When you have your first RV, you won’t have anything as luxurious as an oven, with many people not even having proper stovetops in their smaller RVs. When you finally get a proper RV with an oven or even just the place for an RV oven, you may want to think about the average size you should look at.
The average size of an RV oven is only 17 inches, which is around 43cm in width, which means that the total size of the interior is smaller than you may expect. RV ovens are usually only capable of handling pans around 12 by 12 inches in size and not much larger.
It is important to remember that your RV oven will not be nearly as luxurious as the oven you have at home, with many common features you may be used to not appearing at all. We recommend understanding all the limitations you can find in RV ovens to be properly prepared.
What Are The Largest RV Oven Sizes?
In the largest and most luxurious RVs, you will find full-sized ovens, with some of the largest RVs even having two full-sized ovens that you can use. In standard RVs, the largest oven size that you can find will only be around 22 inches in width, with about 19 to 20 inches of usable space on the inside.
These ovens use a lot more power or propane and will require that you have the right amount of power to keep them running. These larger ovens can often only be used when the RV has been plugged into a port at special locations that appear at RV parks and other stops for larger vehicles.
We always recommend that you think about this before installing or using some larger RV ovens, as you may deplete your batteries when needed. Often these larger ovens go unused as alternatives use a lot less power and propane than an oven that needs to heat 20 inches of space.
What Are The Smallest RV Oven Sizes?
The smallest sized oven you can find will be around 16 inches in total width; these are all freestanding ovens that many small RV owners prefer to pack away. However, the smallest RV oven that can be installed is around 17 inches in total width, with an inner diameter of only 14 to 15 inches.
When choosing your oven, we always recommend ensuring that the oven is perfect for your needs and that you have the right equipment. Many people mistake getting RV ovens that are either too small to use or too big to fit in the RV.
Having a small RV oven will mean that it uses a lot less power but also means that there is a chance that you can burn things faster. We always recommend that you consider this when choosing your oven and test it out before using the oven regularly, as you may find yourself not needing it all.
What Are The Standard RV Oven Sizes That You Can Find?
The standard RV oven size has always been 17 inches, as this fits into most cupboards that have been precut, making it easier for manufacturers to use. However, as RVs have become more luxurious, the sizes have become much larger to allow people to easily customize their RV.
Further, as van life has increased in popularity, the standard size for RV ovens has also become harder and harder to control. This is often why you will see websites and retailers selling RV ovens in every shape and size, with many even allowing you to build the oven in pieces into a cupboard.
We always recommend that you have your RV oven fitted to the cupboard if you will get a larger one. This will prevent it from being damaged or damaging other things in the RV as you are driving around, with many oven doors usually shattering when the RV goes over a bump and the door is flung open.
What Size Pans Fit In RV Ovens?
Most ovens will come with a set of pans that specifically fit in them the best; it is recommended that you never use pans larger than 12 inches by 12 inches. This usually allows enough space for the entire oven to be heated equally without the pan blocking the heat.
This is often why things are burnt in the RV ovens as they are not heated equally, with many RV ovens being sectioned off by the pans that are too large. We always recommend that you have several pans on hand to ensure that the entirety of the oven is not filled with just the pan.
Further, having round pans and pans with higher walls will often be more versatile than just flat pans. The common mistake made by people using RV ovens for the first time is that they have square pans, and they only try to use them for everything instead of trying different shapes.
How Big Is A Furrion RV Oven?
Furrion RV ovens are 21-inches on average as they are specifically made to be used in larger RVs with several stoves and locations for the oven. Furrion makes 17-inch ovens that are meant to be used with smaller RVs, but they are still not meant to be used with vans as they need larger vents to breathe.
Furrion RV ovens are some of the most well-known ovens in the market and have been used by many people worldwide. If you have an older RV oven that you are not entirely sure about, you can be assured that it will most likely be a Furrion RV oven that may still have extra parts on the market.
We have seen many people install different types or brands of RV ovens, only having to stress about the problem of finding spare parts later when the oven gets older. Furrion is one of the oldest companies on the market that provides ovens for most small cabins or homes.
Can You Put A Regular Oven In An RV?
No, you cannot put a regular oven in an RV as regular ovens are much larger and heavier than a normal RV oven. Further, normal ovens use a great deal more power than an RV oven, which causes more problems as the internal power storage is drained much faster than it should be.
