Toaster oven baking on the road ...

[Surly Biker]

I've been on the road full time for nearly a year, mostly cooking soups, pasta, etc. on a small induction cooker.  One pot meals can get kind of boring ....

In an effort to broaden my menu options, I recently purchased a small electric toaster oven, mine is a 1300W unit made by a Panasonic.

Having an oven on the road is awesome! I use it for pizza of course, but also package mixes for muffins, scones, cakes, cookies, etc. I'm going to try my hand at baking bread soon. 

If you're a baker on the road, I'd like to hear about your experience.

 

[FlowerGirl]

Hi Surly Biker-
I love my toaster oven so much, I stopped using a 'real' oven years ago. Seemed like a real waste of power to heat up all that air in a big oven just to bake one little pan of whatever. So, toaster oven all the way for me! 
I wish RV and class B/ B+ manufacturers allowed the option of either a built-in microwave OR a toaster oven. That would be really useful for those of us who don't use or want a microwave, and it would free up the counter space that the toaster oven would sit on. As you know, counter space is a rare luxury in mobile life....

I don't know how your rig is for power, but if you can manage to keep your toaster oven on "bake" mode for 45-50 minutes, you can make a delicious pan of roast veggies. Just take a gallon-size Zip Loc bag, fill it about 1/3 full of peppers, zucchini, eggplant, cherry tomatoes, asparagus, pearl onions or whatever veggies you like, add a few tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper, plus maybe a few sprigs of fresh thyme or rosemary and a couple of cloves of crushed fresh garlic, then zip the baggie closed, shake it all up so the oil and herbs nicely coat the veggies, then toss all that into a Pyrex dish and bake for 45-50 minutes or till veggies are soft but not mushy. 
You can poach up a couple of eggs and place them atop a mound of your roasted veggies and you'll have a nice meal.
Colorful, super tasty and easy to make. Get yourself some nice, crusty peasant bread and use it to sop up the delicious juices that will have been released during roasting. You can also crumble some good-quality feta cheese on top of your veggies and you'll have a balanced meal with protein....

Now that I just made my own mouth water, I'll just say Bon Appetit to you and happy baking/roasting!

 

[Weight]

Toaster oven. Only if plugged into mains power. Kind of tough to do when on the road with a limited budget.

 

[highdesertranger]

for baking I use a dutch oven or one of these,

https://www.sportsmansguide.com/pro...MI_auk5cmn1wIVFHdeCh0U5gtxEAAYAyAAEgKolPD_BwE

highdesertranger

 

[bonnieE350van]

no toaster oven, but I do have an electric mini-muffin baker. makes seven bite-sized muffins at a time so it takes a while
to bake a full pkg. of cake mix. 1 pkg. will make 40-60 mini cupcakes so I share with other campers whenever I do that...
Also have a folding oven that sits on the 2 burner propane stove...I've had mixed results using that as wind plays a major
factor in keeping the temp. steady...Also use a 12" cast iron dutch oven with feet both on the campfire and with charcoal...
have had the best results with that...baking cakes, biscuits etc. as well as cooking game hens, roasts and anything else you
think of...by far the most versatile and useful of the three mentioned...

 

[John61CT]

Why do they limit to 400°?

Pizza!

 

[johnny b]

Surly Biker,

What are you using for power?

 

[Almost There]

Pizza is done in my cast iron fry pan with a lid on the stove top - naan bread for a base!



I also carry a folding Coleman oven that sits on my propane stove. I only use both of them outside (cook on butane inside) and the only limitation is it's small size. My meatloaf recipe gets put in to 3 mini loaf pans - 2 go in the freezer for future use and one goes in the oven. The largest cake pan it will take is an 8x8" so no full slab cakes in my future...lol.

Corn bread gets done either in the cast iron skillet or in the oven.

 

[jonsun]

toaster oven, microwave, etc are great to have because it lets you double the reason for starting a generator for a little bit and bump your batteries.

 

[jonsun]

Pizza is done in my cast iron fry pan with a lid on the stove top - naan bread for a base!



I also carry a folding Coleman oven that sits on my propane stove. I only use both of them outside (cook on butane inside) and the only limitation is it's small size. My meatloaf recipe gets put in to 3 mini loaf pans - 2 go in the freezer for future use and one goes in the oven. The largest cake pan it will take is an 8x8" so no full slab cakes in my future...lol.

Corn bread gets done either in the cast iron skillet or in the oven.

how you like that coleman thing? it get decently even heat distribution?

 

[Almost There]

There's only one shelf so 'even distribution' isn't much of a problem.

There's no doubt it's small inside so there are definite limitations.

I could use it on the butane stove but since it takes up to 15 minutes to heat up to temperature, it would eat butane like crazy. I only use it when I can set up the 2 burner propane stove and the 20lb tank so it doesn't cost a fortune to use.

The biggest challenge is keeping the temperature steady since the control is in how high the burner is set underneath the oven. I find I have to sit there and keep a near constant eye on it. Temp gauge goes up a few degrees, turn the stove down, temp drops too far, turn the stove back up...rofl.

It's definitely not as convenient as a regular oven that you can set the temp and walk away from!

OTOH, since I have no space for a full size RV stovetop/oven combo in the van, it does the job.

 

[jacqueg]

I used a toaster oven for baking bread - a no-knead method and a pyrex baking dish. In fact, the single best loaf I ever made was made with that setup.

Something to watch out for is the interior height of the oven. There are plenty of larger countertop ovens, and if you have the space for one, great, no worries. But if space is an issue, then I suggest the Hamilton Beach Easy Reach oven. It's tall enough inside to accommodate a 1.5 - 2 liter baking dish, and it doesn't have digital controls, which I find to be a plus. YMMV, of course.

Alas, I can no longer tolerate wheat. I had to quit baking bread just about the time I was getting good at baking bread. And while you can certainly make "bread" with wheat-free flour, you can't get that wonderful crust or that chewy sourdough crumb, so...

 

[kklowell]

We use a small round air fryer here at home... I'd love to take that with me in my cramper. It makes the best roasts! However, it's heavy and takes too much power, so I don't see a way to take it.

 

[jacqueg]

I've just started experimenting with my new Omnia Oven. Really like it so far. I think it can be used for almost anything that I'd use a toaster oven and microwave for. Between that and the RoadPro lunchbox oven, I've got it covered!