Another Learning Experience

 Cooking in an RV has it's definite challenges. Your space is smaller, little to no counter space, your stove top is small with usually only 2 or 3 burners, stove generally uses propane which burns different then other forms of fuel, and well, your oven is a lot smaller. This is something we found out tonight as a pan we thought would fit, didn't and it's an 11x15 sheet pan.

The whole meal was learning experience even though we had already spent nine months cooking in here before. We are in the midst of clearing/cleaning out the apartment so meals have been quick and easy ones. Tonight we had the idea to make French Bread Pizzas. Haven't done that in ages but had some sauce and the cheese, just had to pick up the bread on our way home from the apartment. Sliced the bread in half lengthwise through the middle, lathered on the sauce, smothered it with Mozzarella cheese, topped that with a healthy grating of Parmesan. Oh was going to add some sliced mushrooms but unfortunately the mushrooms had decided to bite the big one. I have found fresh produce just doesn't seem to have much staying power out here. Anyway, back to the pizza. Dug out that sheet pan place the two halves side by side, opened the oven door and UH OH, the pan is to big for the oven!! Hmmm, well could do one half at a time but oh, fortunately they both fit on the round pan and Yippee that one fits. In the oven it goes!

Now again one of the differences between a sticks and bricks oven and an RV oven is how things broil. You see, in most RVs unless you have one of those super oversized models, things are smaller and made differently, most smaller RVs do not have residential ovens so they don't have a top burner broiler. Tonight was the first time we actually tried to broil something and this is what we learned: RV ovens don't broil, they just cook at a super high temperature. Now we know, as I said always a learning experience. The french bread pizza came out good for the most part; just the bottom got crisper than we would have liked and while the cheese melted it didn't get those yummy brown bits.

So here is what we learned: Check the size of the pan and makes sure it fits beforehand. As long as in this area, use fresh produce quicker then other places you've been. And as far as broiling: don't. We will try making the french bread pizza again because it tasted good but next time: Move rack to highest level and cook at a lower temperature. Will let you know how that works!