RV Cooking

We spent last evening with a group of hiking friends whom we hadn’t seen in almost a year.  Of course, that was fun and our discussions seemed to include every imaginable topic.  Naturally, there were questions about our most recent loop around the country and, invariably when we are with non-RVers, someone has a questions which pertains to the lifestyle.  The question most interesting to me last night was “do you eat out all the time or do you cook like you would at home?”

This is another one of those questions like “do you do laundry and clean house?”.  It arrises from the perspective of the traveler on vacation.  My answer was “we eat out very little.”  Of course, that is the same as what we did before we ever thought about an RV.  Some of our RV friends like to eat lunch out and do that nearly every day.  Some of our RV friends enjoy trying the many locally owned restaurants around the country and make that a big part of their RV lifestyle.  For us, though, we eat at home most of the time.  That is because I love to cook.  As Gene likes to say, “she loves to cook and I love to eat.  That makes us a perfect couple.”

The friend’s question has been on my mind, however, and as I’ve thought about what and how I cook now, I’ve come to the conclusion that I cook differently than when we didn’t live in an RV.

I have always enjoyed reading cookbooks and trying new recipes.  I still do that and have something new at least once a month.  But now I look for recipes that require a limited number of ingredients and I especially like things that can go in the crock pot.

Since “I like to cook and Gene likes to eat” that was a major consideration when shopping for an RV.  Some dealer told us early on in our shopping process to have what you like to do best in the rear (for a 5th wheel).  In other words, the rear living models give more living space; the rear kitchens give more kitchen space.  Our Montana had a rear kitchen and I had a lot of storage as well as work surface.  Now, there are many models of 5th wheels with large kitchens located in the center of the units.  That is what we have with the Everest.  I don’t have quite as much storage as I had in the Montana, but I have a double refrigerator.  I still have the cooktop and gas oven and I also have a large combination microwave/convection oven.

I had one complaint about the kitchen in the Montana--the microwave/convection was over my head.  I was always afraid I would spill hot food on myself.  I had to use a step stool to remove hot dishes from that oven.  My microwave/convection oven is lower in the Everest, but I still have one complaint about the kitchen--the gas oven is situated in such a way that it is very difficult for me to light the pilot light.  I’ve remedied that problem, however;  I just don’t use it.  Many of the new RVs, especially motorhomes, come with cooktops, microwave/convection ovens, but no regular oven.  I decided I could learn to cook exclusively with the convection oven.  So far, it has worked out great and after some practice, I turned my regular oven into the storage cabinet for cat supplies.

Even though we have a large kitchen by RV standards, I still don’t have the storage space that I had in the condo we moved out of.  Because of limited storage, I don’t have near the number or variety of cooking pots, pans, or casserole dishes I used to have.  Neither do I have the large pantry I once had so I don’t keep on hand a lot of spices, a variety of flours, 5 lb bags of potatoes or onions, and especially not what I would consider staple canned foods like tomatoes and tomato sauce.  Because I don’t have a lot of ingredients on hand, meals require a little more planning  to be sure I get what I need at the grocery.

I think we eat well.  We don’t spend too much on eating out so I have the extra money in the grocery budget to buy fresh vegetables and better cuts of meat.  I like to take advantage of locally grown produce wherever we are in the country.  Of course, we eat more shrimp when we are along the Gulf coast, more salmon when in the northwest, more lobster in Maine.  That is another of the great blessings of the RV lifestyle--enjoying local specialties whether you prepare them yourself of go to the local restaurant.

Winter Has Finally Caught Up With Us

Just after breakfast this morning I noticed the snow falling.  All day there has been a mix of light snow and rain with temperatures in the low 40s.  It is a miserable day to be outside.

Unfortunately, we are parked in a different location from where the seminars and exhibits are being held.  We don’t take much to the idea of braving the elements along with Albuquerque traffic to make our way across town to the Expo center.  That leaves only one options—ride the shuttle bus.  When we got to the bus stop this morning, it was like one of those squiggly lines at Disney World. We stood in the cold for 50 minutes to catch the bus.  When we arrived at Expo, we, like the other 5,000 people here, went into the exhibit hall.  I was able to stand the crowds for about an hour before I had to leave.

I stayed long enough to find a great little stovetop grill pan.  I watched the demonstration twice before deciding (or maybe that was because they were passing out free chicken at the end of each demonstration).  Anyway, I got one.  The lady behind me on the bus on my way home, was singing the praises of “Grill It!”  She has had one for a while.  I used it to cook the salmon for our dinner.  It worked great.

This evening, we are heading over to the entertainment tent to hear Neil Sedaka.  That should be fun.

Tomorrow will be more rally.  Hopefully the weather will improve.

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!