Get FinancingRVUniverse Guide To RV Cooking
Making the most of the space in your RV to cook can be difficult. Counter space is often limited and you may not have as much storage space as you would for a regular-sized pantry. It can feel as if you can’t cook delicious meals like you would when you’re not traveling in recreational vehicles.
However, just because cooking in RVs can be a challenge, that doesn’t mean there aren’t great options for making healthy meals. From optimizing small spaces and simple recipe meal prep to tips for cooking in campers and essential cleaning and maintenance, read on for practical tips for RV cooking.
Essential RV Cooking Tools & Equipment
Whether traveling on a road trip or camping out for the weekend, chances are you won’t have all the utensils and cookware that you’d normally have in an apartment or house kitchen. There are many good options for you and your family, though, including versatile cooking tools that are easy to store in your motorhome. Here are a few essentials to make travel cooking easier.
Portable Grills
Portable grills are handy and easy to transport wherever your travels take you. They’re not only essential for grill masters, but also flexible enough to enable you to cook all kinds of meats—hamburger, steak, chicken kebabs, freshly caught fish, and even bacon—for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Consider using a propane grill to allow for more control and faster cooking.
Slow Cookers & Dutch Ovens
Slow cookers and Dutch ovens are two of the best cookware options for making the most of limited space on your RV travels. For larger RVs, like Class A motorhomes or fifth-wheel trailers, a large slow cooker is an excellent choice. For smaller RVs, like Class B motorhomes or pop-up campers, a Dutch oven can fit on a stovetop or in an oven to minimize clutter in your RV kitchen.
Cast Iron Skillets
Cast iron is a poor conductor of heat, which means it will stay hot for a long time. Having one pan that can be used over a campfire, on the grill, or on the stove makes the cast iron skillet highly adaptable for cooking in campers. And you can find loads of cast iron skillet meals on the internet to suit your tastes.
Tips For Cooking In Small Spaces
Travel trailers, fifth wheels, camper vans, you name it—even the biggest RV kitchen has less storage space than a home kitchen. But don’t let this stop you from cooking to your heart’s content. Whether you are cooking meals for one or meals for couples, optimizing storage prep will help make the cooking experience more enjoyable.
Keep Everything In Its Place
Mise en place is French for “putting everything in its place.” Having all your cookware—pots, pans, cutting boards, utensils, and more—in one place (or at least knowing exactly where everything is) will prevent you from scrambling to find the tools you need when cooking is underway.
Plan Ahead
To maximize your storage space, plan ahead. Ensure you have enough space in the refrigerator and cabinets for everything you plan to take on the road. Make hard decisions upfront about what you will and won’t be able to do with the space available so you’re not surprised by limitations later on.
Make Lists
Make a list of all the ingredients you’ll need before going to the grocery store, and remember to include any utensils or condiments you might need. (No salt and pepper? Don’t forget the essentials!) Also, think about backup items in case you’re in a rural area with fewer choices.
Take It Outside
Cooking near your RV is a great alternative to cooking in your RV. Cooking outside keeps the extra heat out of your RV on hot summer days and minimizes the risk of fire and accidents. Cooking with a portable propane grill while cooking outside is a fun and easy way to go. But check the weather! It’s terrible to plan a big meal that requires cooking outside on grill only to get rained out.
Easy & Delicious RV-Friendly Meals
Just because you’re traveling doesn’t mean that you can’t make healthy recipes and enjoy delicious meals. With the necessary cookware cooking equipment, mostly you can make almost any meal in your RV kitchen.
Chili Mac
One-pot chili mac is a satisfying recipe that doesn’t require many dishes. Plus, you can customize the recipe so it makes enough to satisfy a big family or the right amount for a meal for two.
Breakfast Sandwiches
Breakfast sandwiches are quick and easy for meal prep on the go. Despite their name, you can eat a breakfast sandwich any time of day and vary the ingredients to match every RVer’s taste. Bulk meal prep and a quick reheat will let you get outside and explore without the hassle of making a full meal each day.
Stir Fry
Stir fry is another meal that’s quick, easy and can be prepped and ready in under an hour. You can save time and space by freezing all the ingredients you may need before heading out on the road. Chicken, vegetables, and rice can be stored in the freezer and thawed out whenever you need them. And a rice cooker can help you make these meals with less hassle. Almost any stir fry recipe covers all of the healthy food groups, which isn’t always easy when traveling.
More Ideas
Keeping multiple condiments, spices, and sauces on hand is also a great way to transform the same core ingredients into a variety of different-tasting meals.
Remember to keep snacks on hand to keep you going throughout the day. Chips and dip, trail mix, nuts, fruits, and cheese sticks are excellent options whether you’re relaxing between meals or exploring nearby hiking trails.
Cleaning & Maintenance
It’s important to maintain a clean kitchen space in your RV for personal safety and efficiency. Here are some tips to keep your RV safe while cooking.
- Cleaning as you cook will reduce the number of dishes at the end of the night and keep the clutter from collecting on the small counter spaces.
- Test your burner ignition before starting a new trip. A malfunction that creates a spark can lead to catastrophic damage for you and your camper.
- Keep a fire extinguisher on hand in case of an emergency.
- Use commercial cleaners (citrus stove cleaners work well without creating fumes) or make a paste with baking soda and water to clean stove tops and appliances.
Happy Trails—And Maybe A Bigger Kitchen?
Despite the small storage and counter space, there are many methods and tools to optimize your RV kitchen. With just a few modifications, you can turn cooking in an RV into an enjoyable experience.
If you’re in the market for a new or used recreational vehicle or want to upgrade your kitchen space, check out the wide selection of fifth wheels, travel trailers, park models, Class A motorhomes, and other RVs for sale on RVUniverse.com.