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No ovens!!!


Sandy

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Why of why do so many of the German motor homes have not ovens? What do they eat? is it all fry - ups or do they always eat out. I don't intend being tied to a oven when we go away but it would be nice just to shove a tray of bacon in it and sit outside in the sunshine while it cooked instead of prodding it around a frying pan while hubby gets the tan!!
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Hi Sandy

From our experience of touring Germany for many years, they generally tend to cook their food in big pots - like our stew pots.

Their breakfasts are also generally continental style-hams, cheeses, fruit, rolls, salads at lunch time. etc.etc.

So an oven to them is fairly US. If they do a grill, then out comes the gas griddle.

Just a German thing really.

 

Thai

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Each to their own of course Brian, but in all the years we,ve been motorhoming not once have we used the oven. Always eat out for our main meals with a ready supply of snacks if we feel peckish. Enjoy a cooked breakfast, but the grill and hob takes care of that with the oven relegated to just another storage area. Don,t know about second hand vans Sandy, but ovens can usually be specified when buying new.
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We have an Italian MH with full oven, grill and four ring hob.

 

The oven gets used all the time. Heating croissants at breakfast, baking par baked french sticks for lunch and cooking lasagnes, shepherd's pie etc. for dinner.

 

I'm afraid we haven't the resources to eat out much, so my wife prepares/cooks proper meals as if we are at home.

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Lowdhams assure me that my Knaus Sport TI 650 MG will arrive with oven, grill and 3 burners. Lack of an oven was a significant factor for us against several continental vans and always produced a veto from my wife.

 

I do all the cooking and - I kid you not - my wife insists she prefers it to eating out and that she is always disappointed with pub and restaurant food. A nice compliment but it does rather tie me to the kitchen! Her assesment is based on what I rustle up in the kitchen at home, whether I will be able to cope in a van is something else entirely - hence my thread a while ago which produced lots of great recipe ideas for me from the experienced "camp cooks" on this forum.

 

Bob

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Eating out will be nice once in a while but full timing you just couldn't afford it on a regular basis - and anyway what would I stick my head in if it all goes pear shaped - oh yes I could drawn myself in the shower the German vans have nice ones of them!!!
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Out voted again. :-(

 

Might be of interest to you Dave. Re. Fiat wobble. Still there but bearings at top of o/s front shock absorber have given up the ghost. Not saying this will cure the problem, but something to go on and i,ll keep you informed.

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I'm with you Howie, imo ovens make excellent storage for fragile items - eggs, that beautiful apple pie from the little village bakery, bulky items - anything you don't want to get squashed. Expensive way to do it - but - people will insist on fitting bulky and heavy items in 'vans, - often in the back of front wheel drive vehicles & then wonder why they get stuck in the mud :D

 

In order to be right it isn't essential to be in the majority (lol) (lol)

 

B-)

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Guest peter
Who needs an oven? we hardly ever use it at home never mind the M/H. We use our Cadac grill a lot for cooking all meat and stir fries. We do have a mini oven which is stored in the wardrobe for when it's too cold or wet to cook outside. The Continentals cook outside a lot, so don't need a full oven. What woman wants to mess about with a full roast dinner when on holiday, My wife sure wouldn't.
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peter - 2007-05-17 11:35 PM

 

What woman wants to mess about with a full roast dinner when on holiday, My wife sure wouldn't.

 

sorry Peter but sexist remarks like this belong on 'arguments' thread :-> :->

 

B-)

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twooks - 2007-05-18 10:20 AM

 

peter - 2007-05-17 11:35 PM

 

What woman wants to mess about with a full roast dinner when on holiday, My wife sure wouldn't.

 

sorry Peter but sexist remarks like this belong on 'arguments' thread :-> :->

 

B-)

 

I wouldn't if I was just on holiday but we are talking being away a year, probably more, even I will miss a nice roastie with all the trimming but not boiled in a pan on the hob -Yuk!

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Seriously recommend you check out:

Remoska, Double Skillet, Tagine - search the forums here and you should find plenty of comments:

Remoska and Tagine available from Lakeland

Double Skillet from D & F Promotions

 

They seem to cover most eventualities - check out other opinions - you might be pleasantly surprised and get your problem solved.

 

B-)

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Guest peter
twooks - 2007-05-18 10:20 AM

 

peter - 2007-05-17 11:35 PM

 

What woman wants to mess about with a full roast dinner when on holiday, My wife sure wouldn't.

 

sorry Peter but sexist remarks like this belong on 'arguments' thread :-> :->

 

B-)

O/K Twooks point taken. But hands up all the men who cook a roast dinner for the family. Be honest. :D
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I avoid roast dinners - [the cooking of that is] like the plague - the closest I get is Christmas dinner; too much like hard work imo, in a full size kitchen - not a chance in a 'van.

don't mind lengthy preparation time - but it has to cook quickly.

 

do occasionally do lamb - but use the prepared microwaveable option - Asda's is quite good. :D :D

 

B-)

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Im with Howie on this one.

