RV cooking question

[hollypoast]

My family is renting an RV for our spring break trip this year from CruiseAmerica. We have done plenty of camping in our pop-up camper but have no experience with a drivable RV so I apologize in advance if these questions seem silly.

(1) I've read on other RV sites that you should plan to do most of your cooking on an electric fry pan or an outside grill making it seem like the oven or stove top is unreliable or harder to use. Is this true? I plan to take my flat, electric fry pan however, my son has requested meat loaf so I'd need to use the oven for that among other things.

(2) Is it possible or realistic to be cooking while you are driving/moving? For example, if I wanted to through something in the oven does it heat/cook while driving? Do the electrical outlets work while we are driving?

Any other tips from those who are experienced RV'ers would be appreciated... things you wish you would have known the first time. Thanks!

 

[tiggerdad]

Hi Holly,
I think the main thing about electric use is that it's "somebody else's dime". Meaning that you are using the campground's electricity. The gas for the stove costs you more money to cook with. We have had no trouble cooking with ours, and have even baked a cake or three.

I can't answer about the cooking and driving thing as I have a traveltrailer. However, drinking and driving is illegal, so I assume cooking and driving is as well.

Hope this helps some

 

[teacup princess]

Can't comment on the cooking and driving but I've never had luck using the oven in the rv. Everything burns on the bottom due to hot spots in those tiny ovens. If you have a baking stone or clay tile to put atop the oven grate, I've heard that helps.

 

[retired and happy]

I have to agree with teacup as to the need/advisability for a stone in the oven. Other than that, and the difficulty in lighting it (the pilot is not automatic and is located near the rear at the bottom of the oven...hard to reach while pushing and turning the main knob at the top front of the stove) It cooks much like a small oven would at home. We have cooked quite a bit in ours over the years (a small turkey, thanksgiving dinner, biscuits, pizza, frozen dinners, etc), but never tried to cook while driving. I would be afraid of the food moving around in the oven, further making even cooking more difficult.

We also do not use an electric skillet, although we carried one around for years. Many people like to take an electric skillet primaily to fry bacon in the morning and drive neighbors crazy with the aroma. We have used a crock pot (or slow cooker) MANY times, and some people have reported putting the pot in the sink to preserve it during transit, then your dinner is ready when you are.

Others pre-prepare dinners or dishes and freeze them. Then thawing them out or frozen-into-the-crockpot and, again, dinner is ready when you are. I plan to cook five meatloves this evening and freeze them (wrapped in aluminum foil). Then we will put a couple in the MH freezer when we travel in April and thaw and use them as needed in the microwave.

Now, whether your electricity works enroute depends on whether you have a generator, or not. Be sure to get a complete tour of your rental and understand how EVERYTHING works.

 

[bama_ed]

I have to agree with teacup as to the need/advisability for a stone in the oven. Other than that, and the difficulty in lighting it (the pilot is not automatic and is located near the rear at the bottom of the oven...hard to reach while pushing and turning the main knob at the top front of the stove) It cooks much like a small oven would at home. We have cooked quite a bit in ours over the years (a small turkey, thanksgiving dinner, biscuits, pizza, frozen dinners, etc), but never tried to cook while driving. I would be afraid of the food moving around in the oven, further making even cooking more difficult.

I agree with retiredandhappy and teacup. I have an oven in my popup and you have to bend way down, reach way in the back, and hold the gas knob down while lighting the pilot. The temp knob is accurate to within 200 degrees and I've learned to use it with a lot of nursing it along, rotating, keeping an eye on what's cooking, etc.

If you're willing to put up with this kind of action, go for it. But be aware it's not nice and predictable like cooking in an oven at home.

Bama Ed

 

[Betty Rohrer]

assuming you will have a microwave oven, I would make meatloaf at home freeze. warm up in micro and eat. we make a lot of meals, freeze and warm. another we use a lot in crock pot meals esp roasts with cream soup from can for gravy while cooking. premade cooked ground beef for either sloppy joes or tacos. with our small family I have used a toaster oven for some baking but I have never tried meatloaf that way.

 

[North of Mouse]

My family is renting an RV for our spring break trip this year from CruiseAmerica. We have done plenty of camping in our pop-up camper but have no experience with a drivable RV so I apologize in advance if these questions seem silly.

(1) I've read on other RV sites that you should plan to do most of your cooking on an electric fry pan or an outside grill making it seem like the oven or stove top is unreliable or harder to use. Is this true? I plan to take my flat, electric fry pan however, my son has requested meat loaf so I'd need to use the oven for that among other things.

(2) Is it possible or realistic to be cooking while you are driving/moving? For example, if I wanted to through something in the oven does it heat/cook while driving? Do the electrical outlets work while we are driving?

Any other tips from those who are experienced RV'ers would be appreciated... things you wish you would have known the first time. Thanks!

Personally, I would never use the oven while driving. Whether you 'can' or not, maybe it's been done, but we would never risk it. That's a fairly large 'open' flame (unlike refrigerator) and I just could not be comfortable in no way doing it.

I also could not use a crockpot - yes, I know others do/have, but there's so many things could go wrong (stopping suddenly/swerving, etc.) that I would not want the risk of hot stuff even remotely spilling.

