I’m in the mood for sweet potatoes but they have to be baked!

Sweet p’taters can be baked on a campfire but campfires aren’t always allowed due to fire restrictions and such.

I usually don’t do campfires for just myself but I love a good campfire when it’s at someone else’s campsite!

Needless to say, I don’t bake my sweet potatoes on a campfire… I use my oven.

My Handy Dandy Van Oven

I’m sure you’ve already formulated a picture in your mind of what my oven looks like.

I’m also fairly sure you’re vision isn’t even close.

So I’ll cut to the chase and show you my SabotHeat portable mini oven…

I’ve had this oven for several years. It’s a tad worn and tattered (as is the 9 year old folding table beneath it) but the oven (and table) have held up well.

As you can see, the oven is simply a hot plate (of sorts) inside a flexible, insulated, heat resistant container.

Some Tidbits About The Portable Mini Oven

My oven is an older model. There’s only one temperature setting. I don’t know what the temperature is but it cooks at the speed of a slow cooker.

Newer oven models have more options for temperature settings and, I assume, can also cook faster.

This flexible, soft sided portable oven collapses for easy storage in a van or RV. This space-saving feature deserves a hip-hip-hooray!

The oven comes in 12-volt and 110v versions.

There are also various sizes.

Baking In The SabotHeat Oven

My sweet potatoes take several hours to bake. Keep in mind that my oven is older with no temperature control.

When I have sweet potatoes… I HAVE sweet potatoes! My entire meal is a plate of sweet potatoes only. I usually bake 2 good sized taters in my itty bitty oven.

Around 9am, I clean and cut my potatoes in half. Cutting them in half (or smaller) helps them cook faster and allows me to arrange them more evenly in the small oven.

Then, I wrap the potatoes in tin foil, put them in the oven, turn the oven on and by mid-afternoon my potatoes are ready. I typically eat my last meal of the day between 3 and 4pm (it just works for me).

I also use the SabotHeat oven to warm up left overs. With my older oven, my left overs typically take 30-45 minutes (depending on what I’m warming up).

The instructions say you can cook meat in the oven. I don’t buy or eat much meat due to food allergies and sensitivities. I’ve never been much of a meat eater to begin with but being allergic to beef and lamb limits my meat options even more.

It’s a rare occasion that I eat meat but, if/when I do, I buy it already cooked.

The oven could be used during travel but I’ve only used it when I’m parked or at a campground.

What Kind Of Dishes Do You Need For The Portable Mini Oven?

I have a glass dish from a thrift store that fits into my oven – but – most of what I cook gets wrapped in tin foil and placed directly in the oven.

The glass dish only gets used for food that can’t be contained in tin foil (such as soup or messier meals).

Does The Portable Mini Oven Work With Solar?

There is a 12-volt version of the oven – which I thought I was buying.

Because I have to analyze everything to death, I had the 12v version AND the 110v version open in separate web-browser tabs to compare them.

After deciding to buy the 12-volt version… I accidentally put the 110v version in my cart and purchased it.

I didn’t realize my mistake until I received the oven. I didn’t want to mess with returning it… and that’s how I ended up with the 110v model. I’m almost always plugged in at a campground so my mistake wasn’t a big deal.

Depending on your setup, you could technically use either version with solar power. However, the 12-volt version will consume less power the 110v.

I don’t use the oven with my solar setup and can’t say one way or the other how much power either version draws.

Where To Find A Portable Mini Oven

I bought my SabotHeat portable mini oven several years ago on Amazon. I can no longer find the model I have but there are numerous other (better) options on the market now-a-days.

Parting Thoughts

My outdated portable mini oven cooks at the speed of a slow cooker and requires a little advanced preparation for meals. Yet, I still love my SabotHeat oven! It’s a great addition to my van life arsenal.

If/when I need a new oven, I’d like to get the one with temperature control.

Now for a very important question…

What topping(s) do you put on your sweet potatoes?

As for me, I drizzle maple syrup on my sweet p’taters.

---