Many people forget that RVs have their power systems and plugs, which can overheat or short-circuit if the load is too much. A normal oven may require double the amount of power that an RV oven needs, which means you will cause the internal power systems to be overloaded.
If you only have a small normal oven you want to use, we recommend installing a special power delivery system. This way, the oven will be on its circuit and wiring that has been made to handle the extreme load that a normal oven will place on the wires and switches.
How Much Does The Size Affect The Energy An Oven Needs?
The simple answer is that the larger an oven is, the more power it will need to operate, with most large electric ovens not being able to reach an extremely high temperature. Smaller ovens need to heat a much smaller space and usually use less power to heat and cook.
We recommend that you test how long an oven you want to use takes to get up to temperature, as this will affect how much energy it uses. You may think that a small 10-inch oven that you found at a pawn store would work better than a larger 17- or 21-inch oven, but this is not always true.
Instead, the small oven may need up to ten minutes to reach the proper temperature, using much more energy as it is inefficient. While newer larger ovens may use induction plates or better insulation to create much more heat more efficiently.
Are Propane Ovens Smaller Than Electric Ovens?
Several compact propane stoves are meant to be as compact as possible, with custom pans that can be used in them. At the same time, there are several electric ovens meant for vans or RVs that are much smaller than most people would realize, many mistaking them for small microwaves instead of ovens.
Overall, it can be hard to know which one will be larger than the other, with the technology used in one to create insulation making way for pipes in the other. Both ovens come in extremely similar sizes, with many RV owners eventually moving to propane ovens to save on power.
Overall, the type of oven you are using depends entirely on what you prefer; if you are always camping near a power port, power won’t be an issue. However, if you use your RV to go into the wilderness where there is no readily available power, you will have to consider how to save as much power as possible.
Can You Bake Bread In An RV Oven?
Yes, you can easily bake bread in your RV oven, as it will usually be high enough for the bread to rise without touching the top. However, we recommend you do a few test bakes as the RV oven will be much hotter than the oven you have at home or a bread baking oven.
Many people who bake bread usually prefer to get a bread maker when they bake bread while traveling in an RV. This is because of the limited amount of available space, making it hard to mix the ingredients without making too much of a mess.
However, once the oven is used, they usually burn their new fresh bread due to larger ovens that leak more hot air. Smaller RV ovens usually heat up much faster and allow for much less airflow as they are made to specifically keep the heat in as much as possible to prevent them from becoming a danger to the RV.
How Do You Cook Pizza In An RV Oven?
To cook a pizza in an RV oven, we recommend having the oven preheated to get the best possible results. Your oven can be quite hot as you will only be popping the pizza in and out for a few minutes, melting the cheese and cooking the dough, and not much else as it should already be cooked.
We have seen many people who try to leave the pizza in the RV oven for much longer than it should, causing a headache as the cooking takes too long. However, if you have to oven on its hottest setting, you will burn the outer layer of the crust without cooking the inner crust.
It is always best to have the oven set to just above a medium temperature and test the heat before cooking your pizzas. If a small one-inch ball of dough can cook through without the outer layer burning within five to ten minutes, the oven is at the right temperature for pizza.
Why Do RV Ovens Burn Things More Often?
The simple answer is that people are too used to the large ovens at home, where a higher temperature is much less of a problem. Smaller ovens reach higher temperatures much faster and can keep these temperatures much easier for much longer.
This means that once set to around 300 Degrees Fahrenheit; it only takes the oven a few minutes to reach that temperature. Even when opening and closing the oven, it will stay at or near that temperature for much longer, which means everything is always that temperature.
Whereas a normal oven would lose almost all of its heat when the door is opened, a lot of the heat is used to heat the air inside the oven. Instead, the maximum amount of heat is being transferred to whatever you are cooking and the pan you are cooking it in.
Conclusion
The average RV oven will either be 17-inches or 21-inches, depending on your country and the total size of the RVs you are looking at. However, as the size of the RV increases, the total size of the oven and other amenities increases drastically, with some RVs having two full ovens in them.
Remember to have an emergency shut-off switch for your oven; you never know when something can go wrong!
Good luck, and happy camping!
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