I originally wrote this post way back in 2012, when I was struggling to adjust to my RV oven. Today, I’ve got some updates for you to help you succeed and overcome that little propane oven. If you’re an RVer and doing any indoor cooking and baking you know that an RV oven can be a challenge. While it is true that RV ovens are not as large or as powerful as the ones in a traditional home, you can still enjoy baking. All you need are the right techniques and a few essential tips for baking in an RV oven. In this post, I’ll share some tried and true tips to help you get the most out of your RV oven and make your RV-baked meals a success.
Before we ever moved into our camper, I had some reservations about baking in my RV oven. Truth be told, I was just waiting for it to fail me when I moved into the camper. I may have been biased going into it. My good friend and fellow newbie full-timer told me she was burning everything in her oven. In fact, she hated her oven so much that she took out her overhead microwave and replaced it with a toaster oven. With that modification, she started baking 90% of her baked goods in her toaster oven and used her RV oven for storage.
So what’s the big fuss and negativity surrounding RV ovens?
Understand the Limitations of an RV Oven
Size Matters
First and foremost, RV ovens are smaller than residential ovens, which means you may need to use smaller baking pans or adjust your cooking times accordingly. I can fit barely my 9 X 13-inch pans in there. I had to part with my half-sheet pans and any 9X13-inch pans that had any type of edge.
Before you start baking, measure the inside of your oven and make sure your baking pans fit. If necessary, invest in some smaller bakeware that is designed specifically for RV ovens.
Temperature Control
RV ovens, especially propane-powered ones, can have temperature fluctuations and hot spots. The propane flame that comes out along the rod from the back of the oven to the front is VERY hot. That may seem like an obvious statement, but baked goods are most prone to burning right along that area. The metal plate right above the propane bar is supposed to distribute heat but it does a poor job.
To ensure even cooking, I recommend you use an oven thermometer to monitor the temperature and adjust the oven dial accordingly. Keep in mind that your RV oven will most likely cook slower or faster than a traditional oven, so be prepared to adjust cooking times as needed.
Preheating is Crucial
While it may feel like a waste of propane, preheating your RV oven is essential for even cooking and avoiding burnt food. Take the time to preheat your oven to the desired temperature before placing your food inside. This will ensure that your food cooks more efficiently and reduces the risk of burning.
NOTE: Unlike a conventional oven, an RV oven does not beep when it’s properly preheated so you’ll need to make sure you check your oven thermometer, which I’ll cover in the next section.
Must-Have Tools for Successful Oven Baking
Baking Stones or Unglazed Tiles
This is my favorite and most useful tip on getting that RV oven to work for you. It’s super important to use a baking stone or unglazed tiles. The massive heat from that heating element has to be transferred somehow to get a more even bake of your baking food. There is a thin metal shelf that is supposed to transfer the heat, but it is very inefficient at doing this!
To get a better distribution of heat, all you need to do is place the stone or tiles (I bought mine for $0.44/each at Menards) directly on the oven rack. But make sure that there is enough air space between the stone and the heating element so the heat can be evenly distributed. A round pizza stone or square baking stone works well for most standard-sized RV ovens.
Oven Thermometer
As I mentioned earlier, an oven thermometer is essential for accurate temperature control in your RV oven. Place the thermometer inside the oven and monitor the temperature to ensure it matches up with the oven dial. This will help you avoid undercooked or overcooked food.
Insulated Cookie Sheets or Nested Quarter Sheet Pans
Something I’ve learned over the years is that air space between your pan is super important. The air space helps to insulate the food from the direct heat of the baking stone, ensuring even cooking. A set of two-quarter sheet pans is a versatile addition to your RV kitchen arsenal.
Additional Tools
Other useful tools for successful RV baking include.
- Silicone baking mat – I use mine all.the.time for easy food release and cleanup
- Timer – newer RV ovens have a timer, and you can use your phone but a dedicated magnetic timer is convenient.
