RV Cooking Equipment - Tools that Make RV Cooking Easier

RV Cooking Equipment? Well, you know what they say about cooking in an RV - it's like playing a game of Tetris, but with pots and pans! You have to be strategic and creative with your space, or else you'll end up with a messier kitchen than a five-year-old's playtime. And let's be real, cooking on a tiny stove while trying to balance a cutting board on your lap can be quite the adventure. But with the right tools, you can avoid culinary catastrophes and whip up some delicious meals on the go. So, grab your spatula and get ready to cook up a storm - just make sure you don't accidentally toss your utensils out the window while driving!

1. Instant Pot: Oh, the joys of Instant Pot cooking in an RV, where culinary dreams come true in a space so compact, even a sardine would feel claustrophobic. Picture this: you're miles away from civilization, the stars glittering above like nature's disco ball, and you're whipping up a gourmet feast in a tiny, tin-can kitchen. The harmonious hum of the Instant Pot is the soundtrack to your nomadic existence, as it pressure-cooks, sautés, and slow-cooks its way through your ever-expanding recipe repertoire. Beware, though, of the pot's enchanting aroma, which may lead to impromptu gatherings of woodland creatures eager to share in your culinary creations. And let's not forget the thrill of playing "Instant Pot Roulette," as you carefully balance the pot on the countertop while maneuvering around those pesky potholes, hoping your dinner doesn't become an impromptu art installation on the RV walls. Bon appétit, road warriors!
2. Coleman Coleman RoadTrip 225 Portable Stand-Up Propane Grill: Ah, the Coleman RoadTrip 225 Portable Grill, the ultimate RV travel companion, and the key to transforming any campsite into a Michelin-starred dining experience (or so you'd like to believe). Picture yourself, clad in your finest "Kiss the Cook" apron, grilling up a storm amidst the breathtaking beauty of the great outdoors. And as you sizzle your way to culinary nirvana, you'll soon become the envy of fellow campers and forest-dwelling creatures alike. But beware of the double-edged sword that is the Coleman Grill: its flame-flickering dance can lull you into a hypnotic trance, causing you to forget that you're actually cooking food and not auditioning for a spot on a competitive grilling show. Moreover, the grill's mobility poses the ever-present risk of it being mistaken for a musical instrument, as you parade through the campground with your trusty spatula-turned-baton. So gather 'round, RV adventurers, and let the Coleman RoadTrip 225 Portable Grill ignite your gastronomic wanderlust, while you conquer the great outdoors one burger at a time.
   
   
3. Cast Iron Skillet: Ah, the trusty cast iron skillet, that heavyweight champ of the cookware world, a must-have on any RV adventure. Because, let's face it, what other kitchen companion can go from stove to oven to campfire, all while doubling as a blunt instrument for warding off pesky critters or settling the occasional disagreement over parking spaces? With your cast iron skillet in tow, you'll soon become the MacGyver of campground cooking, whipping up everything from seared steaks to gooey s'mores in a single pan, as fellow RVers marvel at your culinary prowess. And let's not forget its multi-tasking capabilities: ever in need of an impromptu dumbbell for those on-the-road workouts? Look no further than the cast iron skillet. As you traverse the open road, the skillet will not only leave its seasoned mark on your dishes but also on your biceps. So, buckle up, RV nomads, and make room for the trusty cast iron skillet, your all-in-one kitchen tool, security system, and workout buddy. Happy trails and even happier cooking!
4. Portable Induction Cooktop: Oh, the induction cooktop, that magical, heat-conjuring marvel that's become the darling of the RV world for RV cooking equipment. With the flick of a switch, you'll transform your humble camper into a modern-day Hogwarts, as you summon fireless heat to cook up a storm worthy of a wizard's banquet. But beware, dear traveler, for with great power comes great responsibility—and the potential for hilarity. As you hone your induction cooktop skills, you may find yourself inadvertently embarking on a quest to find the Holy Grail of Cookware: the mythical pan that perfectly balances compatibility, even heating, and, most importantly, not becoming so hot it welds itself to the cooktop. And let's not forget the thrilling game of "Induction Cooktop or DJ Turntable," as you skillfully manipulate heat settings with a flick of the wrist, leaving fellow campers wondering if you're sautéing veggies or spinning the hottest tracks of the season. So pack your bags, RV explorers, and embrace the induction cooktop, your ticket to a road trip filled with culinary wizardry, laughter, and perhaps even a spontaneous dance party or two.
5. Hamilton Beach 2-in-1 Countertop Oven and Long Slot Toaster, Stainless Steel, 60 Minute Timer and Auto Toaster Oven: Behold, the Hamilton Beach 2-in-1 Countertop Oven and Long Slot Toaster—a shining stainless steel beacon of multitasking genius, perfect for every RV kitchenette. With this culinary wonder at your fingertips, you'll be the talk of the campground as you effortlessly juggle toasting and baking with the grace of a Cirque du Soleil performer. But be warned, for this power duo may bring its own brand of chaos to your cozy RV life. Prepare to engage in a delicate dance of "Toaster Oven Tetris," as you attempt to squeeze every last morsel of food into your countertop marvel while avoiding a game-ending avalanche of hors d'oeuvres. And let's not forget the mysterious disappearing act that occurs when you perfectly time the toast cycle to coincide with your oven-baked masterpiece—only to find that your toast has seemingly vanished into the ether, leaving you to wonder if you're the next Houdini or simply a sleep-deprived RV traveler. So, hit the road and embrace the Hamilton Beach 2-in-1 Countertop Oven and Long Slot Toaster, your trusty companion on a journey filled with culinary acrobatics, laughter, and perhaps a few moments of awe-struck bewilderment.
   
