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It occurred to me after moving into the rv that the oven wasn’t going to cook like a regular oven. I was pleased however to discover 90% of my cooking and baking dishes would fit. After some trial and error and research I learned the tricks to cooking in an RV oven.
Negative aspects of RV Ovens
- Size – they are extremely small compared to a sticks and bricks oven. I can fit most of my bakeware and cooking pans into ours including my 10×15 flat pan. Although I can only fit one in at a time. I found the smaller versions at our pharmacy in the kitchen section. I donated that extra-large fat pan I had when we moved in.
- Heat Source – not everyone is bothered by cooking with propane but some folks can’t stand it. So much so that they actually remove their ovens from the rv and use something like a Nuwave oven instead. It also worries some people that they will run out of propane and not be able to use the furnace, or hot water. Although an interesting fact, most RV’s water heaters can be switched from gas to electric.
- Pre-Heating – Obviously there isn’t a little buzzer or beeper that goes off to alert you the oven is ready.
- Lighting the Oven – this isn’t really an issue for me anymore but when we first got the rv I was worried about sending the whole rig up in flames. It’s inconvenient though to have to squat down and reach the lighter to the back of the oven to light it. It would be easier to just have a spark igniter like the stove tops have.
Although it can be a pain to do I’m here to tell you cooking in an RV oven is manageable. Just make sure to follow these tips below.
- Pre-Heat – You have to! I know it might feel like your wasting propane but there is less potential for a cooking or baking disaster.
- Oven Thermometer – If you don’t have one go get one now! I got one from our grocery store but they sell them on Amazon as well. Keep up with the temperature correctly instead of guessing if it’s hot enough or not. What the dial is set at can actually be lower or higher typically in these ovens, so this takes the guess-work out if it.
- Rotate – Half way through cooking or baking rotate the dish. This way it gets cooked evenly.
- Pizza Stone or Glazed Tiles – Since the heat from the heating element doesn’t normally distribute evenly grab yourself a pizza stone or 4 glazed tiles. I purchased my pizza stone from amazon online with dimensions I knew would fit my oven.
- Adjust the wire rack – When you move the rack up just a bit higher you won’t have the intense heat and it makes the temperature more even.
Well there you have it! I hope these tips work for you. Something I’m forgetting to include? Leave a comment below with what you tips you use to cook in your RV oven.
Do you place the Baku g dish on the pizza stone?
No I have the metal oven rack in between where I have placed the pizza stone and I put the baking dish on the rack. If you look back at the blog post you will see a visual of where to put the pizza stone.
~Christina
Sorry I am just now seeing this comment. I place the pizza stone underneath the cooking rack. It’s pictured at the top of the post on what the setup looks like. 🙂
~Christina
I used my RV oven for the first time for biscuits and when I checked the bottoms were starting to burn so I had to flip them over and moved it up to top shelf; Turned it down and it still tried burning on the bottom. Will the stone on the bottom rack help from the bottoms burning?Thank You for replying.
It should. That’s why the oven thermostat is important too cause if you set your oven to 400 it might actually be hotter or not as hot as your wanting. In your case it would be hotter than what your setting it at making things burn. SO I would recommend both the stone and the oven thermostat for better cooking.
~Christina
The stone made all the difference in the world for. Everything cooks evenly now. I also purchased an oven thermometer from Walmart for less than $3. My oven tends to cook just a little hotter than it should. Knowing this and being able to adjust has resulted in everything cooking just as it should. I will actually be baking my daughters three tiered wedding cake right here come October!
I replaced our microwave with a combination microwave / convection oven. Now baking is a breeze. It’s faster and cooks more evenly .
I might do that one day but for now we work with what we have. Although I have heard good things about the convections!
Thanks!
~Christina
Do you think leaving my large cast iron skillet on the metal shelf (where you place your pizza stone) would have a similar effect?
No I think it won’t work the same. Good thought though.
~Christina
It actually will work. Cast iron is dense, like stones.
Oh! That’s great to know cast iron will work as well. I wasn’t 100% sure. I hadn’t tried it. Thank you!
~Christina
Ok Jammie. I got a reply from another follower who said it will work the same. I wasn’t 100% sure. SO yes I’d say go ahead and try it! 🙂
~Christina
When I’m baking breads, cookies, or cakes, I add a small pan of water underneath my top rack and the flame. That, with the baking tiles, really helps distribute the heat.
Very neat to hear about this idea. I will have to try that out soon! I love it when I learn new things! 🙂 Thanks for the tip!
~Christina
Where is the best place to put the oven thermometer?
I put it on the bottom under the rack.
~Christina
I went to Lowes and purchased a set of 9 small UNGLAZED tiles and put those on top of the metal part above the heat element. These help distribute the heat evenly through the oven and things don’t burn as easily.
We just bought a newer trailer trailer. I learned a very valuable lesson from the salesman. One, yes, I do use a pizza stone and a thermometer. I use to light the oven every time I used it. The salesman said that once you set up at a site, you only need to light it once. There is a place on the oven knob that says “pilot light only”. When you turn it to that, instead of off, the pilot light stays on. The next time you use the oven, you only need to turn to the temperature you need. Wow, now I like my oven!
I’ve been cooking in an RV oven for 13 years, and here is my 2 cents:
1. I inverted two (2) dollar store cookie sheets, and screwed them together. This is my air pocket instead of the stone. I place it directly on the rack.
2. I discovered that glass cookware bakes much more evenly with very little bottom burning.