- Arc lighter – it’s so much nicer to have a flexible nozzle on a rechargeable lighter. Perfect for reaching that itty-bitty pilot light in the back.
How to Light an RV Oven
Now is the perfect time to discuss lighting that little oven. I recall being baffled that there was not a built-in oven igniter. If you’re a newbie, you actually do have to light the oven with a lighter. I linked to an arc lighter above, which is much handier than even a stick lighter.
Here is a step-by-step guide to lighting your RV oven:
- Turn the oven knob to the “pilot” or “light” position.
- Hold the knob in and use a long lighter or match to ignite the pilot light.
- Keep holding the knob for about 20 seconds to allow the thermocouple to heat up and maintain the gas flow.
- Release the knob and set the oven to the desired temperature.
Perfecting Your Baking Technique
Now that, your oven is heating up, let’s dive into baking methods that are important to keep in mind.
Rotate Your Food
Even with a baking stone and proper temperature control, your RV oven may still have hot and cold spots. To ensure even cooking, rotate your baking dish 90 degrees midway through the cooking time. This will ensure that every part of your food cooks evenly and avoids any burnt or undercooked areas.
Adjust the Oven Rack
If you find that your food is burning on the bottom or not cooking evenly, try adjusting the position of the oven rack. Most RV ovens have multiple rack positions, allowing you to raise or lower the rack to find the perfect balance between direct heat and even cooking.
Level Your RV
One often-overlooked factor in successful RV baking is making sure your RV is level. An unlevel RV can cause uneven cooking and potentially lead to spills or lopsided baked goods. Before you start baking, use your RV’s leveling system or leveling blocks to make sure your RV is sitting as level as possible.
Adapting Recipes for RV Baking
Cooking Time & Temperatures
When baking in an RV oven, it’s important to be flexible with your cooking times and temperatures. I know I told you that you need an oven thermometer but the sheer size of the oven may require you to adjust your recipes. Keep a notes section on your phone with cooking times and temperatures for each dish you make often, this will help you to become more efficient and precise in your RV baking endeavors. I certainly adjusted to my RV oven and it got easier to successfully baked food the more I baked with my oven.
Recipe Adjustments
Some recipes may need to be adapted for the RV oven environment. For example, if your favorite bread recipe requires an hour of baking time, you may want to consider turning it into muffins or smaller loaves that will cook faster and use less propane. Experiment with different recipe adaptations to find the perfect balance between delicious results and RV-friendly cooking.
Embrace Alternative Cooking Methods
While mastering your RV oven is useful, don’t forget about the other cooking options available in your RV kitchen. Consider using a microwave-convection oven, an Instant Pot, an air-fryer (we have a Ninja Foodie that is an air-fryer, pressure cooker, & more), or even outdoor cooking methods like grilling or using a Dutch oven. Each cooking method has its own unique advantages and can help you create a wider variety of delicious meals in your RV.
Practice Makes Perfect
I know I said this earlier, but it’s worth repeating. The key to success in RV baking is practice, practice, practice. Don’t be discouraged if your first few attempts at baking in your RV oven don’t turn out perfectly. I know mine sure didn’t. Learn from your mistakes, make adjustments, and keep trying. The more you bake in your RV oven, the better you’ll become at mastering the art of RV baking.
Be Prepared for Mishaps
Even with the best RV oven tips and techniques, there will inevitably be mishaps and disasters in your RV kitchen. Be prepared for the occasional burnt or undercooked dish, and always have a backup plan in case dinner needs to be thrown out. Heck! I make mistakes in my traditional home oven. So best to roll with the punches right?! Just remember, mistakes are a natural part of the learning process and will only make you a better RV baker in the long run.
I must share with you one of my early failures with my oven:
What Went Wrong with Those Muffins?
- The oven was not preheated.
- My temperature was off.
