Where to put microwave in International 28'

[garybair]

Getting close on a purchase of an International 28 (2015). It just has an oven. Where would one put a small 600W microwave?

We don't really want to pay the bucks to upgrade to a microwave/convection.

thanks for ideas, Gary

[Foiled Again]

Get a small home microwave and store it under the table or bed in it's original box. IF you find you use it every trip and rarely or never use the oven, post here and find someone close who wants to trade. It seems like half of the people who own Airstreams want whichever one they DON'T have. If you want both and find it irritating to pop it out of the box and put it on the counter or table figure out a place to stick it. (oooh that sounded so wrong and I meant it so innocently)

A 600 watt microwave will just irritate you - it's WEAK. I had one and could boil a pot of water on the stovetop faster than I could heat one CUP in the microwave. When you NEED a cup of hot tea, that's frustrating. Find a small footprint/cheap home one of 900 or more watts.

Paula

[garybair]

You're right Paula that 600W is whimpy. Maybe we can get a little more.

There are always tradeoffs. Physical size is one thing. Power is another. Am thinking it might be worth having one that can be powered by a 1000W inverter when we don't have full hook-ups, mostly for short uses, reheating left-overs, etc..

We had a motorhome for many years and didn't like having to fire up the generator each time we used the microwave for a couple minutes. That would be more of a pain with an AS as there is no built-in generator.

We'll have a lot of solar power, and hope we can get by without a generator. Not sure that's practical yet..

Really do appreciate the feedback though as we aren't settled yet. Good idea to just take one along and not worry about a permanent mount at first until we see what works for us.

[cantdrv55]

I have a 28' FlyingCloud and it too did not come with a microwave. I bought a 700 watt Oster brand and store it underneath the couch, no box.

[Phoenix]

We strapped our microwave and a Bunn coffee maker (similar to a Keurig) to our dining table. These two items reduce the free space on the table. However, now that my wife and I are retired and there are only two of us, the convenience outweighs the loss of table space.

The microwave sits atop a PC monitor stand, and a bamboo kitchen organizer tray (holding K-Cups, coffee supplies, sweetener packets, spoons and napkins) slides in and out underneath the stand. In the photo below, the tray is partially extended, because we had been using some of the supplies.

The microwave is held in place by a couple of bolts protruding through the top of PC monitor stand, which go into holes in the bottom of the microwave, like index pins. The excess bolt length keeps the microwave from sliding off of the stand, even though the microwave and PC monitor stand are not actually bolted together.

Rubber anti-skid mats on the tabletop keep the microwave and coffee maker from sliding around; and anti-skid mats are also placed on the tops of these appliances. Then, a long ballistic nylon strap is tightened over these items and around the tabletop to hold everything in place. Underneath the table, a short length of pool noodle is wedged between this strap and the tabletop to maintain tension on the strap.

While this setup is a real kludge, there are no permanent modifications or holes added to the tabletop; and everything can be removed to restore the table to its original configuration. Also, all items are securely held in place, and we have traveled over a year and several thousand miles with nothing coming undone.

[garybair]

Originally Posted by cantdrv55

I have a 28' FlyingCloud and it too did not come with a microwave. I bought a 700 watt Oster brand and store it underneath the couch, no box.

Are you able to run this Oster 700W microwave with an inverter (for short periods)? If so, what size inverter do you have?

thanks! Gary

[garybair]

Thanks Phoenix for the pictures and good idea for how you've solved this. I particularly like the extra storage underneath it - worth considering.

[cantdrv55]

Originally Posted by garybair

Are you able to run this Oster 700W microwave with an inverter (for short periods)? If so, what size inverter do you have?

thanks! Gary

I haven't tried an inverter yet. Just got the oven and the trailer.

[cory_can]

Are you going to ever use the standard oven? We don't, so the convection upgrade was an easy decision and now we don't have to worry about a spot to put a separate microwave.

[LiLNomad]

You might want to do a search for posts by BAB he put his under his stove also had a 28ft.
LilNomad

[BAB]

As LilNomad notes above, I did a pretty unusual install. I'd ordered my '12 28 Intl CCD with the Microwave/Convection. Hate it. Installed a thermal oven....and found there was just enough room for a useful sized micro/convection UNDERNEATH. Lots of visitors noted that you had to get on the floor to use it. I had to get on the floor to use the Sharp as well. I sold my trailer in October and am waiting for a '15 Classic. Space for both in the new one, though I'm not excited about a Franklin Microwave....Here's a picture of what I did in my Intl.

