RV Cooking Tips When Using an RV Kitchen

One of the best things about vacationing in an RV is the ability to cook the foods you like, no matter where you happen to be. Your RV kitchen allows you to prepare a meal in a national park, whip up a snack in the Walmart parking lot, or do some RV cooking in a rest stop. This level of convenience is absolutely amazing and another fantastic reason to take a trailer or motorhome on your next road trip adventure.

That said, cooking in a tiny RV kitchen is a bit different than cooking in a house. There are certain things you’ll want to know about RV cooking that will help make your experience go smoothly so you can fully enjoy cooking in your tiny home-on-wheels.

Enter this article. Below, we’ve collected our favorite tips for using an RV kitchen. By keeping these things in mind, you should be able to avoid most RV cooking frustrations, have fun in your itty bitty kitchen, and enjoy some wonderful meals on the road.

RV Cooking Using Propane vs Electric

Let’s address the age-old debate of propane versus electric. At one time, almost all RVs came equipped with a propane stove and oven. These days, there are some rigs that come with propane only, some that have all electric appliances, and others that have a combination of both.

 

Now, there are pros and cons to using propane and/or electric appliances. While there are some RVers who stand firmly on one side or the other, most are able to see the benefits of both. We recommend carefully considering both options before you decide how you will cook while traveling in an RV.

Pros of Using Propane

First, let’s take a look at the benefits of using a propane oven and stove while on the road.

 

These include:

 

• The ability to cook anywhere, even when electricity is unavailable.
• Many people simply prefer gas cooktops over electric options.
• Most RVs have propane options built in, removing the need to make modifications or bring small appliances along.

Cons of Using Propane

• Propane costs money. If your campsite fees include electricity, you might as well take advantage of that amenity by using it to cook your food.
• Propane appliances tend to heat up the RV more than many electric appliances out there.
• Using propane appliances adds moisture to the air. This can be a problem when dealing with condensation in an RV in the winter months.

Pros of Using Electricity

• In many cases, electricity is included in the cost of a campsite, meaning cooking with electric appliances is virtually free.
• There are a number of small electric cooking appliances out there, giving you more choice.
• Most electric cooking appliances add little heat or moisture to the air.

Cons of Using Electricity

• If you’re in a park where you are charged for electricity separately, you will have to pay to use your electric appliances.
• If your RV did not come equipped with electric appliances, you will need to buy new ones.
• Electric appliances can’t be used without electric hookups unless you have a generator or a very robust solar/battery/inverter setup. This limits where you can whip up a meal.

Awesome Tools for Your RV Kitchen

If you ask us, the best option is to use a combination of both propane and electric appliances in your RV kitchen. We like to hold onto the included gas stove and oven and then add small electric appliances into the mix.

 

Below, we’ve put together a list of our favorite small appliances and other gadgets for RV kitchen use. These are must-have items for any RVer.

Instant Pot

The Instant Pot is fantastic for RVing for a variety of reasons. We love that it is versatile and offers a few different cooking modes, meaning you can make a huge number of things in it.

 

The slow cooker mode is perfect for those days when you want to come home from a hike to a fully prepared meal. Meanwhile, the pressure cooker option is ideal for those times when you get back from an adventure later than you anticipated and need to get dinner on the table quickly.

Instant Vortex Mini Air Fryer

Air fryers are also pretty perfect for cooking things quickly. We especially love that the air fryer can take the place of the oven in most cases, removing the need to turn on the oven and heat up the RV as long as you have access to electricity. The Instant Vortex Mini is perfect for RV use because it is small, lightweight, and durable.

Berkey Water Filter

While we’ve never come across campground water that was dangerous to drink, we don’t usually love the taste of the water offered by campgrounds. For this reason, we invested in a Berkey Water Filter. This sits on our countertop behind the sink and filters all of our drinking and cooking water.

AeroPress and Hand Grinder

There is absolutely no reason anybody should go without coffee while camping, especially while camping in an RV. While you could just go out and buy a cheap drip brewer, we much prefer the coffee made using our hand grinder and the AeroPress coffee maker. To make a good thing even better, both of these things are incredibly small and lightweight and neither uses electricity, meaning they can be used while boondocking.

Skoy Cleaning Cloths

Finally, we must mention our favorite dish cloths. Yes, this one is a little odd, but the Skoy Cleaning Cloths are absolutely perfect for RV life. They clean well, are comfortable to use, and because they dry super fast, they never retain a smell. They can also be used for a few dishwashings before they need to be changed out. If you’re tired of throwing out washcloths because they stink, these are the cloths for you.