- I tried to cook the flat un-risen tops of the muffins by placing them on the bottom shelf. (yeah…don’t do that)
Onward & Upward RV Oven Baking Success
Hopefully, this picture above encourages you to keep trying. Since originally publishing this post, we stopped RVing full-time. I had about a 5-year gap from using an RV oven and had to refer to my post again because I simply forgot how to make my RV oven work for me.
All this to say, don’t be discouraged. Mastering baking in your RV oven is just one part of the overall RV lifestyle. Enjoy the process of learning and adapting to your new kitchen, and remember that the journey is just as important as the destination. With the right RV oven tips and techniques, you’ll be on your way to creating delicious, home-cooked meals in your RV kitchen in no time.
Thanks for putting this together! I’ll file it away for future reference=)
Thank you! My rv oven and I fight every time I use it. I am going to try your tips! =)
Great Nikki! I hope my tips help!
Did you ever replace your bar pan? I love mine and dont want to go with out it and am going to be getting the “mid sized” one from pampered chef for our rv 🙂 just curious lol
I didn’t Jenn…but oh my goodness I want to! I miss my bar pan!
when you use pampered chef stoneware in the RV oven, do you still use a baking stone or tiles over the metal cover on the bottom to distribute the heat?
Boy did I goof. My RV came equipped with only a convection/microwave oven. Did not do too well with the convection and thinking if I got the regular oven my problems would be resolved. WRONG I had no idea it would not be like my oven at home and the man who sold it to me and installed it neglected to provide me with any information. So, now here I am, now better off and trying to learn how to bake in my RV oven. Hate this!!!!!
It can be very frustrating! Hope my tips help you. After over a year of baking in my RV oven, I still have flops but they are few and far between. You’ll get the hang of it, I promise! 🙂
We are preparing to install a micro/convection oven. Why did you not like the convection oven?
I had other RV ovens that I baked in but I do not remember having this much trouble. I will try these fixes that you have suggested . I may have to build something to fix this for all of us. I just love fresh not burnt cookies and coffee on a cold winter day. thanks again Ken
Good luck Ken! The RV oven really had me frustrated at first.
If your wondering, pampered chef makes a medium sized bar pan that fits easily in our camper oven 🙂 stoneware has saved many of my biscuits!
Thank you Dani! I LOVE my pampered chef! Stoneware makes such a difference in the camper ovens!
I specifically bought a round stoneware pan from Pampered chef because I love mine at home so much. The first time in my RV oven was a disaster. It shattered into pieces. Luckily Pamper Chef replaced it. All I had to do is send them a picture. I’m afraid to try it again with my new stone though.
I RECEIVED A 12X 12 UNGLAZED CERAMIC TILE FOR MY OVEN AND THE FIRST TIME I USED IT, THE TILE BROKE.
I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT OUR MAGIC TRICKS ARE OUT THERE FOR OVENS IN RV’S. YOU WOULD THINK THESE MANUFACTUERS WOULD COME UP WITH A BETTER SYSTEM.
MY OVEN HEATS 25 DEGREES HOTTER THAN IT IS SUPPOSED TO!!
WOULD APPRECIATE ANY HELP OR COMMENTS, PLEASE..
I’m sorry Judy! I really don’t understand why your tile broke, but one thing I know, unless it shattered into little bits and pieces you can still use it in your oven to distribute heat. I would definitely keep using the thermometer and keep your oven set 25 degrees lower to compensate for the poor calibration. By chance is your RV still under warranty?
I used my Pamper Chef rectangular pan and it broke in two as well. ?
I have use T-fal brand Air Bake cookie sheets with great success. Just find the right size for your over. They are available online at Amazon and at local stores.
Thank you Ed! A great option for more even baking too!
Thanks for the tips!! Just tried to make biscuits in my oven for the first time and it was a complete failure!! I will try these tips for sure
I have a toaster oven. I do most my baking un it but I do it like that to save on the propane never thought of it as actual people, having hard time cooking in the RV/camper oven…
But I have made cookies and other goodies in the propane oven and so far so issues only thing I did was raise my shelf.
