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Baking in the RV with the High Point Convection Oven

| Updated May 23, 2016

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAA year and a half ago, we upgraded from a 2003 Roadtrek Popular 190 to a 2014 CS Adventurous, and some of the main differences we enjoy are the larger galley and appliances.

Compared to the 3-cubic-foot under the counter refrigerator in the 190, the CS's 7-cubic-foot refrigerator is HUGE – it even has a light in it! Gone is all the fiddling I had to do back when I had the small three-way refrigerator, repackaging everything and packing it just so. I can buy a whole gallon of milk and just sling it in there. Amazing!

Five plus years of fulltiming with the smaller refrigerator makes it easy to appreciate this big compressor refrigerator. The wind can't blow it out in the middle of the night, and I don't have to switch it back and forth between 12 volt, 120 volt, and propane.

We had so many new things to figure out how to use that I really haven't had a chance to play with the High Point microwave convection oven until today.

I had used it as a microwave, like the microwave in our 190, and it heats beverages, melts cheese etc. just fine. Driveway camping over the winter at my sister's house meant I had access to a huge Electrolux gas range with five burners and two ovens, so all the baking went on inside for Thanksgiving and Christmas. My mother clucked in disappointment as I plied my father with roast turkey, leg of lamb, and a new apple pie every week. She's in charge of his nutrition, I'm in charge of his happiness 😉

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The book says to set it on 350, put the food in, and sit back. This is too easy. There's gotta be a catch.

Now that we're out roaming the West again, I decided to try out the convection oven part. We're a week away from the grocery store, so the fresh bread isn't so fresh anymore, and we both were looking for a breakfast treat. I settled on banana bread, one of our staples, since the last three bananas were looking pretty disreputable and weren't going to be much good for anything else.

baking

Back when we had our 190, I had no oven inside, so all baking was done on a jet burner and sheet metal Coleman oven outside. I would set this up and babysit it while the baking process was underway. With no thermostat and a highly variable wind environment outside, the temperature could swing 50 degrees in a couple of minutes, so I would sit there fiddling with the burner to try to stay close to the desired baking temperature. Baking fragrant food articles out in the middle of the forest isn't the safest thing you can be doing – you never know who's going to be dropping by for dinner, so I had to keep an eye downwind for approaching bears in addition to keeping an eye on the temperature gauge. This system worked, and we enjoyed bread and other baked goods out in the wilderness, but it was a major undertaking.

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It didn't stay this way for long.

In comparison, the High Point convection oven is a breeze. In the heated comfort of my coach, I mixed up the batter, greased my Le Creuset casserole dish, set it on 350 degrees, and popped it in. My Pyrex round dish broke last year after I got it too hot in the Coleman oven and set it down on a cool surface, but no worries – the convection oven doesn't need microwave-safe cookware.

Cook times are reduced – eyeballing the banana bread and judicious toothpick testing indicated that it was done in less than 40 minutes instead of the usual hour. Best of all, the improved temperature regulation meant the high sugar content didn't lead to sticking and burning, as it would in the Coleman oven if I let the temperature swing too high.

Sorry, but I have to bring this article to a close – there is clamoring from the rear of the coach regarding breakfast.  I'm very happy with the High Point oven, and it's downright civilized compared to my old setup.

 

 

RV Lifestyle

Published on 2016-05-23

13 Responses to “Baking in the RV with the High Point Convection Oven”

August 28, 2017at10:41 am, Pam Link said:

I am so glad to watch your video! I read the enclosed instruction booklet in my fifth wheel and still was confused about the convection oven, but after your video I’m ready to try again. Thanks!

August 21, 2017at8:31 am, Larry May said:

Is there a manual for the high pointe microwave convection oven?

April 27, 2015at2:55 pm, Les Hopson said:

Campskunk, I enjoyed reading about this. We previously owned a 2008 Roadtrek 190 Popular that had the regular microwave. We upsized our RV to a 2011 Tiffin Breeze. It had the convection microwave oven and it did a very good job of baking. No problem with power since we had the 6 kW Onan diesel generator. But it was not the easiest to drive so we downsized to a 2014 Roadtrek Anniversary 190. But that oven in it, well it leaves a little to be desired. So we bought an Oster Convection Oven for our baking. I will be using it soon to see how well it cooks. For boondocking, I will probably be using the engine generator.

March 24, 2015at2:59 pm, Debbie Broadstreet said:

Hi Campskunk…do you have to plug in to a 30A to use your convection oven?

March 30, 2015at10:31 am, RT Campskunk said:

I have a super secret electrical system in my prototype Roadtrek, so I can run it all I want. anyone with an E-Trek package should be able to run it long enough to bake bread if their batteries are charged, and anyone with an engine generator should be able to bake idling the motor.

March 24, 2015at2:58 pm, J. Gilbert said:

There is plenty of room for a weeks worth of food but it does require some repackaging. For example a whole gallon of milk can go in the bottom on its side in two half gallon containers.

March 30, 2015at10:32 am, RT Campskunk said:

no, it works fine.

March 24, 2015at11:44 am, Serial Gramma said:

Love the info, but doesn’t make us as possible first time buyers of the 190 sure that we will have enough room in frig!

March 23, 2015at8:43 pm, Alain Léger said:

Since the LeCreuset casserole is heavy do you remove the turning glass plate in the microwave before cooking.

March 30, 2015at10:33 am, RT Campskunk said:

no, it works fine. just center it in the oven.

March 22, 2015at7:53 pm, J. Gilbert said:

Bread looks great. A whole chicken roasted with convection microwave mix is wonderful also.

March 21, 2015at9:44 pm, katyinnh said:

Hi Campskunk, What is the size of the LeCreuset casserole? I greatly enjoyed your cooking series before and am looking forward to more cooking information with your new rig. Thanks! Katy

March 30, 2015at10:34 am, RT Campskunk said:

it’s about 11 inches long, and 7 wide, not counting the handles.

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