Gas Stove Top with Oven

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Gas Stove Top with Oven

August 28, 2014, 08:33:45 am

Both my wife and I enjoy cooking, we rarely eat out. Not only do we enjoy the process, we also feel it is healthier plus saves us a couple of bucks. Last year, we sold our New Horizons fifth wheel after full timing five years and used the gas oven extensively. We miss being on the road and are in the process of looking for a Foretravel to part time in.

Guess what, no gas oven and a good many with only a two burner stove top and convection microwave. How well do folks that love to cook cope with this set up? I might add, that we boondock a good bit.

Al

Re: Gas Stove Top with Oven

Reply #1 – August 28, 2014, 08:47:52 am

Haven't you heard, "folks who buy Foretravels don't cook". My wife was told that more than once by salesman and saleswomen.
It is fairly simple to remove the two burner Gaggeneau cooktop and insert a 3 burner cooktop or if you want a combo unit with cooktop and oven, although we have found the convection unit in the microwave satisfactory, I even make biscuits in it. Our coach came with a combo oven, cooktop inserted by the previous owner. We removed it and put in a 3 burner Atwood cooktop and a dishwasher which my wife requires before entering an RV.
Lots of folks do cook in their Foretravels!

Re: Gas Stove Top with Oven

Reply #2 – August 28, 2014, 09:19:57 am

We fulltime in our Foretravel. We also fulltimed in a fifth wheel prior to switching to a coach. The convection oven makes it a challenge to cook certain things. My DW has a diificult time making cookies as she can only cook five at a time. I bake breads but can only bake one at a time. I do like the rotating platter while baking, gives a nice even heat. A bean pot just doesn't fit. Space is limited in the the oven but we manage. The rwo burner cooktop does make it a challenge for some meals but again it is manageable. I thought of changing the two burner cooktop with a small residential propane stove, but then we lose the storage space below the cooktop. Everything is a tradeoff.

Rolandi

Re: Gas Stove Top with Oven

Reply #3 – August 28, 2014, 09:21:06 am

I use the Micro oven in the coach to bake, and two burners to cook inside, but prefer to cook outside on my Weber Q200 and coleman propane gas stove (2 burner) - some carry "dutch ovens" with them and swear by them as well, but I have not seen the need. Â I augment this with an electric fry pan when the occasional need arrises for more than two burners. Â Some carry an extra induction 115V single unit, or same can be had in propane.

My DW is an amazing cook who can wreak havoc on a kitchen (I am the clean up crew, ,) and she has never been held back. Â Keep track of the number of times you are heating three things at the exact same time on a stove when cooking a meal. Â Evaluate the role of the micro wave/oven in the process in like of a burner (oven can be set to warm in the GE I now have, so things can be cooked in stages and kept warm. Â What can be cooked outside on grill?

It just really hasn't been a factor at all having two grills.

Your needs and mileage will vary....

Re: Gas Stove Top with Oven

Reply #4 – August 28, 2014, 09:23:36 am

I should add, we have the two burner cooktop (gas) and PO added a dishwasher drawer, which does see some use. Â Since I now have residential refrigerator, I want to remove HUGE Propane tank that only powers the two burner cooktop and replace with a standard 20lb unit elsewhere in coach. Â Some day may want to add 4th/5th battery in that space, but see no need yet, 3 batteries working just fine for everything.

Re: Gas Stove Top with Oven

Reply #5 – August 28, 2014, 09:52:31 am

Quote from: Tim Fiedler – August 28, 2014, 09:21:06 am

oven can be set to warm in the GE I now have

Tim,

Which model do you have and did it fit in the original "footprint"?

Thanks,

Trent

Re: Gas Stove Top with Oven

Reply #6 – August 28, 2014, 10:05:56 am

Seems odd my 89 280 has a 4 burner cook top... Seems not many that I see do.

Re: Gas Stove Top with Oven

Reply #7 – August 28, 2014, 12:10:58 pm

Al,

We had a oven in our U-240 with a 4 burner cook top. When we got the coach we have now it has the standard 2 burner cooktop and convection micro. I thought the world would come to an end as I have never been able to cook "angel biscuits" in a convection microwave oven. We always carried a propane 2 burner campstove and a propane grill for outside cooking. With the new coach we added a roaster oven and dutch oven. With this combo we have been able to cook most anything we wanted whether we are boondocking or have hookups.

Pamela

Re: Gas Stove Top with Oven

Reply #8 – August 28, 2014, 12:34:43 pm

I keep dutch oven's in all 4 kitchens... One of the handiest cookers I have is a large electric skillet with a lid.. I can cook breakfast for 6 in a jiffy... I rarely use stove top burners in the coach... I rarely use a microwave because I never had enough interest in the method to be any good with it... Good that so many cooking options are available... each of us can carry with us our prefferd method... I don't care how you cook it..... just call me when it's done.

Re: Gas Stove Top with Oven

Reply #9 – August 28, 2014, 12:45:16 pm

Or get a propane fired outdoor oven. Just like at home, but outside.

Re: Gas Stove Top with Oven

Reply #10 – August 28, 2014, 12:46:09 pm

The lack of an oven and more than two burners was an initial concern when I first started looking at Foretravel. I do most of the cooking and do routinely use three burners at home, though now on the road as the burners on our RV stove top are a little too close together.

Ultimately, I decided it wasn't really an issue and that I would find ways to adapt. I finally concluded that in a way it was similar to when you make a change to your diet and the way you eat. You find new recipes and new ways to cook. It helps keep things fresh.

Re: Gas Stove Top with Oven

Reply #11 – August 28, 2014, 01:13:51 pm

This is what Tom was referring to I believe. Advantage is the you don't heat up the coach. Disadvantage is it's not so convenient to use.