Ps. My oven turn on by spark not lighter
Yes! A toaster oven is a great option!
What size tiles did you buy?
4 inch tiles Margarita.
I’m attempting pizza homemade . Oven is preheated to whatever it is…no thermometer. No tiles either. Fingers crossed.
Hope your pizza turned out yummy Norma! 🙂 I think the trickier foods to bake in there are cakes or cookies.
Hunt thrift stores for air-bake baking pans. I’ve found not only cookie sheets in a variety of sizes but also rectangular, square & round cake pans, loaf pans…still hunting for a muffin pan though…
lol, I thought your oven was to store your bread. Really thats what the RV dealership told us jokingly of course, he said not many people actually use it. That being said I’m nervous about using it, but willing to give it a try.
Did you try it yet Susie? We heard something similar…but managed to use our oven quite a bit once we learned these tricks.
Why install something that takes that much room and then not explain how to use it. Or worse joke that no one uses it. If that’s the case put it in as an option.
Preheating, 4 tile,adjust height. ……..solve everything )
I purchased 4×4 unglazed square tiles from Amazon – simple keyword search resulted in a box of 6 for a decent price. 4 in the oven with 2 spares just in case works well for me. I also discovered in my first cookie flop that the oven most definately was not gauged properly so a trip to WalMart resulted in my new temperature gauge. I already baked regularly with the Air bake sheets & have always loved those. The resullts in my RV oven have been positive since.
I’m wondering if there is any difference with using the stoneware. I will have to check that option out.
Thanks for the tips & verification that I’m not the only one out there who started off a FT RVer leary of my tiny oven 🙂
I have done this for years. I also had camping world put in a 21 inch oven and it makes a world of difference. I can bake anything without burning it.
Have you baked cup cakes ?? I’m fixing to tonight sad would love any advice …. I was told that what temp says for regular stove to back off degrees in rv stove ???
I did bake cupcakes and I used my method above, instead of 350 degrees, I baked at 325 degrees though.
I’m glad I searched before attempting to bake anything. We will be on vacation during Father’s Day, and I want to bake my husband his favorite cake. I’ll update. Keep your fingers crossed, lol.
How did it go??
Never did it. I had a grand mal seizure and slept the next day, lol.
i bought a roaster oven Nesco brand I believe … It bakes everything from biscuits to ham to pulled pork. And I can do it outside so it doesn’t smell up the camper. I finally gave up on the RV oven…use it as storage
I learned using the tiles on the metal shelf trick from some Canadian camping friends years ago. Really: Problem solved! It can be hard to find ‘unglazed’ tiles anymore in smaller markets. I ended up buying a 12″ travertine tile at Lowes. One small corner cracked but it works great. I’ve made cookies, rolls, muffins, biscuits, even a small beef roast. (in a square pan all tucked tightly in a couple of layers of heavy foil with dry onion soup…baked at 250º for a few hours.) Yeah, it can be a bother lighting the pilot each time, but if we are going to be in one spot for a period of days, I just leave the pilot on till we roll again. It only uses a tiny bit of lp.
Thank you for sharing your experience with baking. My husband and I are going to start our RV living this coming August and I have been reading the comments on RV living. I will make sure I try your technique.
Thank you very much for your tips, I’m going to give them a try. My wife and I travel for my job about 10 months each year, and she has tried to use the oven several times. Each time was a lesson in humility. I love baked goods and the ability to have casseroles without having to go to the restaurant. Our oven has served as a storage bin for her pots and pans. But I will get some tiles and a thermometer and see if they make a difference. I suspect that ovens are like every other piece of equipment for rvs, they are light weight and rugged because they are in an rv they have to endure bouncing down the road and not create a fire hazard, as a result, they wouldn’t stay in calibration even if you could calibrate them. However, it seems to me that the rv manufacturer’s could work out the bugs. There is a lot of room for improvement.
