Cooking and free camping

gooba53 · Guru

Cooking and free camping

Baz421 · Guru

aGREE WITH YOUR SISTER

But also when free camping we cook outside 80-90% of the time BUT an oven is handy.

BohemianGypsy · Guru

gooba53 wrote:
Having our first caravan built. So many choices out there. I thought I wanted a full stove. Then I thought I wanted a convection microwave as we plan to cook outside where possible. Then my sister, who free camps, suggested when free camping a gas oven inside is so convenient. If you just pull up for one night. no power problems and don't have to get the Webber out. So??? What do you think?

Hi Goober53, I specifically looked for a van with a full stove inside for that very reason when free camping or when it is foul weather you can cook inside. I also love to bake and generally cook and that won't stop regardless of us travelling. When we were buying our secondhand van I had a handful of things that were a must have and they were the full oven situated in an end kitchen with a full-sized fridge, I wanted an east/west bed and a full ensuite bathroom with toilet. That was it and we got it all. It's an older van but I just love it.

Good luck making your decision though smile smile wink

Michelle

Grams · Guru

One of the things on my list was a full oven, I have had caravans with just the grill and it was the Pitts for me, I hated it. I also wanted a two door full fridge/freezer, toilet, shower and washing machine. I have it all now.

neilnruth · Guru

We've just been free camping and when it wasn't nice enough to cook outside we still had the gas inside. We actually took our gas oven out and replaced it with the microwave (which I don't use unless on power) - and we also have a toaster oven which I find big enough to bake, grill and roast if needed.
It really comes down to personal choice even after reading everyone's comments. All the best.

herbie · Guru

In the two vans before this new van,we had an oven ,but in this one my wife did not want a oven ,due to the fact depending on what you cook it really makes every thing inside the van smell of what ever it is you have cooked.And on hot days it just makes the van heat up more and in return that makes the air con work over time.We settled on the convection mic oven ,also have one of those roaster roaster ovens that sits on a table under the awning.but do not use it very much as we just find the baby Q does every thing that we need .....................

gooba53 · Guru

Thanks for your thoughts. I think I better stick with my original plan for the gas oven inside, it sounds more convenient for bad weather days. Although I have until Saturday to make up my mind! Could change it again by then!!

gooba53 · Guru

Oh Herbie, now I'm more confused! Imagine my poor husband ha ha

herbie · Guru

If you follow the sun on your trip you wont get that much bad weather,the odd shower but thats when you get the baked beans out or a tin of soup.Belive me if it is raining you will not want to be cooped up inside a van with some thing cooking in the oven.

Rip and Rosie · Guru

Had a full oven in the previous van, and only used it to keep the rolls of all foil and glad wrap in. Also found it handy to store packets of biscuits.
This time we have a gas cooktop and a microwave. The microwave is a bit of luxury when we have power only.
I would never have a full oven again- rarely used, and never for cooking.

Dougwe · Chief one feather

BohemianGypsy wrote:
gooba53 wrote:
Having our first caravan built. So many choices out there. I thought I wanted a full stove. Then I thought I wanted a convection microwave as we plan to cook outside where possible. Then my sister, who free camps, suggested when free camping a gas oven inside is so convenient. If you just pull up for one night. no power problems and don't have to get the Webber out. So??? What do you think?
Hi Goober53, I specifically looked for a van with a full stove inside for that very reason when free camping or when it is foul weather you can cook inside. I also love to bake and generally cook and that won't stop regardless of us travelling. When we were buying our secondhand van I had a handful of things that were a must have and they were the full oven situated in an end kitchen with a full-sized fridge, I wanted an east/west bed and a full ensuite bathroom with toilet. That was it and we got it all. It's an older van but I just love it.
Good luck making your decision though
Michelle

You only need a small stove or fire to make wombat stew.

herbie · Guru

Everyone has their prefered way of what they want /need in the set up of their van ,by not wanting or needing the oven it ment under the cook top/ grill it gave us two deep drawes so that is where we keep the teatowles /clingwrap/alfoil/utensils.Every bit of space in a van must be for a practical purpose i recon,not to look tissy.The other few things to remember is the flooring ,we had carpet in the bedroom area of the first van and after having .NEVER again would we have carpet any where inside a van.Just impossible to keep clean .The other item of thought is window coverings, We went for vvenetion blinds this time round due to the fact we found curtains also hard to keep clean and after awhile one gets sick of the hassle of getting them down and back up after washing ,and after awhile they start to look faded and worn out.Our thoughts on living in a van is not to create work for ones self but to enjoy it all and forget about a lot of the thoughts about furniture and the mod cons we have when living in a house.My wife recons who wants to slave over a hot oven now (been there done that ).Remember also you will only have so much room for storage of food and such ,so if you have not got the room to store all this food that is going to be cooked in the oven ,it wont get used.When we started out we took the bread maker ,would you belive,We soon ditched it though, due to the fact it weighed around 9kgs and the bulk flour to use it pluss always needed power for it to work.So in adding it all up due to needing to be in a c/ park for the power , it was far cheaper to just buy a loaf of bread, or if in an area where bread can be $6 per loaf and frozen, we just made damper or flat bread on Baby Q.Hope these few ideas may give you our thoughts on a few things.Another option you may have is the pull out BBQ from the side of the van ,to my way of thinking they are not a good idea , if it is placed any where near your bedroom,as all the odour from cooking on it goes straight into where you are sleeping and then when finished cooking it goes back near your bed and all night you are sleeping with the smell of BBQ...We opted to not have that in our van just another gadjet to lug around and not get used.At least with some kind of portable BBQ you can move it away from the van and anex when needed to be used.

