Cooking: Gas or Convection

[Scoot]

When we order our new Flying Cloud we have the option of getting a microwave convection oven. We have never used one before. Is it worth the money to get one or should we stick with LP gas cooking?

[DKB_SATX]

Do you "boondock" off-grid much, or always stick to developed campsites with 30A or 50A hookups? We boondock enough that we wanted a real oven, and our 26U came with a conventional microwave in addition to the gas oven. It works well for us.

[weirdstuff]

Wondering same thing as we contemplate our purchase....

[Moflash]

We love the combo microwave/convection oven.The convection bakes and warms up just like our oven at home.Microwave is also handy.When boondocking we hook up our two Honda 2000i generators for Ac and oven.

[TravlinMan]

Yep depends on how ya camp. I camp mainly without hookups and no generator so the gas oven was what I needed since a microwave convection uses a lot of power. If ya plan on always bein plugged in and you ain't against microwaves for any reason than go for it.

I think I got the fanless fridge by not gettin the microwave, apparently they use a fridge with a fan if ya get it and that can be louder.

But I will say the gas oven works great, I use it a bunch.

[LBOskiBear]

Not just how you camp, but how you cook. We mostly have hook-ups and have both a microwave and gas oven. However, we use the gas oven on every trip, but the microwave probably only 20% of the time.

[kendrick.l.j]

I am full timing in my Airstream and have both gas and the microwave/convection oven combo and I have never used the convection option at least not yet and I have had it 7 months. I cook every day at "home" because I like to cook. I didn't order the convection oven it just happened to be on the one that was for sale at the time. I did use my convection oven in my traditional house so it's not that I don't like them I just haven't used it mainly because it will create a LOT OF HEAT and I don't think this unit is properly insulated to handle the extra heat. It just seems to me that they would get too hot. The convection oven in my house was super insulated. Just saying....

[GinaNBob]

We usually have an electric hookup but I would still go for the oven. There are so many more things you can cook in the oven. We do use the microwve too but more to heat stuff up or make popcorn.
We have a convection oven and microwave at home. Use the convection oven all the time but hardly ever use the convection option on the microwave. I think it's because the microwave is so much smaller.
The convection microwave option available in the AS seem small and the few I have seen are mounted in the lower cabinet area. I don't know about you, but these eyes are not what they used to be. Seems harder to read the control panel at that level withou kneeling in the floor 😜
Gina

[Bilbo]

We have the microwave convection oven and love it. When we have power, the microwave does all the things that microwaves do, but the convection was a real revelation. We did not realize the utility of this unit, and the combination of microwave and convection cooking is far quicker and puts less heat into the AS than the propane oven. After using it we're considering installing one at home.

When boondocking, we use the propane stove and/or a gas grill. We have also used a slow cooker operating off the inverter with good success. We do have solar panels for recharging, so the slow cooker might not be practical if you're living purely off battery power.

[Toasterlife]

We use our regular oven all the time, I like the fact that it uses no electricity, we boondock quite a lot so being able to bake a cake on a cold rainy afternoon, and have a nice toasty trailer as a bonus is very nice. We also have a microwave in our 23 ft - but can only use it with shore power. We do travel with generators but rarely use them because they are noisy for us and other campers.

[greenflag]

We had a gas oven in our 2007. We found it difficult to light the pilot. So, we didn't bake much. The oven became storage for skillets etc. We have the convection in our 2016. We are still learning all of its uses. We still don't bake much. We use the stove top and our Weber Q gas grill outside. We do prefer the micro/convection. I think the bottom line is mentioned in previous posts how much do you plan on boondocking.

[MelGoddard]

Originally Posted by Scoot

When we order our new Flying Cloud we have the option of getting a microwave convection oven. We have never used one before. Is it worth the money to get one or should we stick with LP gas cooking?

We have never used the so called "Convection" feature of our micro-wave.
Never found a need to.
We do 'nuke' something occasionally.

[MelGoddard]

And now; I'm gonna start 'something' here.

When the newer ovens were introduced, they were called "convection" ovens, because they have a fan to circulate the air in the 'box'.
THAT is NOT convection; it is Forced Air.
The original ovens are 'convection'.
Just look at a candle, or a cigarette, the smoke rises remember. Heat rises, it's basic physics.

There is a difference between 'convection' and 'forced air'.
Forced Air is good, because it gives more even cooking heat.
Just call it by what it is; and not some figment of a 'know nothing' ad-man's imagination.

[John Geisen]

Well, I'd love to learn how to use the convection microwave. We use it for microwaving only. I tried reading the manual that came with our Sharp but perhaps I'm just more of a convenience type of guy. It seemed confusing.

[369goose]

Yes, it really comes down to personal preference and HOW you camp.

