Using the RV oven

[campn4walleye]

I never had trouble using the oven in our 5er, but it seems like it was bigger than the one in our TC. In this oven, every time I bake biscuits, they burn on the bottom. I use a rectangular Pampered Chef stone. I've never had an issue before this oven.

Is it because of the size? Any suggestions? Do I need to bake at lower temps than suggested? I haven't baked anything in it lately because of the latest results. It's annoying. I think it may be a 19" oven. I have it, I want to use it.

[Ron3rd]

TnCamperMama wrote:
Ok y'all don't laugh at me, b/c I'm serious. If I bought a pizza stone or clay tile, do I put it directly ON the heating element in the bottom? Or do I put it on the lowest rack above the element? We're between campers right now, so IDK how my soon to be "new to me" one will work.

I'm a baker at home, but have only made biscuits in the camper. We will be buying a tt

To clarify: We put ours on the lowest rack above the burners with good results.

[TS21sso]

My wife makes up large batches of various kinds of cookies, forms cookies and then freezes. We take these frozen cookies on most trips. With a pizza stone in the oven we have fresh baked cookies to go with our coffee, or to treat quests. Once up to temp, the pizza stone keeps an even heat and oven really works well.

[JiminDenver]

Some thoughts on the oven.

Some of what bad about the oven is their design, some is the size.

The thing that makes a good oven is the ability to maintain temp and there is little in a RV oven that does this. The metal is thin and cool quickly. Since it is also small, opening the door causes the air to cool quickly too.

When I watch my oven I notice that to heat it up the flame is large. This heats the bottom up to high and turns your cookie sheet in to a fry pan. Once the oven is up to temp the flame drops to a much smaller maintaining size. Opening the door reduces the temp and the flame comes back up.

The pizza stone does more than protects the food from the burner, it also absorbs heat and slowly releases it keeping the oven at a more even heat.

A cookie sheet on the rack below the food helps because it blocks the direct heat from reaching the bottom of the food,

We use our oven each trip and I've taken to over heating it and then turning it down when I put the food in. It will drop in temp rather quickly but wont need the BIG flame to get it back up to temp and wont as long as the door isn't open much or for long. It has helped even without a stone or airbake pans.

[TnCamperMama]

Thanks for the explanation as to why.

[SWMO]

TnCamperMama wrote:
Ok y'all don't laugh at me, b/c I'm serious. If I bought a pizza stone or clay tile, do I put it directly ON the heating element in the bottom? Or do I put it on the lowest rack above the element? We're between campers right now, so IDK how my soon to be "new to me" one will work.

I'm a baker at home, but have only made biscuits in the camper. We will be buying a tt

It seems to work best on what is the bottom of the oven, the metal shelf covering the burner. The idea is to block the heat in the center area and force the hot air up through the vent holes. Doing this makes temperature changes slower and allows the thermostat to make adjustments before the oven gets too hot.

[Super_Dave]

TCM, the placement of the stone is probably 50/50. If you saw 96Bounders picture on the previous page, the tile went directly on the enamel diffuser and I've read where many others do the same. I put mine under my food on the actual oven rack so there may not be a right or wrong answer for this one.

[TnCamperMama]

The Dung Beetles wrote:
*Ditto* to:

Oven Thermometer (my TT oven runs 25° hot so I adjust down when setting the temp).

Air Bake Cookie Sheets...(just found a nearly new, perfect sized little one at Goodwill! Whohooo!)

LOVE the stone idea. I have one that I store in my home oven, and I've always felt it disperses heat nicely.

TnCamperMama

I use my pizza stone by putting it on the rack. That rack is setting at the lowest level in the oven. Not directly on the elements.
.

Thank you. I know that sounded silly, but I'm a very literal person, so I know I'd be the moron who set it on the element. 🙂

[The_Dung_Beetle]

*Ditto* to:

Oven Thermometer (my TT oven runs 25° hot so I adjust down when setting the temp).

Air Bake Cookie Sheets...(just found a nearly new, perfect sized little one at Goodwill! Whohooo!)

LOVE the stone idea. I have one that I store in my home oven, and I've always felt it disperses heat nicely.

TnCamperMama

I use my pizza stone by putting it on the rack. That rack is setting at the lowest level in the oven. Not directly on the elements.
.

[TnCamperMama]

Ok y'all don't laugh at me, b/c I'm serious. If I bought a pizza stone or clay tile, do I put it directly ON the heating element in the bottom? Or do I put it on the lowest rack above the element? We're between campers right now, so IDK how my soon to be "new to me" one will work.

I'm a baker at home, but have only made biscuits in the camper. We will be buying a tt

[Us_out_West]

When we mastered (finally) how to use our convection/microwave our oven became a storage area.

Plus don't forget that you'll save propane...especially getting into cooler times and that propane can be used for your furnace.

Our electric fireplace helps with the heat in the rig though. :W

[down_home]

I sometimes make a cake or cookies or more often brownies.
Wife has the air bake pans, with an air gap sealed between two pans.
One thing that helps with some ovens is to put another pan, on the bottom, below the actual rack with the cookies. The higher in the oven the more likely that oven is to brown the top quicker. Heat rises, even in ovens.
She has a receipt for a cracker type biscuit that she bakes starting with a cold oven. They have to be placed high.
It is hard to adjust the temp in these gas ovens. Perhaps not as bad s the old wood stoves though.

[SWMO]

In our oven a large clay tile will fits real well between the vent holes. If you cook with CI you can throw a frying pan in the bottom also and it will help considerably. The first time I left our in the oven it broke into two pieces, but since then I left it in, it's broken right? It hasn't broken again though?
I rarely use ours, preferring to use the DO outside.

[Ron3rd]

campin4kids wrote:
I'm glad to see this thread. I have NEVER used my oven. Because of the size I was reluctant to risk ruining the food. Now maybe I'll reconsider as cool weather camping would be nice with some baked goods.
Thanks for the tips.
Deb

Like Go Dogs said above, the RV oven is nowhere near as good as a home oven. We've done the pizza stone and ceramic tile like Eric shows above and it greatly improved things. Basically, these mods prevent you from burning everything on the bottom and makes the RV oven useable.

The other tip posted above is to calibrate your oven so the heat is close to what shows on the knob.

[campin4kids]

I'm glad to see this thread. I have NEVER used my oven. Because of the size I was reluctant to risk ruining the food. Now maybe I'll reconsider as cool weather camping would be nice with some baked goods.
Thanks for the tips.
Deb