-- Edited by herbie on Thursday 4th of April 2013 01:59:29 PM

NeilandRaine · Guru

Rip and Rosie wrote:
Had a full oven in the previous van, and only used it to keep the rolls of all foil and glad wrap in. Also found it handy to store packets of biscuits.
This time we have a gas cooktop and a microwave. The microwave is a bit of luxury when we have power only.
I would never have a full oven again- rarely used, and never for cooking.

Agree fully, but the full oven makes it a bit more attractive when selling. And it is good for storage.

We do our cooking in a small slow cooker or turbo oven when on power. When camping all we do is heat up stuff done in slow cooker. Or we cook on fire with cast iron frypan
I hear you say but thats just more stuff to pack, however, we have no dream pot, Baby Q or other fancy cooking stuff. ( we cook cause you have to eat.)

Cupie · Guru

Our van came with a gas oven that we use to store cooking implements. Have never used the grill in 14 years.

SWMBO insists that an oven is essential & I have to agree that after a few months on the road, a leg of lamb with rosemary & garlic roasting in the oven smells yummy & attracts lots of passers by. Even so, it has only been used about once a year at the very most.

We don't have a Baby Q or similar, using a Ubeaut 2 burner butane cooker for 95% of of our cooking.

Occasionally, where a covered 'oven' is called for, we use the 240v Banquet size electric frypan ... outside. No good I suppose if you are bush camping .. but then we don't bush camp.

When the microwave pulls the pin I'll have a look at replacing it with a convection/microwave unit.

We threw out our bread maker too.

Edit .. We have lots of storage in the 21'6" Jayco so space is not an issue.

-- Edited by Cupie on Thursday 4th of April 2013 02:11:03 PM

-- Edited by Cupie on Thursday 4th of April 2013 02:13:26 PM

GaryKelly · Guru

I intend to get a collapsible stove-top oven for my 2-burner gas stove with grill. That way the oven doesn't take up any extra room when not being used. But I'm a bloke and that's the way blokes think. :) I love a good ol' meatloaf and home-made bread. For outside cooking, I'll use a collapsible fire pit (or park BBQ). Another trick I use is just to look sad and useless so that other campers will ask if I'd like to join them for dinner.

Roving-Dutchy · Guru

I have purchased a Cobb cooker for the very purpose of being able to barbecue, fry, roast, bake bread or cakes etc when free camping, uses heat beads, so don't need to be near van while cooking. Due to illness we havn't been able to get away recently, so have had to be content with using at home, but it does a great job.

Cheers

David

gooba53 · Guru

It's the confused Gooba here again. I know it has to be my decision, I really appreciate everyone's ideas. So back to my sister. I discussed the results of this forum with her. She agrees, but added, (and to my confusion), last trip she free camped for 79 days over the trip and said lots of places you couldn't have fires and that I'd get sick of soup for 79 days. She also thinks I like the drama of having to make this decision! No!! That's not true!

Duh · Guru

Dougwe wrote:

You only need a small stove or fire to make wombat stew.

.....................................................................................................

Yummy !

petengail · Guru

We have a full gas oven and use it almost daily. Management would not be without it. To us a microwave would be useless as we very seldom camp with power.

Cruising Cruze · Guru

all depends I think if you use it at home a lot, yes than you need one
My wife uses the oven at home once in a blue moon
so I would say no to an oven in a new caravan if I had to pay extra for if
we have one in our what was replaced by the previous owner and we never used it, it is still like new
ad we store some cooking gear in it
cooking is also done out site

John

gooba53 · Guru

Herbie your point about the drawer where the oven would be is what started my whole debate. We ran into a couple putting our car onto the Spirit of Tas last week. They had been on the road for two years and their thoughts were same as yours, got me thinking! The oven is standard in our van, so no extra cost, just the decision. We haven't got curtains or venetians, it comes with those blinds like in the hatch. Where it has kinda a fly wire during day then a heavier one at night. I might check if I can get a gas grill under the cooktop, that might give me more options if I can't use the convection oven. We are outdoor cooks. It would only be where that wasn't practical. Still deciding!!

jules47 · The Happy Helper

A friend of ours NEVER cooks inside at all - in fact her full oven is used as a wine rack - tea towels on the racks, holds quite a few bottles!!!

JRH · Guru

jules47 wrote:
A friend of ours NEVER cooks inside at all - in fact her full oven is used as a wine rack - tea towels on the racks, holds quite a few bottles!!!

We use our oven to store our medications as it it quite cool in the oven.

Gerty Dancer · Guru

We were persuaded to get a microwave and air-con in the van because it would "enhance its re-sale value". We hardly use either of them, I would have had much more use for a gas oven. Have used the gas grill once, found it to be a waste of gas and time, useless.
For us, meat is cooked outside the van, on a gas stove... vegies/rice/pasta etc cooks on the gas cooktop inside the van. Hot water comes from same gas cooktop.

Onedodger · Guru

We have gone from a cook top with griller to a full oven and the wife loves it as many a time even if the weather is good she has found it convenient.

I do a lot of cooking in the camp oven however it does not replace the full stove and oven.

There are many places that have fire restrictions and on total fire ban days even gas BBQ's and webers are frowned upon.

Grams · Guru

I have just bought myself a Thermos Shuttle Chef for the free camping times. As it doesn't use gas or electric, just the 15-20 minutes to heat the food at the beginning.

We also have the Baby Q for outside. But I like to bake cakes, biscuits, scones, etc so my oven will get used a lot.