends how live up there still..

[goransons]

If anyone has a stand alone oven (not the range combo) I'd love to have one back in the 66 which has the seperate cook top and oven on opposite sides of the trailer.

[2Alaska]

My Magic Chef was looking pretty bad in my 77. I contemplated replacing it but since there are other issues I should attend to first I decided to try to paint it with high temperature stove paint in silver. It didn't take long, was cheap, and came out pretty good. I usually use just the cook top on shorter trips but I'm planning on some much longer trips over the next few years and the oven will be used fairly often. I rarely use a microwave.
2Alaska