A Microwave at the Fort?

[Katie Dawn]

So we're tent camping at the Fort in November. I have been thinking about the electrical appliances/products we could bring that would make our experience at the Fort that much better -- and I've decided we'll bring:

*An alarm clock
*Camera charger
*Coffee maker
*and a Microwave!!!

The more I've thought about it the more I've realized that having a microwave would help tremendously in the "we want to save money by eating at camp but don't want to spend alot of time or energy cooking/cleaning up" department.

So my question: can you think of any reason this wouldn't be a good idea? We'll have it plugged in to a surge protector which will plug into an outdoor extension cord (the extension cord being the only thing exposed to the elements). The picnic table will be covered.

We'll be driving down in our vehicle that has plenty of room. I also plan on buying dry ice soon and starting my "research" to learn what I need to do to keep food truly frozen in the cooler. (You see what I mean: if I can have frozen food the microwave suddenly has lots and lots of uses, and I have many more options food wise.)

It might get some funny looks, and I could even imagine a picture of my site making its way into one of those "Show me pics of outrageous campsites" threads at some point, but who cares!

So, can you think of any safety-related reason I should not plan on bringing a microwave?

TIA!!!

 

[lisa8200]

I can't see it being a bad idea ( then again I haven't tent camped in years ). But somewhere in here some one had a picture where several families camped and had a community site with more appliances than my 5er. I think they had two or three refrigerators

 

[clkelley]

No problem!! I'm bringing a microwave, and it's too big to fit in the kitchen of my T@B so will probably be sitting on a table underneath a shelter.

Also, the food industry is coming out with many "meals" that don't have to be refridgerated or frozen. You might want to check some of those. (Probably highly processed though). Another meal I like is the canned meals in two cans with the meat in one can and the fixings in another.

A crock pot would be another good thing to bring. Bring a milk crate and put it over the crock pot and bungy it to the table.

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

Sounds like a great idea to me. We use extension cords to power our extra fridge under the awning and an electric skillet we use for cooking breakfast.
I love a crisp winter morning at the fort cooking pancakes under the awning....

 

[ntsammy5]

The only problem might be if you tried to cook peacocks in it.

 

[Rhonda]

Yes, I agree. Peacock is definitely better in the crockpot, than in a microwave.

 

[clkelley]

Totally unrelated to cooking, I would bring a fan AND an electric blanket or electric mattress pad. The fan is in case it gets warm and even if it doesn't to try and fight off the humidity, the electric blanket is in case it gets cold.

Also, you'll need an electric pump or rechargeable pump for those air mattresses (if that's what you are using.) The wide differences in temperatures that time of year cause air mattresses to expand and contract, and you'll need to add air every day or every couple of days.

 

[Shannone1]

So we're tent camping at the Fort in November. I have been thinking about the electrical appliances/products we could bring that would make our experience at the Fort that much better -- and I've decided we'll bring:

*An alarm clock
*Camera charger
*Coffee maker
*and a Microwave!!!

If I was going to tent camp...that is how I would do it !!

 

[disneywithfive]

We tent camped at the Fort in August and had an a/c, small refrig., two fans, microwave, tv and DVD player and it worked out great. Now everything was IN our tent (which is very large) and only the cords were outside so we didn't draw any strange looks. On another trip recently, we took the crockpot to cook chicken and rice (use the crockpot liners) but I decided not to do that again. I just prepared the food ahead of time and kept it in the refrig. and then microwaved it when ready to eat. There are refrigs that you can plug into your car adapter and once you are there, convert it to electricity. I don't have one of those yet, but it's on the list. I've already read some about the icemakers that people have but they are very expensive. I guess it just depends how long you are staying and how often you will need ice. We also took the milk that doesn't need to be refrigerated until opened for cereal in the morning. The kids weren't crazy about it though.

 

[Katie Dawn]

Thanks everyone for replying!!! I wrote that post in the morning when my brain wasn't yet working properly. I realized that I didn't mention we are also bringing:

*Crockpot
*Portable heater and electric blanket or 2 to stay warm
*A fan to stay cool

The only reason I would have thought to bring most of this stuff is because I have read your tips and tricks in the past.

Oh, and ntsammy and Rhonda... no worries about cooking peacock! The microwave actually says it's "great for cooking peacock!" In fact, it specifically says, "as good as crockpot peacock!" Funniest thing huh, that I bought it all those years ago not knowing I would have the chance to use it! It has a specific peacock button (it's next to the popcorn button.) That's Disney magic for ya!

But seriously, thanks everyone!!!!

 

[mamaloya]

When we tent camped at the fort, we loved our electric skillet. We used it a lot. We did eggs in it, pancakes and bacon in it, hotdogs and chili, burgers, etc. It was indespensible.

As for odd looking. At FW, it would look normal as most campsites I have seen have similar setups. You just might want to have a screen room or shelter that you can close in with a tarp on 1 or 2 sides just in case it rains. WM has a first up shelter that you can purchase screen or solid sides for.

Happy Camping!!

 

[Rhonda]

Oh, and ntsammy and Rhonda... no worries about cooking peacock! The microwave actually says it's "great for cooking peacock!" In fact, it specifically says, "as good as crockpot peacock!" Funniest thing huh, that I bought it all those years ago not knowing I would have the chance to use it! It has a specific peacock button (it's next to the popcorn button.) That's Disney magic for ya!

Wow - I have to find one of those! It would be so much easier to just hit the Peacock button, than to have to keep searching through my cookbooks all the time for the perfect Peacock timing! Thanks!

 

[Escape Artist]

Wow - I have to find one of those! It would be so much easier to just hit the Peacock button, than to have to keep searching through my cookbooks all the time for the perfect Peacock timing! Thanks!

Yeah, but microwaved, it just doesn't have the flavor of BBQ Peacock on a spit.

The breeze from their tail feathers rotating around the skewer keeps the coals at just the right cooking temperature. Mmm, mmm. Good eats tonite!

Sue in Texas

 

[JAM'S MOM]

Ditto on the micro, the fridge, the tv and dvd player, fan and electric blankets or a space heater. Don't forget to add the electric can opener. It doesn't take up much room. My electric skillet was so useful == i could boil water quickly and add the pasta, drain, and then add the sauce. Breakfast in the morning was quick and cleanup easy too.

We bought cheap plastic shelving at walmart and used that to organize our kitchen area. Great for the dishes, canned goods and appliances. (Just don't leave out food that might tempt an animal.) Also brought a foldable table which we used for kitchen clean up outside. You can never have too much counterspace.

Have fun!!!

 

[CottontailCurl]

I found this picture of a home away from home on a tent loop (if it doesn't link right to the area, it's about 4/5 of the way down under 'Tent Camping'):
At Natasha's FW page:
http://www.title-3.com/FWFacts.htm

 

[Katie Dawn]

I found this picture of a home away from home on a tent loop (if it doesn't link right to the area, it's about 4/5 of the way down under 'Tent Camping'):
At Natasha's FW page:
http://www.title-3.com/FWFacts.htm

Is it the picture with the hanging strawberry, corn, etc? That's quite the set up! I think having a fridge would be pretty great too, but can't justify a big purchase like that for what (right now) is a one time use. But... after we go we might have to keep going over and over? (That is what I hear, after all!)