Why don’t they just place electric ovens in the units? I am not an rv’r (yet) but hope to be soon. I’m just a newbee to all of this. I am a cook and use my home oven a lot. I also have a huge toaster/convection/rotisserie that I won’t sell and just keep.
Hi Ann…I’m guessing they don’t do that because it would make boon docking and baking an impossibility. I’m hopefully with all the new innovations, they’ll figure something out. 🙂 Happy RVing!
I’ve been RV’ing 4 6 months now. The oven is a real challenge. I’m so excited to find these tips. I’ll be finding ceramic tile today. Because I don’t trust the oven, my Dutch oven & crockpot has become very easy to cook in & thanks to Pinterest I’m never without recipes. I’m making a friend a Birthday cake this wknd & now I’m going to give it a try in my oven. Thanks Julie for the Awesome tips.
You’re welcome Pami! I hope you have success! 🙂
Am on our winter holiday to Texas. Bought our new rv, with convection micro plus regular propane oven. Found out years ago about using tiles in the oven. Had a stone plate I put in oven. It split down the middle because off the high heat from center flame. Still works great. It is in two pieces rather than one. Oven thermometer regulated temp. Great advice. Convection again is a learning experience. Often campgrounds have low voltage drops that can make baking with electricity difficult. Barring that I found I had to read and follow directions very carefully. Make sure oven is at proper temp and experiment. I finally had great success with a pecan pie. It can be done.
A simple peice of aluminum foil placed above the metal separator does the trick for us. The real problem is that the metal gets red hot and blasts your food/pan with intense infrared rays. The single sheet of foil blocks those rays as well as ceramic. The benefit of foil is that it doesn’t have the heat capacity of the tiles, which translates to not taking as long for your oven to warm up, and thus saving propane. I admit we don’t do a large amount of baking, cupcakes on birthdays is about it. But we cook pizzas and various dinner dishes in there on a regular basis and we still don’t preheat the oven ever. I can imagine it matters more for baking vs cooking, but worth the experimenting if one is curious. For the record we’ve used the foil method for a couple years now in two different RVs.
You commented on wishing you had a buzzer to tell you when you’ve reached temperature. I use a bbq digital thermometer with an approximately 24 inch flexible wire to the read out. Set your desired temp and put it in the oven and the read out with a magnet sticks to the outside of the oven. It beeps at set temp.
Brilliant!!! Thank you!
I use my RV oven and have not had any problems. In the summertime I use a box oven (my daughter was a girl guide) outside. This is absolutely AWESOME. There is no heat inside to deal with and as long as you have a bag of briquettes you can bake endlessly. We took our 4 grandchildren camping last year (all under the age 9) and we made cookies, cake, corn bread and roasted a chicken. There are many web pages with instructions on how to make them. Look for cardboard box oven, scotch oven and/or box oven. I had the kids help me to construct it. The dads were all very dubious about this whole process, but enjoyed all the goodies afterwards. Try it in the backyard first.
Very smart, Barb!! Yes, keep the heat out of the camper! I think we’ll try it out this summer just for fun in South Texas.
All these good ideas! Thanks! Only one I can think of is check the altitude when camping and adjust time/temp.
Yes, you’re exactly right Terry. So important for baking and the fluctuations with moving locations, many may not remember.
When I use my oven, don’t use the dark non stick ware. If you spend a little more for the silver heavy duty stuff, it works better.
Great tip Thelma. Thank you!!
All of your suggestions are spot on. I just wish that it was easier to light……having to get down on my old “bionic” knees is not an easy feat! I prefer using my oven to the microwave/convection, especially when in make meringues or things that need lower temperatures and longer cooking times.
Yes, definitely not convenient to light. 🙂
I have a metal pizza pan that has holes in it. I put that directly on top the metal shelf. It helps to defer some of the heat while letting some through the holes. Works great.
Glad you found a solution JoAnne! RVers have to get creative.
How thick are the tiles used in the oven? And are these the Patio tiles?
They are somewhere between 1/4″ to 3/8″ thick, (your standard tile) As long as they are unglazed, they will work. Good luck!