 

[WECAMP2]

I would advise against trying to cook with the oven and drive. We do cook in a crockpot while driving. No gas flame is a good thing.

 

[torquelover]

My family is renting an RV for our spring break trip this year from CruiseAmerica. We have done plenty of camping in our pop-up camper but have no experience with a drivable RV so I apologize in advance if these questions seem silly.

Be prepared for a lot more noise. The things you packed in your trailer and couldn't hear from your tow vehicle are now traveling with you.

(1) I've read on other RV sites that you should plan to do most of your cooking on an electric fry pan or an outside grill making it seem like the oven or stove top is unreliable or harder to use. Is this true? I plan to take my flat, electric fry pan however, my son has requested meat loaf so I'd need to use the oven for that among other things.

Most Cruise America units do not have an oven, just a cook-top, so check into this before telling your son you can do a meatloaf. I found it hard just getting from the front to the back of the RV while in motion, and tried to make a grilled cheese once. It was hard to do, even on a relatively smooth road, from the motion. If my wife swerved I would have been a goner not belted in and standing up.

(2) Is it possible or realistic to be cooking while you are driving/moving? For example, if I wanted to through something in the oven does it heat/cook while driving? Do the electrical outlets work while we are driving?

You can cook when on the move, just be careful as others said. Outlets usually only work if you run the generator (if you have one) or have a large inverter setup (doubtful on a Cruise America rental).

Any other tips from those who are experienced RV'ers would be appreciated... things you wish you would have known the first time. Thanks!

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. Our first RV trip was from Chicago to Orlando. Second was Chicago to upstate New York. Ever see the movie "RV"?

 

[articfox676]

As you describe it I picture Lucy in THE LONG LONG TRAILER cooking.

 

[ChrisinNJ]

I would keep the cooking to a minimum. I have microwaved while driving but that is the extent of it. We have to run the generator to run anything electric while driving.

For meals while driving I prepare in advance. I usually pack cold cuts so I can sit at the table and make sandwiches. We microwave frozen items like bagel bites and hot pockets. I will also pre cook items like grilled chicken, rice, chili, etc and just warm them to eat on the road.

I sometimes make pasta salad with tuna or seafood salad for a quick easy lunch or dinner.

Does your son like leftover meatloaf? Can you make it in advance and have it cold or reheated on the road??

 

[jbrostek]

I do not use a rental, but I have not had any issue with my oven once I learned the trick. Use a bakers stone on the rack to help stabalize the hotspots in the oven, it will keep things from burning. Also the unlike the house over, resist opening it too often to check, it is much lower BTU then a home oven and you can loose a lot of heat that way.

Since it is a rental, most probably talk about electric skillets to avoid paying for propane is my guess. Now I do use electric skillets when I cook large meals because there is just not enough burner space to do it all. I find a flat skillet plus a pan style electric skillet is great for breakfast, tacos and other pan based meals.

 

[veraletta]

We have a motorhome and have taken it out for two trips, things that I learned in a short time of owning our RV.

1. We enjoy cooking outside, have yet to use the stovetop inside our motorhome.
Another reason is we are worried about the smell being in the rv.

2. Our motorhome didn't come with an oven, so we brought one that we use outside, which it also has two stovetop burner.
We found out that if we cook outside where everyone is, everyone seems to help out with cooking.

3. We have only cooked in the motorhome using our microwave.
Which we have used while drivng or to warm up leftovers.

If you cook on the stovetop while someone else would be driving the motorhome someone could get hurt.
I guess someone could get away with using crockpot by putting it in the sink but I would worry about it falling out, as my grandson put his xbox in the sink and it still fell out. Only reason is because it was too tall and the weight of it being tossed around. I had to put a towel in it so it wouldn't move around so much.

We are still learning about our RV, but the one thing I can say about having RV on the long drives to Florida, is that the drive is so much more enjoyable for everyone.
The kids enjoy playing xbox or watching TV.
We don't have to get out of RV to go to the bathroom.
We stop at rest stop to cook in microwave or make sandwiches, so we save money by not buying food on the road.
If we get tired while driving we can stop at rest stop and take 30 minute nap in a bed and then move on.

Things that I bring to make our RV more enjoyable which I'm sure you know as you have a popup:
Ez up tent to keep rain off us while we cooked outside.
Screenhouse to put over picnic table to keep bugs out of food.
Chairs, firepit, fishing poles, games for rainy days to play.

 

[Bearikens]

Several people have mentioned bringing a completed meatloaf and then reheating...well my popup doesn't have an oven, so we bring a microwave and toaster oven to bake. My DW makes meatloaf in the microwave. You can use your favorite meatloaf recipe but remember to form it in the shape of a tire (hole in the center helps it to cook evenly) and microwave for at least 8 minutes (1100 watt or higher microwave). The meatloaf is done when the juices run out clear. At home I like to cook the meatloaf for 5 minutes in the microwave and then finish it in the oven to crisp up the top.

The thought just occurred to me that you could also cook a meatloaf in a dutch oven on the bbq grill if you encircle the oven with hot charcoal and place some on the dutch oven lid.

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

I pre cook a lot of meats for our trips. Grilled chicken breasts in ziploc bags, sloppy joes, taco meat, pulled pork and shredded pot roast travel well in tupperware. Thaw it out and make some side dishes and dinner is done.