What's in your van kitchen!

[vanbrat]

I carry a bread machine, a grain grinder, and several pounds of wheat and rye berries. The wheat and rye berries last for many months unlike preground whole grain flour. The bread machine runs on my inverter until the bake cycle begins, then I start the generator for the 1 hour bake. Fresh whole grain bread always.

yummy soooo if ever we meet on the road I'll cook us up a soup and we will have some fresh bread to go with it..

 

[vanbrat]

So as requested what do you carry in your traveling kitchen?
I have:

A small dresser thingy that holds all my small things:
At least 4 sharp knives from small to big
1 wooden spoon, wooden spoon doesn't melt
1 plastic spoon, plastic spoon doesn't get mildew spots
1 silicone spoon thingy, also used as a rubber spatula and maybe replacing ladle.
1 potato peeler, also makes fine thin potato, cucumber etc slices for sandwiches and fries
1 grater that doubles as a strainer for my small batches of pasta etc.
1 wire whisk
1 ladle spoon although it gets in the way so may be ditched
1 pancake flipper, also doubles as ice scraper though not with MY permission.
A few big forks and a few big food serving tongs. Good for BBQ
3 plastic flat small cutting boards. These are like sheets of paper and while they work I prefer something a bit heavier these may go...
1 set of measuring cups and spoons. DIL gave me these and while I don't really use them I love her and she likes to give me things like this. So I make sure she sees them there. They are pretty and hang on the wall so not really a big deal and hubby uses them if ever he wants to cook.
This drawer thing also holds all my silverware. I hate using plastic stuff. Sometimes it's ok for a party or whatever, but I want to use less plastic if I can help it.

Pots and Pans and cooking things
I have a microwave as well as an induction burner as well as a small BBQ and a small air fryer.

For the microwave I have

4 silicon cupcake cups, also for the air fryer
I have 2 lidded soup size clay pots for individual microwave stuff, his and her type meals.
2 glass mugs for tea, hot cocoa, etc. these are also my measuring cups as they hold just one cup and I also use these for my S&B cooking
2 small glass bowls
1 mid sized glass deep dish pie pan
if I am going somewhere and need to make something big, party etc. a big covered glass casserole thing.

For induction burner I have

1 grilling pan the heavy cast iron thing with ridges
1 cast iron fry pan
1 small sauce pan
1 wok, small
1 tea pot, small, this heats all the dish washing water as well as spitze bath water.
1 thingy I have not used yet that is supposed to make 1 cup of coffee at a time. I hate coffee, but hubby likes it.

For the air fryer I have
some recycled pie tins, very small
still exploring this tool.


For dish washing and clean up I have

several recycled shopping bags for trash
3 dish pans for washing dishes the reason for 3 is they stack and don't take any more room then 2 so I have one for cleaning other stuff too,
small dish soap, small bleach jar and small bleach wipes
small spray bottle of simple green stuff
1 small pot scrubber
3 wash clothes
4-5 small dish towels
3 pot holders
rolls of paper towels

For the tables I have

1 small fold up table 4x6 ish fits over my microwave when driving and is a god send when I am really into cooking.
2 large plastic table clothes (I hate to eat off of dirty picnic tables)
1 table clamp on light holder thingy
2 seat cushions that double as knee pads when needed, small and very much worth the space they take up.
1 small jar, microwave cooking mason jar that so far has only been used as a vase.

Dining stuff

4 plates
4 tall plastic glasses (seriously nobody wants to be around me until at least one full glass of tea is inside me)
4 cereal bowls
2 extra large cereal bowls, also mixing bowls for small batches of muffins or biscuits or ???
2 steak knives that are also in the sharp knife count.

Some of the extras I have are a small suitcase type bag that is our traveling bar.
And if we are going someplace where it is possibly warranted, an electric hand held emulsifier thing for smoothies and or margaritas

The bar is about 8x10 and 2 inches deep so it fits.
It has small bottle of his kind of liquor and one of my kind of liquor as well as a bottle of vodka, a plastic shot glass. It also has a wine opener.
and straws 'cause well yea.
I have 2 jerry jug water carrying things, but for now only one is needed.
I have one small ice chest with a wool covering cloth over it. If we are out someplace hot I can wet it down and let it evaporate and help keep it cooler.
I have 1 small electric freezer thingy
I have one big soft picnic bag thingy with a big ol' thermos thing another gift from DIL that is really useful.
She has also given me a very small slow cooker and it is still inside the S&B house I use it a lot here we'll see if we can find a place for it.
I have my own van recipe book that I am working on. My son thinks I should work on getting it so other people can read it, Not just in my shorthand scribbles, he thinks it is something he and DIL would like to borrow when ever he gets his van working, I am also making one for my mom as she is now a full timer. She is not moving smoothly to full time RV cooking. She has some ideas though that I need to try...

The person who has helped the most I think is that lady Sandra(?) something that did her semi home made cooking show.
I have also gotten some great ideas here from folks here.
Thanks everyone!



Oh yea this is all packed in my homemade kitchen wall counter thing in about 2 feet of back of my van. It fills it pretty full top and bottom with a small counter that holds my microwave and my water jug it leaves me with just a tiny space to work which is why I have a small table too. This sounds like a lot and it is, but cooking is something I love to do sometimes, so why not.

On one side of the 'kitchen' is a closet, about 8 inches wide that holds any tools we may need and on the other side of the kitchen is the doggy supplies and first aide bag. Also holds extra coats if needed.

Ok so now what do you carry?

After a few trips I have worked on this list a bit. I still do most cooking in the van whenever possible, but I don't do as much big meals as I want.
I have replaced the 2 glass bowls with one glass flat bottomed bowl for making egg sandwiches in the micro.
I have kept the plastic plates for now, but I think they will go I have not used them yet and I think I will just use the paper ones that we have used so far. But I want them if ever I do a "fancy" dinner with friends so ....
The coffee maker is gone, instant coffee, much faster and easier.
I still carry the one small saucepan but don't use it much.
The clay pots are gone.
I don't bring the cast iron fry pan. I did find a smaller light weight fry pan that lives in the van.
The 2nd jerry jug is gone
I did add a waffle maker it was another gift from DIL and it stays in the van full time with the small air fryer.
The bar got bigger and now we have 2 glass cocktail glasses cause cocktails don't taste as good in plastic or paper. We also know the amount of booze is ok but not if people want to share our booze and they always want to share my homemade booze. So now we carry a bigger bottle of that one.
The emulsifier is gone.
I added 2 string bags that hang without hitting or touching anything to keep apples bananas etc in so they don't get bruised while driving.
I only carry 1 dishrag and 2 dish towels.
The deep dish thing is gone.
The seat cushions just got to dirty and they are gone.
I only carry 1 tablecloth now and keep it washed and ready to use at EACH table. The one time I forgot it the table that night was yukky.
The cook book is still getting added to but mostly my cooking is heating up stuff that was cooked at home and frozen. I want to do more slow down and cook fresh but Hubby is still learning the whole slow down and enjoy the trip type road trips.
The ice chest now has 2 wool covers. They really help keep things cool. They keep the blocks of ice for 2-3 days longer.
I now carry 2 thermoses for cold milk water tea or ?? these can fit in the ice chest and the milk stays much colder and fresher longer.
The tool closet has more tools and the doggy side is also holding more. We are also learning to hold less in the way of groceries at any one time.
I have added a salad bag to my ice chest as I found lettuce doesn't keep well in there without some extra care.
I made a couple boards that have the lids for glass jars screwed to them and are now screwed to the bottom of my shelf the big one to hold flour, oats, rice, etc. the second one holds 14 small jars of spices and herbs.