If you do more than boil water in the kitchen, these must-have RV appliances can make meals on the move faster and tastier than you ever imagined. The best part is all of these eight small kitchen gadgets are small, light, and portable for easy living wherever you roam.
Great Meals Start with these Eight Must-Have RV Kitchen Appliances
Traveling and living in an RV is a fun and rewarding way to explore cool places. But let’s be real. RVs have their limitations–like space and RV weight restrictions. It’s not possible or even safe to cram your favorite kitchen appliances from your home into your RV kitchen (also known as a “galley”). Here’s my favorite RV packing rule to help you decide what to pack:
Choose what you believe are your most essential RV kitchen appliances. Then ask yourself: can they do more than one thing? How much weight and space do they take up?
Still not sure what RV kitchen gadgets to bring along? Here’s my list of eight must-have RV kitchen appliances guaranteed to make life easier on the road.
1. Immersion Blender
This small kitchen gadget is also known as an immersion blender. It’s powerful, multi-functional and portable. They usually feature powerful motors and whisk attachments that can dice, emulsify, and chop almost every type of fruit and vegetable available. You can prepare all sorts of sauces on the stove top, and blend smoothies using one small blender. This eliminates the need to carry jar blenders and juicers that do the same thing.
2. Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
RVing is for having fun outside, not slaving away inside the kitchen. The Instant Pot is one of the best RV kitchen gadgets around because it does almost all the hard work for preparing meals. It sautés, steams, cooks, and warms endless varieties of one-pot camping dishes. Instant Pots do most of the tasks that slow cookers, rice cookers, pressure cookers, steamers and standard cookers perform. Since it’s an electric appliance, you set it and forget it so you can get out and have fun.
3. Stacking Cookware with Detachable Handles
Stackable cookware isn’t too unusual. But high quality stacking cookware with detachable handles is, and they’re a cool RV kitchen gadget to include in your rig. Stackable cookware saves space for more essential RV kitchen items, like food. The T-FAL cookware line has several varieties of portable cookware with nonstick surfaces for easy clean up when you’re boondocking in beautiful places and conserving water.
4. Portable Induction Cook Tops
When you’re dry camping, it’s wise to carry a portable induction cooktop that warms and cooks liquids and foods in record time. Induction cooktops pass heat to your cooking vessels through magnetic induction. This process takes up to 70% less energy than conventional electric and gas stoves. Induction cooktops don’t produce flames and allow for easier and better regulation of heat. You can even use an induction cook top outdoors if you want. But don’t do anything with this must-have RV kitchen gadget until you make sure your cookware is compatible. Just place a magnet on the cookware. If it sticks, you’re good to go.
5. Clear, Square Food Storage Containers
Toss all your old food storage containers and invest in a set of clear square ones instead. Once you arrive home from the grocery store, remove items housed in awkward packaging and put them into their new homes instead. Those square and rectangular food storage containers keep your food neatly tucked away in cabinets. Since RV kitchen cabinets are usually square, you’ll find it easy to locate food items when you need them.
6. Corelle Dinnerware
Space is not the only consideration when choosing your must-have RV kitchen appliances and gadgets. Bumpy roads and weight limitations also play a role in deciding what to pack in your RV. Typical stone dinnerware is good-looking, but probably won’t survive highway bumps and jolts. These dishes also add unwanted weight to your RV. Corelle dishware, on the other hand, is lighter, durable and easy to clean. They are also microwaveable and are better alternatives to both fine china and paper plates.
7. Stove Top Cover
Most average-sized RV kitchens lack counter space. If your RV stove didn’t come with an RV stove top cover, you need this must-have RV kitchen gadget. Camco makes a 20-gauge steel universal cover that protects and hides burners when you’re not using the stove. When you are, just fold it back and the cover acts as a splash guard for the kitchen wall.
8. Roll-Up Dish Drying Racks
The roll-up dish drying rack is one of the all-time greatest RV kitchen gadgets. Made with food-grade silicone, this non-slip space saver can be placed on top of a sink for washing produce or drying dishes. It’s heat-resistant too, allowing you to put hot food items onto the surface. When you’re done, just roll it up for easy storage.
Conclusion: Must-Have RV Kitchen Appliances
Your RV kitchen doesn’t need to be huge to cook meals on the road. Our favorite RV kitchen gadgets are so much more than cool things to keep in the galley. They make the most of technology and good design to keep meal prep down to a minimum and outdoor fun to a maximum.
Some kind of cold food box would be nice don’t care for all the pot & plate drawers
Love your suggestions. I retired from the US Coast Guard have seen different parts of the world but would now like to see my own country. I am an adult foster care provider and working on getting a van so I can take some of the people I have taken care of on vacation. Most of them have little to no money. Your suggestions are a big help. And I thank you the time and energy you put into your article.
Enjoyed your article, Tommy. Always good to read a take on what’s best to have in the RV. Agree, lightweight is a must. I like Melmac dishes but the downside is they don’t microwave. I need to pick up a couple pieces of Corelle.