We've an oven - OK van is only 5 weeks old, not used it yet though - van came with it, even though it's a German van!!Now I'm really confused.

Just use the grill only, as all my "Thai" cooking is done on the hobs.

I've used the oven once on the old Hymer just to keep a dish warm whilst cooking another dish on the hob.

Each to their own is what I say.

 

Thai

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We too were worried that when we were looking for a secondhand motorhome here in France that most in our price range had no ovens. I did put a request on this forum and a few people replied with the Remoska, double skillet and also the Cobb BBQ which can be used inside. We bought our motorhome and they quoted 1000 euros to fit an oven, so we bought a Cobb BBQ and a double skillet and todate we have been highly delighted with both. We were so used to having an oven in our caravanning days that we thought we couldn't do without. We have also aquired a very small oven that works on electric for when we are on hookup, but to be perfectly honest we forget it is in the cupboard. I do use a small electric oven most days in the house instead of the 600mm oven in our kitchen and I find it does everything we want it to do except when we have visitors and need more cooking space.
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We wouldnt be without our oven, nothing nicer than a nice roast in the winter. Whilst its cooking the van warms up nicely, sit back relax have a drink, its dark outside anyway.

 

As for men not cooking, get a life its great, we both cook and love experimenting with different foods in the van, three course meals. We have cooked for as many as 8 in the van. Friends we go away with sometimes love cooking as well, he likes to have a go with the cooking. Fry ups a bad for you. We cant afford to eat out all the time, we only go out for the occasional meal when at home.

 

We watched a demostration using a gadget for cooking on the hob, whilst at Newbury it looked great until he said the price, everyone walked away and there must have been about 20 people watching.

 

Come on Guys get your cooking gear on and tells us what you cook.

 

David.

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As I posted previously we now use a double skillet and a Cobb BBQ. Both can be used as an oven, we have roasted a chicken on the Cobb, we haven't had roast beef on it yet as the beef for roasts is rubbish over here, it is not just a BBQ, when the lid is on it becomes an oven and the outside stays cool, normal size chicken takes about 1.1/2 hrs and 9 brickettes. We haven't used the double skillet as an oven yet but we have relatives who have and have had theirs for 20 years and it is still going strong. Again the top and bottom lock together so that it can be used as an oven and it also comes with a glass lid to use as a normal nonstick pan.
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David

 

I'm the cook when we are away, let her who must be obeyed, enjoy relaxing.

If you smell aromas of an Oriental meal being cooked and know it's not chinese or Indian,and u can't quite think what it is but you know it's oreintal then it could be me cooking a "THAI" meal!!

 

Thai

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Thai Bry - 2007-05-19 12:24 PM

 

David

 

I'm the cook when we are away, let her who must be obeyed, enjoy relaxing.

If you smell aromas of an Oriental meal being cooked and know it's not chinese or Indian,and u can't quite think what it is but you know it's oreintal then it could be me cooking a "THAI" meal!!

 

Thai

 

Thai Bry,

 

Have you got a decent recipe for Thai Green Curry? Been looking on the internet but a lot of them sound complicated.

 

Sylvia

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Guest caraprof

I find this discussion to be a little bit silly. It must be better to have an oven than not have one! If you've got one you have the opportunity to use it occasionally but if you haven't got one then you can never use it.

 

It's a bit like having an on-board shower. You may think that you'll always use the site's facilities but one day circumstances may make you very grateful that you can have a quick shower in your own 'van.

 

What is quite amusing is that the people whose 'vans save space by not having an oven seem to be carrying bulky barbeque-type appliances and even mini-ovens in the wardrobe in case it's raining!

 

I suspect that for those who don't have an oven their argument is more about justifying their choice, rather than the practicalities and advantages of having one in their 'vans.

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Silly?  maybe.  The original question was Sandy's, and she asked why German made vans tend to come minus ovens, presumably because she wants a German made van with an oven. 

Sandy, look at Hobby vans: German, with ovens!

She also asked how Germans get by without ovens.  The answer, in common with many other Europeans, is that they just don't cook the same way we do.  Breakfast will be simple and largely cold, except coffee.  Lunch is often cold meats and salad.  Evening meals, of meat or fish, often high temperature griddled. 

Most meat is much lighter cooled than is traditional in UK, even things like duck and kidney being eaten good and pink, whereas we tend to cook for longer.  Teflon coated pans require no additional fat for frying, so the grease content is minimised.  Griddles allow it to drain away.  Most things are cooked quickly, rather than in an oven, which is slow and extravagant to heat up for a quick high temperature flash roast.  They don't make toast, and hardly ever grill. 

It's just a different approach and the oven takes space they think better used for other things.  I suspect even some UK motorhomers with ovens still take microwaves, mini-ovens (for use outside), barbecues, Remoskas (for use on hook up) etc etc.  Live and let live, eh?  Its the differences that make travel interesting.  Oh, and if you adopt European cooking practices while in Europe, it makes getting the ingredients, and the cooking, easier as well!

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