A BIG OMG!!! This is soooo of wrong… spend thousands of dollars on bells and whistles, tvs and WiFi and outdoor tvs and refrig….but the ovens are a joke???
Going to have to get a discount when purchasing one… like….”let me pull the oven out and you keep it Mr. Dealer.” So so wrong. Wow.
Yes…it is very unfortunate. My hope is that the outcry from RVers will prompt them to make better ovens.
I bought a small foil roasting pan and turned it upside down over the heat bar. It disperses the heat great! Everything bakes as it should!
Great idea Tammy!!
We just started FT RV living and I baked my first cake tonight. Should have searched for tips sooner! Thanks for the info!
Thank you! Building Moms a tiny home, this is exactly the stuff I needed to know, you just saved us 20″ floorspace (a big deal in a 24′ trailer!) if I don’t need to go with a freestanding!
Glad it helped you Sondra! Best wishes!
Has anyone tried to broil in your RV oven? My oven came with a broiler pan but I am not sure it is safe.
Oh, please help!! I miss baking SO much, but my oven is going to drive me crazy!! I bought a thermometer, because I know better than to think the temperature will be accurate in ANY oven – but especially unlikely in a 46 year old propane RV oven!!
It heats up great – it maintains temperature great – at least, it does until I open the door and insert food of any sort. At that point, my oven turns into a psychotic demon whose only goal is to turn its interior into the tenth level of hell!! No food = 350 degrees for an hour straight. Food = let’s try for 700 degrees!!
Seriously, though… I started at 325, both gauge and thermometer – 10 minutes after the cake went in it was 400 and I turned the gauge to 250. Ten minutes after THAT it was around 460 and still climbing.
Amazingly enough, after I turned the oven off and drove to the store and BOUGHT my son a birthday cake (crying the whole time in self-pity)…. the cake I removed from the oven several hours later was perfectly done, moist and completely edible.
Any idea why my oven temperature has no rhyme or reason? Or should I just give in, rip it out and give it a nice Viking funeral?
Thanks!!
We got most of these tips from a veteran FT RVer on our first trip. I put a 1/2″ square pizza stone on the burner plate. I also use a remote digital meat thermometer that has alarms on for heat and time. So we pretty much ignore the numbers on the dial. Very few flops with this setup.
I tried the tip about a piece of tin to displaced the heat and it work like a charm! Bakes everything perfectly.
I was given a rotisserie convection oven that I ended up using more than regular oven in my home. Also used for toasting bread/bagels, etc so had no need for a toaster. I lost it due to house fire.
Now, living in RV full-time I dont see enough room to cook a chicken in the gas stove inside RV.
I am thinking of getting another rotisserie convection oven and primarily use that for most of the cooking I may need to use an oven for. Good to know others have done the same. I am new to the RV life and was hoping it would ne ok as long as I am hooked up with electric.
A friend that lived in his RV most of the summer offered some great advice in using the oven. I had uneven cooking, overcooking, etc. He said to level the rv to the oven. I also learned that I could not use dark pans. I exchanged them all to the light aluminum, now I have perfect, even cooking.
Are your unglazed tiles porcelain or ceramic? Shouldn’t they cover the entire ‘pan’ rather than as in your picture, which would encourage the heat to be intense on the edges of the ‘pan’ where there is no tile?
Thank you!! I love to bake and I am now baking treats all the time. My banana nut breads come out perfect now
I enjoy camping outdoors and preparing family members’ favorite meals. Of course, long trips aren’t complete without the RV stove, which you can use to cook everything from fried bacon to fresh bread to fried chicken. I use the Atwood 52232 Wedgewood stove and am very satisfied. With the integrated grill/toast function, you can brown or bake foods such as whole chickens and patties. I like the open burner design because it cooks quickly and evenly. I found the
easy to adjust the hob burner from low to high.
The flame is evenly distributed on all sides in both directions, resulting in well-cooked dishes.