A microwave is an essential part of every kitchen. I have a countertop microwave and I use it several times everyday to cook and reheat the food. After using a microwave for years, I didn’t want to use a portable gas stove or similar thing on camping. So, I thought to find a microwave for camping to use it anytime, anywhere.
The microwave ovens that you use in your kitchen work great but they are too heavy to carry for camping or picnics. Moreover, the standard microwaves consume so much power that you cannot afford such a high power usage when you are out. So, you need a microwave that does all cooking jobs yet doesn’t drain your car battery on camping.
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How to Choose the Best Microwave for Camping
A microwave for camping is a bit different from any standard microwave made for residential use. You need to consider the size, weight, power consumption and some other factors like food capacity and cooking time.
Here I provide some important points to help you choose the best microwave oven for camping, picnics and travel purposes.
Prefer a Compact Microwave
You may have a car or RV or Campervan when going on camping. A large microwave can take up too much space in your vehicle, so I recommend to prefer a compact microwave for camping so that it can fit anywhere in your car or RV and doesn’t bother space issues.
Make Sure that It’s Lightweight
When you go on camping, you need to carry some luggage. The weight of a heavy microwave is not something you like during the camping time. So, you should choose the best microwave for camping that is compact and lightweight enough to be carried or moved by one person.
Check the Power Plug Type
There are different camping microwaves available in market. Some are battery powered, they come with either 12V or 24V power plugs. On the other hand, some microwaves come with all 3 power plugs of 12V, 24V and 110V so that you can use them at home, office, car, truck, RV and other places.
Depending upon your personal choice and requirement, you should check the power plug type of a microwave and choose the one that is suitable for you.
Choose a Power Efficient Microwave
The microwave you use at home can be eating up 1200W or more power, but the same is not recommended for a microwave for camping and RVs. If you want a compact countertop or built-in microwave for RVs/Campervan then choose a microwave with 700W or less energy consumption.
In case you want to use the microwave on batteries of your car, RV, Campervan or truck, you should choose either a 12V microwave or 24V microwave for camping to fulfill your needs.
Should Have Enough Food Capacity
The compact microwaves save space and energy but they also reduce the food capacity. So, it is very important to know how much food capacity a microwave for camping offers you. Make sure that it has enough food capacity to accommodate at least two persons’ food at a time.
Can It Cook or Reheat Only?
The battery powered microwaves for camping are designed for reheating only. Some battery powered microwaves can cook raw food but others cannot. So, you must check if a camping microwave can cook the food or reheat only before you decide to buy it.
The Hot Logic 12V Microwave for Camping can cook raw food and reheat leftovers. If you want a camping microwave for cooking and reheating purposes then Hot Logic is the best option for you.
Must Check Cooking Time Duration
The compact microwaves are also called slow cookers because they take more time to cook the food. Cooking food for 4 people in a microwave on camping can take 1 to 2 hours or longer depending upon the cooking time offers by your microwave.
You must check the cooking time and reheating time of a microwave for camping before you select it for your purchase.
Summary:
With help of my guideline shared above, you can easily pick an ideal microwave that you can carry on camping and picnics. You should choose a microwave that is compact yet powerful enough to fulfill your cooking needs during the camping days.