[Foiled Again]

Electricity - any electric resistance element (one that creates HEAT) is an electricity hog. Can you run a coffee maker or microwave or waffle iron on an inverter - yes but not for long. Your solar will spend all day recharging the batteries. When I don't have hookups, everything is done on the hob (gas cooktop). Coffee, get a good filter that fits into a mug, pour roughly 2 tbsp. of coffee into the filter, pour boiling water from your teapot over the coffee, let steep for a couple of minutes - enjoy. Toast (a bit more work than a toaster) - get a stovetop toaster - preheat it over a medium burner - put the


Get the vacuum bag thingy with "boiling bags" to store meals/leftovers. Cooking for one or two people is a pain in the neck - it's virtually no more work or mess to cook six to eight portions. Ergo, when I cook I look for dishes that reheat well and bag and freeze all but what I'm planning to eat in one or at most two meals. Next day, heat a pot of water to a nice almost boil on the propane stove top, toss in a bag and let it simmer for 5 to 10 minutes (depends on size of portion and number of bags), snip open and serve. Make a salad while the bag is simmering and you have a full meal.

Some people are paranoid about cooking in plastic bags - and I'm not sure there isn't something to the fears. If that's a concern, open the bag, put a few teaspoons of water in the bottom of a pan, and reheat on simmer with the lid on the pot. Takes the same amount of time, but you have to watch the temperature a bit more closely (get the flame as low as you can without it going out) or you'll burn the food.

[Foiled Again]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

Electricity - any electric resistance element (one that creates HEAT) is an electricity hog. Can you run a coffee maker or microwave or waffle iron on an inverter - yes but not for long. Your solar will spend all day recharging the batteries. When I don't have hookups, everything is done on the hob (gas cooktop). Coffee, get a good filter that fits into a mug, pour roughly 2 tbsp. of coffee into the filter, pour boiling water from your teapot over the coffee, let steep for a couple of minutes - enjoy. Toast (a bit more work than a toaster) - get a stovetop toaster - preheat it over a medium burner - put the toast on, flip when brown, watch carefully it'll burn in a heartbeat.


Get the vacuum bag thingy with "boiling bags" to store meals/leftovers. Cooking for one or two people is a pain in the neck - it's virtually no more work or mess to cook six to eight portions. Ergo, when I cook I look for dishes that reheat well and bag and freeze all but what I'm planning to eat in one or at most two meals. Next day, heat a pot of water to a nice almost boil on the propane stove top, toss in a bag and let it simmer for 5 to 10 minutes (depends on size of portion and number of bags), snip open and serve. Make a salad while the bag is simmering and you have a full meal.

Some people are paranoid about cooking in plastic bags - and I'm not sure there isn't something to the fears. If that's a concern, open the bag, put a few teaspoons of water in the bottom of a pan, and reheat on simmer with the lid on the pot. Takes the same amount of time, but you have to watch the temperature a bit more closely (get the flame as low as you can without it going out) or you'll burn the food.

Sorry posted prematurely. Corrections in blue.

Truth is, food cooked on a stovetop or regular/convection oven tastes better than stuff that is nuked. And PREP time is always longer than cooking time either way.

Paula

[silverslppr]

Just a thought ... our first AS was a 2006 Bambi 16 footer. It did not come with an oven of any kind, just a 2 burner range. At first we packed a microwave (an Oster OGG3701 0.7-Cubic Foot Microwave Oven). It was small and matched the bright aluminum decor of our CCD. We placed it on the floor under the dinette wrapped in a blanket and surrounded by cushions while in motion. We had to set it up each time we stopped. We finally realized that we were not using it! So we bought a spacesaver Black & Decker toaster/oven which we mounted to the underside of the galley cabinet. It is the Black & Decker TROS1000 SpaceMaker Digital Toaster Oven. It reheats food, including coffee, very quickly since it heats a small area, and it makes toast! (No need to bring along a separate toaster.) Adios microwave, hello small & quick counter-saver oven.

[garybair]

Thanks again everyone for all the replies and ideas. I can see this forum is going to be a great resource.

You've given us a lot to think about.