I'll start by saying when camping or boondocking we think of our indoor cooking options (stovetop, oven, microwave or crockpot/electric or using the inverter) as bonus options because we are more likely to use any one of our five other outdoor cooking options first (camp grill w Dutch oven, gas grill, charcoal mini green egg/smoker, pizza stones or a portable electric stovetop). Obviously our first preference is to cook and dine outside.

Anyway, having had both the propane oven and currently the convection/micro combo we've use(d) and enjoy both Equally. In both our larger Airstreams the propane oven usually set off the smoke alarms and it did radiate more heat throughout the trailer than the convection oven does. You will experience similar heat and alarms when you cook indoors using your propane stove. It isn't a tremendous amount of heat but is noticeable. When we downsized to our new 25' it already had the combo oven installed and we could've switched it to a propane oven but that would have meant giving up the microwave option so we figured we'd give the combo oven a go and we are glad we did. Initially I had a concern about how low the combo is situated in the trailer but for the couple of seconds (literally) it takes to put something in/out or to program it I'll sit in front of it on a small collapsible stool that we carry for other purposes, so problem solved. Btw, microwave is great for moving days when you are packed and want a quick brekkie before hitting the road. For those days alone we are happy we didn't forgo the microwave. Our larger trailers had a separate microwaves and we didn't want to give up any more cabinet or counter space in the 25' to house another unit. Another plus for the combo.

A few other pleasantries we like about the convection/micro combo oven is that it seems easier to keep clean than either of our propane ovens. Not sure why but things don't seem to bubble over so much in the convection and there are fewer nooks & crannies where food might hide and attract unwelcome guests. I dreaded baking lasagna or Mexican dishes with sauces in the propane oven knowing it would require some level of elbow grease to clean up the spills afterwards. The combination of microwave and convection cooking is far quicker and less heat than firing up the propane oven. With many of the convection cooking methods the drip tray & the raised grill grate that comes with it are necessary so even if roasting or grilling the mess is minimal. Also with the convection oven we've been able to exchange some heavy pots/pans for lighter, stackable silicone cookware and bakeware (also microwave friendly) and weight is always a consideration when packing your AS. Oh, and did I mention we bake more now with the convection oven too? We didn't carry oven proof bakeware before simply because it was bulky, heavy, harder to cleanup and couldn't be used in the microwave or fit in the sink easily like the flexible silicone.

Fresh baked cookies, muffins or biscuits are a pleasant surprise on a rainy day when you find yourself having to stay inside and cook! Our experience with these First World problems, aren't we blessed?

[OTRA15]

FYI this thread in the Stella's Kitchen forum has over 500 posts from fans of the gas oven, microwave, and convection oven.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f484...ven-28619.html

We have and use only the gas oven. We bought the current FC20 in part because it had a gas oven. Would not own a trailer without one.

Peter

FYI

[aftermath]

Originally Posted by TravlinMan

Yep depends on how ya camp. I camp mainly without hookups and no generator so the gas oven was what I needed since a microwave convection uses a lot of power. If ya plan on always bein plugged in and you ain't against microwaves for any reason than go for it.

I think I got the fanless fridge by not gettin the microwave, apparently they use a fridge with a fan if ya get it and that can be louder.

But I will say the gas oven works great, I use it a bunch.

Scoot, listen to what he said.

If you are always hooked into power, you can go either way. If you boondock you will not be able to use the oven. You can always use a gas oven. Someone will chime in soon about how they use their convection oven but it will require a generator (probably two) to do so. Again, it does "depend on how ya camp".

If you are going to order a new 25 consider a couple of things about the RB vs the FB. You will have to deal with a fridge fan on the RB and when you back into your site you will always sit at the table and look at the back of your truck.

[dkottum]

The 25RB Airstreams have a propane oven/cooktop and a convection/microwave oven over the fridge. She likes the propane when boon docking and convection oven when in full hookups. The bedroom is also located in the rear where it should be, and a quiet fridge fan replacement is about $12 if you need one. In 1400 nights camping we have never looked out at the tailgate of our truck, we disconnect and park alongside because you usually have to, and we need the truck on its own. Unless staying at Walmart where the view isn't that great. We have seen a lot of RB Airstreams parked in RV resorts where the view out back is into the living room window of the fifth wheel parked behind them.

[A W Warn]

I've had several trailers with the propane cooktop/oven (range). In those trailers I purchased a small microwave and/or a small countertop convection oven. This is what I have in my Safari. Both ride on the dinette cushion while I travel (never moved in thousands of miles) and set on a folding table once we arrive at our campsite.

In my Excella I have a propane cooktop without an oven. The microwave/convection oven does ok. I would rather have the propane oven for those times there are no hookups.

[Dennisr]

My 2017 classic came with both I would have rather had the extra drawers in place of the microwave/confection oven.
The gas oven is awesome accurate temp and cooks great. I'm not much into the microwave to many bad things go along with them. A lot of countries they are banned.