Some of my favorite kitchen tools for the RV
01-07-2016
Author: Blog Editor in JeepandRV
When we first started full timing it was hard to know what to keep and what to leave behind when it came to the kitchen. We moved out of a 2300 sq ft home with a huge kitchen where I had everything a cook could want. I love to experiment in the kitchen and come up with new recipes so downsizing took a lot of discipline. I know that every cook will have different wants and needs but thought I would share the items that I would not want to be without after having two years to perfect.
The first thing that I would never get rid of is my cast iron pans. I have two, one is a smaller 10" and the other is a much larger 14". I also have a 10" ceramic non stick pan that we use when I don't need a crispy texture or multiple ingredients. I have a smaller sauce pan and a large pot for boiling noodles, a dutch oven that is handy for anything with a large number of ingredients like stews or stir fry, and a cake pan. The last pan I have is a copper bottom skillet with high sides that I use for my two to three ingredient meals that might need to be covered and require a quick searing heat.
The second year on the road we added two items that I did not think we would need but that have been used several times a week since added. The first is our magic bullet blender for smoothies. One of the joys of traveling is the local fruits that we find and can incorporate into our protein shakes. This item is small enough to store easily and helps us maintain a healthy diet. The second item is our toaster oven. Our rig has a microwave/convection oven that does a great job cooking but the limits are the fact that in the summer it really heats up the inside of the rig, when boondocking it requires the generator to be running, and if I need the microwave I have to wait until the meal is done cooking and the inside cools off which limits my menu choices. In the toaster oven I have been able to make crispy baked chicken wings, pizza, calzones, cinnamon rolls, cookies, baked fresh caught fish, ect. This one item really expanded our menu and I wish I had it sooner.
When we started full timing I left my good dishes behind and picked up some plastic plates from Walmart. While they did their job it always felt temporary so last year I picked up some nice ceramic plates from Cabela's that were on sale.
Changing to a heavier, microwave friendly plate has helped our meals feel like home instead of a picnic. I also bought a set of glass containers to store leftovers in that can be frozen or microwaved to help keep the dishes down.
One of the other things we did is we changed out the norcold refrigerator for a residential Samsung about 4 months into our journey. This made a huge difference in both space and health. The norcold was very limited in space, the food did not stay cold enough so we ended up throwing a lot away, you could not keep items frozen consistently, and it was also a fire hazard. When they removed it they found singe marks on the upper cabinet where it looks like it overheated and could have eventually started a fire. The residential is a apartment size model so smaller than what I had before but over twice as much storage space as the norcold. It keeps the ice cream so hard that you have to set it out for a few minutes before scooping and our vegetables stay fresh much longer. I haven't lost a single carton of milk since we changed either. Being able to buy larger quantities means I can take advantage of sales which has helped us save money not to mention how much we save by not having to throw spoiled food out. For the boondockers out there I can say that it has not caused us any issues and actually draws less amps than the norcold did. While it does not run on propane we ran a dedicated line to the inverter so that it can run even when we are moving down the road.
The battle between space and function will always be a challenge in the RV but I can happily say that I have not had to sacrifice great meals just because I have a smaller space.
The first thing that I would never get rid of is my cast iron pans. I have two, one is a smaller 10" and the other is a much larger 14". I also have a 10" ceramic non stick pan that we use when I don't need a crispy texture or multiple ingredients. I have a smaller sauce pan and a large pot for boiling noodles, a dutch oven that is handy for anything with a large number of ingredients like stews or stir fry, and a cake pan. The last pan I have is a copper bottom skillet with high sides that I use for my two to three ingredient meals that might need to be covered and require a quick searing heat.
The second year on the road we added two items that I did not think we would need but that have been used several times a week since added. The first is our magic bullet blender for smoothies. One of the joys of traveling is the local fruits that we find and can incorporate into our protein shakes. This item is small enough to store easily and helps us maintain a healthy diet. The second item is our toaster oven. Our rig has a microwave/convection oven that does a great job cooking but the limits are the fact that in the summer it really heats up the inside of the rig, when boondocking it requires the generator to be running, and if I need the microwave I have to wait until the meal is done cooking and the inside cools off which limits my menu choices. In the toaster oven I have been able to make crispy baked chicken wings, pizza, calzones, cinnamon rolls, cookies, baked fresh caught fish, ect. This one item really expanded our menu and I wish I had it sooner.
When we started full timing I left my good dishes behind and picked up some plastic plates from Walmart. While they did their job it always felt temporary so last year I picked up some nice ceramic plates from Cabela's that were on sale.
Changing to a heavier, microwave friendly plate has helped our meals feel like home instead of a picnic. I also bought a set of glass containers to store leftovers in that can be frozen or microwaved to help keep the dishes down.
One of the other things we did is we changed out the norcold refrigerator for a residential Samsung about 4 months into our journey. This made a huge difference in both space and health. The norcold was very limited in space, the food did not stay cold enough so we ended up throwing a lot away, you could not keep items frozen consistently, and it was also a fire hazard. When they removed it they found singe marks on the upper cabinet where it looks like it overheated and could have eventually started a fire. The residential is a apartment size model so smaller than what I had before but over twice as much storage space as the norcold. It keeps the ice cream so hard that you have to set it out for a few minutes before scooping and our vegetables stay fresh much longer. I haven't lost a single carton of milk since we changed either. Being able to buy larger quantities means I can take advantage of sales which has helped us save money not to mention how much we save by not having to throw spoiled food out. For the boondockers out there I can say that it has not caused us any issues and actually draws less amps than the norcold did. While it does not run on propane we ran a dedicated line to the inverter so that it can run even when we are moving down the road.
The battle between space and function will always be a challenge in the RV but I can happily say that I have not had to sacrifice great meals just because I have a smaller space.
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