Combi/microwave ovens

[Oldfogey]

The elderly gas oven in my van is not so hot (I meant that one) so I am wondering about changing it for a combination Microwave - Oven - Grill.

I rarely use a microwave, but I do do a lot of cooking in the van, roasts, baking bread, etc.

Has anybody any experience of using these? I'm not all that keen on fan assisted electric ovens, which is what these are in oven mode, but it could be better than what I've got.

I can get one for about £20 or so. Any views? Anybody tried real cooking in one?

 

[Angela_5076436]

I don't have a microwave in mine - the weight of it puts me off.

What I do have is a wee French electric oven/grill .

A very handy wee thing and it saves me on Camping Gaz when I'm away in France.

Yes you can roast in this - though I have to admit I've never done that .

I use it for cooking sort of flat things in the oven - chicken steaks and the such. Oh - and partly baked bread when we are on a Site where there is no nearbye baker.

Mine was also used in the house as I don't have a conventional cooker there - just a hob and a BIG microwave Combination Cooker.

 

[Oldfogey]

Yes, I've got one of those little ovens, but they are not really up to what I want - you can't bake a loaf in them, for instance, or roast a decent size chicken.

I know the things I'm looking at weigh 15-20kg, but this will be offset by removing the gas oven, which possibly weighs even more. Also the weight will be better arranged.

 

[cris_408518]

We have a Combi microwave and fan ovens for years that is the greatest thing since sliced bread as far as we are concerned.

The combi microwave gets very very hot on top with very hot air pushed out of the vents by the fan as did our older one and others we've used.

I would suggest that care would be needed as to where you position such and oven and that you would want to have the hot exhaust air routed to the outside of the van and not near to an awning roof. You would also have to check on the wattage it needs as that might cause supply problems on some sites.

 

[Oldfogey]

Thanks for that, Cris. What model do you have?

I would be planning to mount it under a worktop, not the usual microwave "high level" position, so I guess I would have to fir a fairly substantial vent for the hot air.

Unfortunately this will vent into the awning, which will be great if it's cold weather, but.....

Most seem to run around a Kilowatt, which means I will have to be careful about load on some sites, but most should be OK.

 

[cris_408518]

Ours is a Sanyo 900W Showerwave Combi Grill and Oven as plugged by Gary Rhodes ;-) When we replaced our old Hitachi one we did not notice a vent on the top and melted a coffee machine that was put on it :-(

My daughter visited and had a river of 500 grams of Olivio spread and plastic as the spread melted and then the container.

My sister inlaw has a Panasonic that needs a three days course to learn how to opperate it and she has melted stuff with that one to.

Check that the wattage is not just the microwave wattage, you have the turn table and the grill/oven elements power as well when you use it as a full combi oven.

 

[Angela_5076436]

My good one at home is a 2 shelf model - and I use it as a conventional oven.

It does get very hot and you could not use it under a work surface because of top vents and the back one.

Frankly for what you are wanting to use it - it's not a good idea.

How are you for fireblankets etc IN the van - you would need them very close to a combi oven ?

I doubt whether many Sites could cope with it's electrical need

Many's the Site I've been on where putting on a kettle and my Baby oven has tripped the electricity [ I'm in France a lot on small Sites ]

The decision is yours of course - but I reckon it's dodgy

At the price you have suggested - I can't see where you would buy it other than second hand - and that again is a different ball game - why is anyone selling such a wonderful thing.

 

[Oldfogey]

The more I look at this, the less it actually looks like a good idea. It seems that in oven mode it is still using microwaves, so the power is more than it appears.

To cope with the heat output (which sounds very wasteful) I would need to put in an extractor - more complication.

I shall continue to investigate.

The one I was looking at was a "catalogue return" on ebay; brand new with warranty. It went for

 

[Angela_5076436]

Frankly I think you are right.

From my own use of these things - here and in France - the problem is the power needed .

Even with my wee Oven/grill I need to be careful about the electricity supply .

could you give a link to the e-bay one please ?

 

[cris_408518]

Pour last van had a Stoves Vanette 2200 oven hob and grill.

We found the oven and hob as good as anything we've used at home though a bit slower than the elctric fan oven.

Maybe a more modern gas oven and hob could be found via a breakers.