Must-Have Cooking Gadgets for Your RV

One of the very best things about owning an RV is the ability to cook as you travel. Considering we live in our travel trailer, this is a must for us, but it’s nice even for those who only do the occasional RV travel. After all, eating out gets expensive quickly, and who wants to be stuck eating fast food for long stretches of time anyway?

That said, while cooking in an RV is definitely possible, it isn’t always as easy as it might be in a traditional house. Space is much more limited in an RV, and in some models, counter space is non-existent. Couple that with an oven that tends to burn things and a stove that heats the place up, and many campers become tempted to turn to those fast food joints after all.

Luckily, that isn’t the only solution. Sure, cooking in a small space—and trying to keep your home-on-wheels cool enough to be tolerable while you're at it—is a challenge. However, it’s also totally doable, and with the right gadgets it doesn’t have to feel like an Olympic event.

So what kind of gadgets make RV cooking easier? I’m glad you asked. There are a few key kitchen items that I personally believe every RVer should own. These items are well worth having even if they do take up more than their fair share of cabinet space, because they make life on the road much, much easier.

Related Read: 10 Tips for Cooking in Your RV Oven (without burning everything)

Instant Pot

By far the most useful kitchen tool we own, an Instant Pot is a must-have for any RVer. Heck, this handy gadget should be in every single kitchen out there. The pot has multiple functions, making it ideal for small spaces where numerous cooking tools just won’t fit.

The most used function however, is the pressure cooker. The Instant Pot pressure cooker can be used to make almost anything, and can even completely replace your RV oven. Not only that, but because you can brown meats in the pot before using the pressure cooker portion, the Instant Pot could even replace your stovetop.

Hand Blender

If you like smoothies, a hand blender is a must-have in your RV. This is the smallest kind of blender available on the market, meaning it’s compact enough to store in your teeny tiny kitchen, but still functions just as a normal sized blender would. Additionally, many hand blender come with different attachments, meaning they can be used for more than one thing.

For instance, some hand blenders come with a whisk attachment, transforming the tool into a hand mixer. This is super duper handy and makes the gadget pretty indispensable if you ask me.

AeroPress

I love coffee, and I need coffee in the mornings. I know I’m not alone in this respect, so I want to let you all in on a little secret: the AeroPress. Thanks to my AeroPress, I’ll never ever be without coffee again.

This neat coffee maker is super tiny, making it easy to store and easy to carry from one place to the next. It doesn’t require any electricity, making it the perfect coffee maker for boondocking. And, depending on how many coffee grounds you use, you can even make coffee that is essentially espresso, meaning having a latte at home is possible.

Best of all, the AeroPress is super inexpensive as coffee makers go (usually around $30), meaning adding it to your collection of RV kitchen gadgets won’t break the bank.

NuWave Oven

For some, the Instant Pot just doesn’t cut it when it comes to baking. We can understand this. The Instant Pot doesn’t really brown those kinds of things like it does for meat, and this means baking cakes and cookies doesn’t work as well as we’d like. This is where the NuWave Oven steps in.

The NuWave Oven is a small, portable electric oven that can be stored easily in a cabinet and doesn’t heat up your kitchen when in use. Use it on your countertop or take it outside to bake when the weather is nice. Either way, you’ll get delicious baked goods that are evenly cooked, something most RV ovens won’t give you.

Over-the-Sink Cutting Board

Counter space is at a premium in any RV, and some RVs don’t have any at all, leading traveling chefs to cut veggies at the table and use the couch as a place to set things down. If this sounds like you, you might benefit from an over-the-sink cutting board.

This simple kitchen tool is incredibly useful to those who are constantly running out of cooking space. Simply place the board across your kitchen sink to create a nice little section of counter space where you can chop veggies, slice fruits, or even just set things down.

When you’re done, slide the small, flat cutting board into any cabinet for easy storage and to keep it handy until next time.

Induction Cooktop

Last but not least, we must mention induction cooktops. If a) you have problems with your rig becoming too hot when you cook, b) you hate using propane for cooking, or c) you’re afraid of burns, a portable induction cooktop is for you. These cooktops are powered by electricity. They also use special technology to keep burns to a minimum, and they don’t let off nearly as much heat as a traditional stove, meaning your RV won’t be an oven of its own by the time you’re finished making dinner.

All in all, we’d say an induction cooktop is a good investment for almost any RVer out there.

Of course, these are just a few of the many amazing kitchen gadgets on the market that are designed to save space and time. However, these are my favorites by far, and the things I’d absolutely recommend to anyone who dreads cooking in the kitchen of their tiny home-on-wheels.

Have a kitchen item you’d add to this list? Tell me about it!