6. Collapsible Colander and Mixing Bowls: Not really RV cooking equipment but you have store your food! These Collapsible Colander and Mixing Bowls, the astonishing kitchen acrobats of the RV world! With their gravity-defying, space-saving abilities, they’ll not only simplify your life but will also keep you entertained for hours. Watch in amazement as they magically fold into themselves, like a culinary origami masterpiece, or perhaps a circus contortionist defying the laws of physics. These collapsible wonders will quickly become the star attraction of your tiny RV kitchen, transforming mundane meal prep into a thrilling, high-stakes game of "How Many Bowls Can I Squeeze into This Cupboard?" And let's not forget the impromptu boomerang sessions that may ensue when an unsuspecting fellow traveler mistakes your collapsible colander for a fabulous flying disc. So, hit the road, intrepid RV explorers, and prepare to be dazzled by the delightful dance of the Collapsible Colander and Mixing Bowls, your trusty sidekicks in a never-ending comedy of culinary capers!
7. BLACK+DECKER 12-Cup Thermal Coffeemaker, Black/Silver, CM2035B Coffee Maker: Who doesn't want coffee as part of the RV cooking equipment arsenal? Introducing the BLACK+DECKER 12-Cup Thermal Coffeemaker, that delightful fusion of caffeine engineering and sleek style, ready to fuel your RV adventures with enough coffee to awaken a hibernating bear. Marvel at the heroic capacity of this black and silver beauty, as it brews enough liquid courage to keep you wide-eyed and bushy-tailed through even the most arduous of road trips. But beware, for with great caffeination comes great responsibility, as the sheer volume of java produced by this magnificent machine may lead to impromptu coffee-themed events. Picture yourself as the ringmaster of an RV park "Caffeine Carnival," where you regale campers with the story of how you tamed the wild and fearsome BLACK+DECKER Thermal Coffeemaker, transforming it into the benevolent bringer of bountiful brews. And as you sip from your steaming cup of joe, you'll know that the open road holds no terrors, for you have conquered the mighty beast of sleepiness with your trusty, metallic coffee companion. So, embark on your RV odyssey, and let the BLACK+DECKER Thermal Coffeemaker be your shield against the dreaded drowsiness, guiding you towards a future filled with laughter and highly-caffeinated shenanigans.

by Christy

Hue Light Vornado Fan? 5 Things We Should Have Brought for Full Time RV!

Now that we've been on the road awhile ( we went full time RV in late 2020), we realized that some things just should have made the trip with us instead of being gifted to the big Goodwill or sold on Craigslist. We tried to make the best guesses on what we really needed, but sometimes you just have to get on the road to figure it out!

Top 5 things we should have kept for full time RV

Extension Cords

The first item on our list is extension cords. We did a good job balancing the amount of outdoor extension cords, but we really underestimated the amount we needed for the inside of our coach! Mainly power strips and those 3-way prong things.

Keurig Coffee Maker

Christy just LOVES her coffee - we make a big pot every morning. But sometimes we liked to have a single cup and loved our Keurig Coffee Maker for just that. The downside of it (and the reason we didn't bring it along) is it takes a fair amount of counter space, and that is limited (even in our 45 foot coach!).

Hue Light Bulbs for Full Time RV

We LOVED our home automation when we were in a sticks and bricks - having all the lights voice-controlled was super handy and we quickly became dependent on it. Most our our automated lights came from Hue - while hue bulbs are the  most expensive, they are also clearly the best. Unfortunately we sold ALL of them (except for a strip and one lucky color bulb I missed!).

Now we realize using AC lights in a big coach is not a big deal! While we don't have a ton of fixtures, we did add one additional color strip in the master bedroom and

Full Time RV Silverware

Silverware you say? You didn't bring silverware? Well of course we did silly! BUT we got rid of a lot more sets than we should have. Christy was in "camping mode" when she downsized what we had, and it turns out we are not really camping, but essentially living in a small apartment! We ended up buying 4 more settings of silverware to fill up the drawer. Part of the reason for this is that we love our dishwasher, and we wanted enough silverware to not run out before the dishwasher was completely filled up. If you wash your dishes immediately after a meal, this won't be a problem for you!