Keith

Re: Gas Stove Top with Oven

Reply #12 – August 28, 2014, 03:19:07 pm

My favorite appliance in the coach is an electric skillet. I can make any number of things in it ... I even roasted cornish hens in the convection oven one year (for Thanksgiving) and used the skillet to keep them warm while I finished other menu items in the oven. I am truly not a fan of the 2 burner cook top ... just really hard to use a fry pan and anything else on the second burner. I much preferred my little 4 burner cooktop in the '93. I have made friends wight he convection/microwave, and have roasted, baked breads and cookies, lasagna ... it just does not broil very well. I must also second the vote for a Dutch Oven! Mr Wonderful has made some terrific meals (and I am only required to load the thing up and then give it a wash later) and you can do ANYTHING in them ...

Re: Gas Stove Top with Oven

Reply #13 – August 28, 2014, 04:46:34 pm

One advantage my little and "less optioned" 34' u270 has is a 3 burner cook top that is fairly widely spaced. I never understood why the cheaper coach had more burners!

Re: Gas Stove Top with Oven

Reply #14 – August 28, 2014, 05:03:30 pm

Quote from: krush – August 28, 2014, 04:46:34 pm

One advantage my little and "less optioned" 34' u270 has is a 3 burner cook top that is fairly widely spaced. I never understood why the cheaper coach had more burners!

Sometimes more is not better. My two previous motorhomes had four burner cooktops that were hard pressed to boil water for spaghetti in a reasonable amount of time. My current coach has but a two burner cooktop, but the small burner produces more heat than the ones in the old motorhomes, and the big one is as powerful as the big one in my stove at home.

As for the convection microwave, in convection mode it is a conventional oven, with the addition of air circulation. Which is a good thing. I have done very nicely using it for a small turkey or pumpkin pie. It's only failing is reduced capacity.

Re: Gas Stove Top with Oven

Reply #15 – August 28, 2014, 07:22:13 pm

You may find support and ideas from the same subject:

http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic365.msg115432#msg115432

http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic 478.msg152340#msg152340

Re: Gas Stove Top with Oven

Reply #16 – August 28, 2014, 07:48:42 pm

We have both a 3 burner with an oven on the U280, and a 2 burner cook top on the U320. I miss the oven on the 3 burner, however as someone else said, the 2 burner is a blow torch, while the 3 burner struggled to cook a large pot of anything. I'm trying to get used to using the convection oven on the U320. The U280 had both a 3 burner with oven and a convection / Microwave.

Re: Gas Stove Top with Oven

Reply #17 – August 28, 2014, 09:30:27 pm

My '96 295 has a 4-burner stove top and the Sharp Convection/Microwave oven.
Mary would like an oven but we decided it was not worth the replacement hassle and the loss of the large drawer.

Re: Gas Stove Top with Oven

Reply #18 – August 28, 2014, 09:51:30 pm

We never use the Microwave for anything but sterilizing rags... The convection aspect of it is too noisy (fan stays on long after heating is done), and it seems slow and not capacious enough for the space it takes... And not very boondocking friendly to boot. I am on the lookout for a compact professional (insulated glass doors, build quality, etc.) with a form factor as close as possible to the Microwave... I haven't found anything yet, though there a couple of options that are smaller. That might be fine as extra space for storage is always a plus, but it surprises me that no one seems to make a dedicated convection oven of that size.
Don

Re: Gas Stove Top with Oven

Reply #19 – August 28, 2014, 09:58:04 pm

Old Foretravels had a magic chef eye level oven and four burners.

Not enough heat or physical distance between the burners and the bottom of the oven to boil large pots.

Goldenrod colored porcelain bathtub was where the oven would be if a lower oven.

Burners rattled.

Magic chef four burner cook top with the lower oven were installed when the tubs were discontinued.

Same low heat output if a large pot. Some rattles.

Two burner gets HOT. Finally.

No good choices and I liked to bake stuff in the ovens myself long ago.

Extensive remodel? Any high quality high output cooktops and an oven?

Bob

Re: Gas Stove Top with Oven

Reply #20 – August 28, 2014, 11:36:58 pm

Don,

Do I recall correctly.....that you had one of these in Quartzsite?

Re: Gas Stove Top with Oven

Reply #21 – August 29, 2014, 12:12:01 am

Yes we do Tom, and it is great for cooking outside, but takes up a lot of space in the Joey bed

Re: Gas Stove Top with Oven

Reply #22 – August 29, 2014, 07:35:43 am

Surprised to hear the two burner stove top is much hotter than the thee or four burner. Yes, we'll need to change the way we prepare meals and the dutch oven, electric skillet, and roaster sound like good solutions. We did use a crookpot a good bit and on hot days used it outside. Also used our pressure cooker a good bit.

Al
On our quest for a Foretravel

Re: Gas Stove Top with Oven

Reply #23 – August 29, 2014, 08:42:11 am

Al,

The pressure cooker is a blessing to have. If you camp at high altitudes you can still cook a pot of beans and they will get soft and anything else you cook the time is cut drastically. It is good both inside and out.

The big thing is you just have to rethink how you have to cook. It comes around just like getting use to retirement, maybe a little slower.

Pamela

Re: Gas Stove Top with Oven

Reply #24 – August 29, 2014, 08:47:54 am

It really is hotter. I cooked a large pot of Lima beans Saturday and was amazed that it took less time than on the large stove at home. I'm originally from Louisiana, and cook a lot--- it's required, if you can't cook there by the age of 5, they make you leave the state

Like many others, I was concerned about the 2 burner cook top when we bought the coach, but after cooking in the coach quite a bit, I no longer have any issue. If we really, really want to bake something, the convection oven works ok.

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