RV Cooking

It is a cold, wet, winter day in Nashville with dark skies, a biting wind, a few snow flakes and a drizzle of rain—a perfect day to stay inside and thumb through the cookbooks.  I get tired of the same old thing all the time, so I enjoy trying new recipes.

When we are in Nashville and I carry food to one get together after another, folks seem surprised that I cook in an RV.  It is true that an RV kitchen is very small.  When we were looking for an RV to purchase, the kitchen played a major roll in our decision making.  We opted for a rear kitchen because they generally offer more storage and counter space than mid-kitchen models.  Even with this “larger” RV kitchen, I still had to really downsize when we moved in.

With space and weight restriction, I had to analyze every item I brought in.  Out went the large wooden chopping boards and in came the lightweight, flexible, plastic type.  I really like them and don’t miss the wooden boards.  I kept about half of my Revere ware cookware that I have had for 40 years.  I would like to have a complete set of All-Clad, but it is just too heavy and the Revere ware is heavy enough to cook well and the saucepans stack.  Of course, I can never find the lid that I want for any given pan.  I wouldn’t be without my crock pot.  It is so easy to put dinner in it in the morning and go off hiking for the day.  I have heard of RVers putting dinner in the crock pot and sitting it in the sink on travel day.  Dinner is ready when they get to their new destination.  You have to have an inverter to do that.  I haven’t tried it yet.  Many RVers carry a small tank of propane and a tabletop gas grill.  We had one for a couple years, but when it gave out, we got a George Foreman.  Had to choose—not room for both.  I like it and probably use it more than I did the grill.  However, hamburgers are better on the grill, but I can use the George Foreman as a sandwich press.  I also had to bring along my German knives.  They are a little heavier, but don’t take up any more space.  My one luxury item in the kitchen is an All-Clad sauté pan.  It is heavy as lead, but I don’t care.  It is my favorite and I use it almost every day.

Like most RV kitchens, we are equipped with a 3-burner gas stove and a combo microwave/convection oven.  The oven on the stove is small and will not accommodate anything larger than a 13 x 9.  So far that really hasn’t been a problem.  If I am cooking for company (6 is the most I’ve had for a full meal), I have to do my meal planning with the oven size in mind.  Our RV refrigerator is small, especially the freezer.  I no longer stock up on foods because they are on sale.  I have switched to powdered milk.  I actually like it better than skim milk.  This may be a throwback from my backpacking.  Just call me hiker trash.

So, yes, I still cook; I still entertain guests (just not large crowds); I still try new recipes, and I do it all in my tiny RV kitchen.  Tonight we are having salmon (pan seared in the All-Clad), baked sweet potato (from the microwave), and a garden salad.  We have gorged ourselves on desserts the past several days which were left over from Thanksgiving, so we will forego the sweet treats for tonight.  (There are chocolate chips cookies and a few brownies in the pantry, but we try not to think about those.)  Tomorrow, I’m trying a new recipe—apricot scones.  Yummy!