Vornado Fan - Keeping Cool While Full Time RV

We had a lot of fans throughout the house, and really liked having them as a supplement to the air conditioning (or on their own when it wasn't as hot) - but we figured in the coach we wouldn't need that many. So we ditched everything except one old box fan (which gets a ton of use by the front door in the coach). We also purposely bought a Dewalt Jobsite fan:

The theory was that a fan with a battery would be great to use inside or outside (although the bright yellow industrial look of the Dewalt is hilarious in our coach! As it turns out, this fan sits in the window sill of the master bedroom (and is controlled by an Alexa-enabled plug)

So at this point we had a box fan for the front, and the Dewalt in the back bedroom. What was missing was a small fan that could pull air in from the side window - not as obnoxious as having the big box fan in the front that we trip over, but enough to get some airflow in the coach. Unfortunately we had the perfect fan for this and got rid of it when we sold the house -  Vornado fan:

These fans are quiet and move a lot of air for their size. So we had to buy a new one. Since we had good luck with our old Vornado, we went with a small tabletop version for the coach:

This fan has been great! We also have it on an Alexa plug (we went with Kasa, and they have been super reliable). So now, all we have to do is say "Alexa, turn on front fan" and we get a nice air flow through the coach. And this Vornado fits the decor of our coach well, and doesn't stick out at all.

by Christy

Top 5 Accessories For Your RV

These are the top 5 accessories for your RV that can make your travels easier. Because sometimes it just takes a few accessories to make your life either. During our travels we have found a few must-haves to make our travels easier.

Top 5 Accessories For Your RV

Shark Genius Hard Floor Cleaning System

We wanted to find something that would clean our floors without having to get on our hands and knees and do a great job. After some research, we bought the Genius Steam Pocket Mop.

This steamer isn't the cheapest, but it's pretty reasonable around $120. It came with 2 mops which is really nice, and it's easy to buy more if you need them, like this six-pack for $30. What we love about this steamer is you can just throw the pad in with your wash once it gets dirty, keeping cleanup to a minimum. It also has 3 levels of steam, depending on how bad your floor is. If you have some really bad spots on your floor, just flip the mop and hit it with steam directly. Pretty cool!

Water Pressure Regulator

We thought a water pressure regulator was kind of a nice-to-have, but we took ours off for a few days to test an issue with our icemaker. What a mistake! The PEX connection in our master bath started leaking, causing water to get all over the floor (and even worse, under the tiles). The cold hard truth is you NEVER know what kind of pressure you are going to get at a RV park, and your RV is not equipped to handle high pressures (even worse than a house for sure). You can get a decent one here.  Check out our in-depth article for more information!

by Christy

Top 5 Kitchen Gadgets for RV Living

Our kitchen gadgets for RV living aren't too much different than the ones we had in our house. But there are some nuances - the smaller kitchen means that we have less of everything. Gadgets that can do multiple tasks are high on the list. Big bulky appliances are a harder sell - if they don't make the cut they get quickly dispatched (We're looking at you, air fryer). Here are a few of the things we just love in our RV!

Top 5 Kitchen Gadgets for RV Living

Kitchen Mama Electric Can Opener Kitchen Gadget

We just recently bought this hands-free can opener and really loved it! You can open your cans with a simple push of a button. No more sharp edges and it's battery operated. When finished, it removes the top for easy disposal with no mess! When you have 7 cans to open for our Instant Pot chili, this device is killer!

Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker

For us, we just LOVE our instant pot to make some of our favorite meals. There are so many things you can cook in an instant pot. Garrett makes the best Instant Pot chili and I like to cook our oatmeal groats for breakfast. You can also boil the perfect eggs and steam veggies very quickly.  Perfect tiny living appliance.

The Original Hotpop Microwave Popcorn Popper

You would not believe how good the popcorn is from something so simple. This Hotpop Microwave Popcorn Popper is simply a silicone bowl with a silicone lid. And we find it super easy to use. Here's the steps we do:

• Add popcorn - We usuallyput anywhere between 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup of kernels in the bottom. We really like Orville Redenbacher popcorn in the 8 pound container. It is cheap and tasty!
• Add Oil - We usually spray a little bit of no-calorie olive oil, or pour in some real olive oil (adds calories, but the corn is even juicier!)
• Add salt - Grind some salt on top of the kernels
• Shake the Kernels up!
• Microwave on High - We found that 2:30 was the sweet spot in our old house microwave, but it takes 5 full minutes in our crappy Samsung microwave in the RV. It also wastes almost half the kernels for us in the Samsun (that did not happen with the Whirlpool we used to have). Still tasty either way!
• Add more salt - We throw in a bowl then put a bit more salt on the top. We like salt!

Brita Water Pitcher with 1 Filter, Large 10 Cup

We decided to buy this Brita Water Pitcher with filter for an extra water filtration system even though we have water filters in our coach. This BPA-free Grand water pitcher with filter holds 10 cups of water. Love my Brita!!

Command Traditional Plastic Hooks

We bought these command hooks to hang our kitchen towels so they would be out of the way. They are easy to install and are damage free hanging on the wall. They come in a variety of different sizes and colors. We purchased the brass nickel one.

by Christy