Microwave/Convection Combo -- Good idea?

[loudounrv]

My wife and I getting ready for a purchase and we're wondering if it would be a good idea to get a combination convection/microwave unit in place of the standard microwave.

We have a convection oven at home, and she prefers the standard oven. However, we have 3 kids, and I could definitely see the benefits of cooking 2 pizzas at the same time (one in the convection oven and one in the conventional oven in the rv). I usually cook breakfast, and I can also see the benefit of cooking bacon in a convection oven because I could easily clean up afterwards. I've switched to cooking bacon in the oven at home, instead of using the stovetop (easier and quicker for cooking in large amounts). I could see myself doing the same on the trailer, and I just imagine it would be easier to wipe out any grease from a convection/microwave with a few swipes of a paper towel, instead of getting down on my hands and knees and finding any stray grease that splattered in the conventional oven.

I'm sure there are many other circumstances when it would be nice to a have a convection oven. The upgrade is about $400, so before deciding for certain, I thought I'd float this question out to others who already have a convection / microwave combo unit so I could get your experiences and suggestions. Thanks!

[Atom_Ant]

R12RTee wrote:

Atom Ant wrote:
The RV microwave/convections are certainly not robust design for RVs, in fact, they are the cheapest you can get. The one on our last rig was replaced twice. Sounds like this Frigidaire brand in this one is haunted as well, as quite a few folks are having issues with them starting on their own.

But I would get it again. If it quits under warranty, I'll get another. If it quits out of warranty I'll put in a better one. In all honesty, we rarely use it for anything beyond the microwave. The DW prefers the regular oven.

Our coach came with the GE Advantium with the Speedcook and it is not the cheapest you can get but it is a damn good unit. Baking with the convection oven is much better than a standard oven and with only one year of full time use it is holding up very well.

Well, you did pay a little more for your rig than a lot of us, so I would hope you did get a higher class of cheapest. 😉

[R12RTee]

Atom Ant wrote:
The RV microwave/convections are certainly not robust design for RVs, in fact, they are the cheapest you can get. The one on our last rig was replaced twice. Sounds like this Frigidaire brand in this one is haunted as well, as quite a few folks are having issues with them starting on their own.

But I would get it again. If it quits under warranty, I'll get another. If it quits out of warranty I'll put in a better one. In all honesty, we rarely use it for anything beyond the microwave. The DW prefers the regular oven.

Our coach came with the GE Advantium with the Speedcook and it is not the cheapest you can get but it is a damn good unit. Baking with the convection oven is much better than a standard oven and with only one year of full time use it is holding up very well.

[RLGetman]

Love our convection oven!

[jnharley]

We are on our 3rd Dometic micro/convection oven all replaced under warranty. The convection part never gets to the selected temp and Dometic says within 75 degrees is acceptable. Not to me! We do not have a gas oven so we depend on the convection part. So when this one fails and is out of warranty, we will replace it with a residential model. By the way, clean up us not quite as easy with the convection part. Stuff "bakes on" during cooking and the manual says to just wipe it off and one is not supposed to use anything but soap and water. It will not come clean. I am ready to take drastic measures and use oven cleaner on it.

[GordonThree]

Thanks for the input on resi vs rv specific models.

Starting on its own would be exciting for me, since I usually leave my inverter on while I'm towing my trailer in order to keep the clocks and tv happy. I wouldn't know until I saw smoke in the side view mirrors 🙂

[luvglass]

We have a Sharp and I believe it's a residential over the counter with exhaust. We wouldn't be without it, we hardly ever use the oven.

[Atom_Ant]

GordonThree wrote:
May I ask, is it necessary to get an RV specific unit, as if it is somehow more rugged internally, as opposed to a regular residential unit?

I think today these are all residential type with integral range hood. They vent just like the ones at home.

Not the case on our previous Montana (2007). They used a 23" wide countertop type convection oven that fit in the same enclosed cabinet as the older microwaves. The hood underneath was the same old RV 12V model. Because there was no exterior vent for the convection oven, it had to be special built for the RV with its own piggyback fan on the back and ductwork that drew air from the bottom and pushed it out the top through the grill work in the trim. It was a Chinese Apollo that only lasted a few days for us. It was the only option for replacement without some significant modifications. We ended up just replacing it with a standard microwave.

[rav]

GordonThree wrote:
May I ask, is it necessary to get an RV specific unit, as if it is somehow more rugged internally, as opposed to a regular residential unit?

Also for those that have them, do you have to take out the metal oven shelf to use it as a microwave, or can you leave the shelf in there?

the one we have is a residential model.

[Atom_Ant]

The RV microwave/convections are certainly not robust design for RVs, in fact, they are the cheapest you can get. The one on our last rig was replaced twice. Sounds like this Frigidaire brand in this one is haunted as well, as quite a few folks are having issues with them starting on their own.

But I would get it again. If it quits under warranty, I'll get another. If it quits out of warranty I'll put in a better one. In all honesty, we rarely use it for anything beyond the microwave. The DW prefers the regular oven.

[sdianel_-acct_c]

The only problem I have with the microwave convection combo is that I almost always use the microwave when I'm cooking. Once you preheat the convection oven, you can't use the microwave until you're done. I still like the convection oven however, just have to plan the meal prep better if you need both.

[JTrac]

Ours came with a Dometic combination microwave/convection oven. We used it two seasons and I just replaced it with a Whirlpool Gold. With the Dometic if a frozen pizza called for 20 minutes you had better allow 40. I did some research and the microwave part of the Dometic was rated at 850 watts and the oven 1350. The Whirlpool is 1100 and 1600. We have not used it yet so I can't say that we bettered ourselves but I am pretty sure we did. Since we ordered our coach without a gas oven the convection is pretty important. I'm not sure if the power ratings are the whole story but I can't help but think the more the better.

[NC_Hauler]

We have a microwave/convection oven in our 5er and also have an oven built in with the stove. The wife LOVES the convection oven. She is using it more and more, biscuits, meatloaf, casseroles and quite a few other things that she didn't even think about using it to bake before, but now really enjoys it...Never had a problem with it and it has served us well.

[galtgirl]

To answer GordonThree's question, we purchased a residential convection microwave and my husband replaced our old microwave. I believe the ones they put in RVs at the factory are just residential ovens and not specially made for the RV industry.

I agree with MichelleS...I am planning to replace my microwave range/oven with a cook top only and put shelves or drawers in the space where the oven was.

I don't understand why people are intimidated or have difficulty baking with a convection oven...it's the same as a regular oven except that there is a fan that circulates the hot air which makes for more even baking. I usually bake at 25deg lower than a recipe calls for and that seems to work just fine. I can't see any difference other than you get more even heat and can actually use two racks and not have to switch pans (like cookies or rolls) half-way through baking.

[GordonThree]

May I ask, is it necessary to get an RV specific unit, as if it is somehow more rugged internally, as opposed to a regular residential unit?

Also for those that have them, do you have to take out the metal oven shelf to use it as a microwave, or can you leave the shelf in there?