Making Space in a Camper Kitchen

One of the biggest problems people face when cooking in an RV is the lack of space. From the very limited storage space to absolutely no counter space, you are almost definitely going to experience some level of frustration with the small kitchen space as you adjust to RV cooking.

 

Here are our tips for dealing with space issues.

Only Take the Essentials

Yes, we just gave you a list of must-have tools, and yes, we are now saying to limit what you bring. While we really do love the items above, we also encourage you to carefully consider your travel style, along with whether you need and will actually use these items (not to mention any other items you are thinking about taking along). If it won’t be used regularly or you could live without it, it probably doesn’t actually need to go.

Create Cabinet Rails

Some RVs have a few very shallow cabinets. This can be a problem when you go to open the cabinet after moving the rig. Why? Because all of the items stored there will almost definitely fall out. Cabinet rails made by placing tiny tension rods across the fronts of cabinets (but behind the doors) can help catch items before they land on the floor or your feet.

Invest in a Stove Cover (and Sink Cover)

When not in use, the RV stove can serve as a wonderful place to prep food. All you need is an RV stove cover and you’ll have a spot to cut and season foods and serve up plates.

 

Note: Many RV stove covers can be used across the sink as well. There are also sink covers available if your stove cover is not removable.

Employ TV Trays

Need more counter space than the stove cover can create? Another option is to add a workspace by setting up a TV tray or two. While these aren’t the sturdiest work surfaces in the world, they do give you a place to put things as you work.

Go with an Over-the-Sink Drying Rack

If you find yourself running out of space as you wash dishes, consider investing in an over-the-sink drying rack. These are excellent because they consume very little counter space and give you a place to dry your dishes that is up and out of the way.

Using Your RV Kitchen when Boondocking

Planning to do some dry camping? Fortunately, most RV kitchens are 100% usable even without hookups. That said, there are a few things you should know before diving into RV cooking as a boondocker.

Reduce Dish Usage

Because you’ll only have the water in your fresh tank when boondocking, it’s important that you limit your water usage. One way to do this is to reduce the number of dishes you use as much as possible.

 

For this reason, some campers choose to use paperware when boondocking. Others prep foods in advance to avoid using extra dishes during the prep phase of cooking. Grilling meats and veggies is another great way to cut back on the number of dishes used.

Use Gray Water to Flush

Of course, you can’t totally eliminate dishes. When washing the dirty dishes you do have, make sure to use as little water as possible. Keep the wastewater in a dishpan and use it to flush the toilet. This removes the need to flush fresh water down the toilet and helps you fill your gray tank more slowly.

Stick with Propane

We discussed the pros and cons of propane appliances vs electric appliances above. A lot of those points go out the window when you’re boondocking. Unless you will be running a generator while cooking or have an incredible solar and battery setup, it’s best to stick to propane cooking appliances while dry camping.

Take It Outside

If it’s hot outside and you don’t want to heat up the rig, the best way to do your RV cooking while boondocking might just be outdoors. Some RVs come equipped with outdoor kitchens, but even if yours doesn’t, you can still set up a small grill to cook on.

PS – My Favorite RV Kitchen Tips

We’ve mentioned the vast majority of our RV cooking and RV kitchen tips above. That said, there are a few important ones that didn’t really fit into any of the above categories.

 

Keep these in mind while out camping in your motorhome or trailer:

Pre-Cool the Fridge

Many people expect their RV refrigerator to cool their food and drinks as soon as it’s turned on. Unfortunately, this just isn’t how it works. An RV fridge needs about 24 hours to cool completely, so be sure to turn it on in advance. Sometimes it helps to stick some frozen water bottles in the fridge after turning it on to help it cool down.

Use Those Vent Fans

We mentioned condensation causing issues a couple of times. We also mentioned problems with heat. Problems with smells can also come up when cooking in an RV. RV vent fans can help with all of these things. Turn your fans on anytime you’re cooking!

Put a Pizza Stone in the Oven

Many campers complain that their RV oven tends to burn the middle of any foods they bake. This is because RV ovens are so small that it is difficult for heat to be distributed properly. You can help distribute that heat and prevent burned food by placing a pizza stone in your RV oven.

 

All of these tips may seem a bit overwhelming. Don’t worry! Using an RV kitchen is actually quite simple and you could totally do some RV cooking without knowing any of these things. That said, you can now go into your RV adventure equipped to use your RV kitchen without mishaps or frustrations.

Looking for meal prep tips while RVing and on the road? Read this. Making delicious meals on the road can be effortless once you know some shortcuts.

Ready to try your hand at cooking in an RV kitchen? Book your rental RV today!