Favorite RV Kitchen Gadgets
I love to cook, bake, grill, blend and just about anything that has to do with food and drinks! I also love anything that saves me time, money and makes whipping up gourmet meals a little easier. Of course I want all this without sacrificing quality or taste, I can’t have anything big or bulky and must be travel friendly.
No biggie right!?! Needless to say, I have gone through a lot of kitchen gadgets and appliances. Some were total flops while others have become my all time kitchen faves. So, without further ado, here are my favorite RV kitchen gadgets! Oh, and anything in blue is a link to the product for more details.
CASO Induction Burner
Why I Love It: Induction cooking is faster, holds steady temperatures and just better than any other electric or propane stove I have ever tired. Seriously, don’t even test one unless you plan on owning one! You’ll be hooked! It’s supposedly safer and a more energy efficient way to cook. I use this for anything you would use a normal burner or a crock pot for (that’s right it has a slow cooker mode). Only “downside” is you have to purchase an induction ready pan which are typically more expensive than a basic pan. See it on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Tq5TyC
Cuisinart Griddler
Why I Love It: Panini’s, pancakes, toast, bagels, fish, tofu, veggies…we pretty much make everything that doesn’t need to be in a pan on this griddler. We’ve had this thing since 2010 and it’s still going strong! My only complaint is about the drip tray which is a cheap plastic separate piece so I threw it out and just use a bowl when necessary. See it on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1QTkSzB
Ninja Master Prep
Why I Love It: This is my blender, food processor and chopper. I had a bullet and I donated it once I got this nifty gadget! I chop everything from onions, peppers and nuts in seconds (literally 2 seconds, any longer and its soup. It’s that fast). It makes great smoothies, frozen margaritas and of course soups. I make bean dips, hummus, guacamole, pesto and lots of other goodies all using this little guy. For the price, size and function, I don’t know what else you could ask for. Maybe a whisk attachment and an actual prep chef? See it on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1rwX7sB
Soda Stream Source
Why I Love It: Skip the sugary soda’s from the store and make your own fresh sparkling drinks with real fruit! Perfect for cocktail mixers or a refreshing drink on a hot summer day. We’ve owned a Soda Stream since before we hit the road full time in the RV and we absolutely love it. We don’t really like the Soda Stream brand soda mixers, but then again we don’t like most sodas. We’re Main Root, Reed’s or Izzy kinda peeps so we typically craft our own sodas with fresh juice. See it on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1q2nvJA
Cuisinart Oven Central
Why I Love It: This is the perfect big function in a small package gadget. It holds perfect portions for 2-4 people, heats up super fast and bakes fantastic. I timed it just the other day and it only took 2 minutes to get to 400 degrees! That beats warming up an oven or even the convection oven any day for a small job! I use it primarily for baking and roasting. It claims you can cook pancakes and toast bread…but I much prefer my griddler for those tasks. See it on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Zjkssi
Oster Breadmaker
Why I Love It: Nothing beats fresh baked bread and this inexpensive bread maker is a no brainer. In less than 10 minutes I can toss in a few ingredients, set it and walk away! This machine works great and will turn anyone into a rock star baker! Plus as full time travelers we don’t exactly carry gifts. When someone invites us over for dinner or offers up a free parking space, we like to say thanks with a fresh warm loaf of bread! See it on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1ZjkwIH
My Go-To Favorite Bread Recipe
Settings: 1.5 lb loaf size /Basic setting #1 / light crust
Add wet ingredients first, dry ingredients next and yeast last. (add nuts or dried fruit for extra pizzazz)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup milk
- 1.5 cups of white flour
- 1.5 cups of wheat flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons yeast
Solar Oven
Why I Love It: This sun powered oven isn’t for everybody but if you love Wild Camping, then this is the best outdoor oven! It’s perfect for dry camping, or hot summer days, because it doesn’t require electricity and all the heat from cooking stays outside of the RV. In as little as 15 minuets the oven will preheat to 350 degrees and is ready to go. No matter what the temperature is outside, as long as there is sun you can bake or roast away! See it on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1ZjkG2M
Of course this isn’t every gadget I use, but it is all of the larger items I use around the kitchen pretty much everyday. If you want to check out all of our other kitchen gadgets, or see our coffee set up, (we’re self proclaimed coffee nerds), visit our Awesome Gear Store.
Mary
With these gadgets rv will fell like a real kitchen.
Cinn
I bought a SunOven a few years back while still living in sticks & bricks, used it all the time, especially in summer to keep the heat of cooking outdoors. Now I brought it with me on the road, and as a boondocker, I would say it is definitely worth the space it takes up to not have to run the generator to use the convection oven!
brenda
Definitely am looking at the countertop oven, but you must have a lot more space than we have…there is no way I could justify something as large as a bread maker, particularly since it does only one thing. And I absolutely LOVE fresh bread. For that, I think I am going to bite the bullet and find a local bakery.
Bari Spesard
Just found your great site! We’re shopping for RV’s to wander on land (already done the sailing thing) and I wondered a couple of things as you transitioned to the boat: what did you do with the RV and car? Thanks!
Curious Minion
The RV was a lease and went back to Fleetwood. The car is now the service car at Just Cats.
Cathy
Is this where we ask questions, etc.? I need to know how to store dishes so they don’t brake or rattle. We have a small RV so not tons of room.
Jason Wynn
Cathy, I hope you found this post to answer your question: http://www.gonewiththewynns.com/tricks-to-make-dishes-rv-safe
Juliet
That solar oven looks fantastic! I definitely need to give that a try! I love eco-friendly products. Have you checked out the solar powered battery chargers for phones and tablets. You just stick the batter block on a window and it starts charging up!
For outdoor cooking though, I definitely love this three burner stove. It is so annoying to have to wait around for food to fry up on only one burner stoves when you’re camping!
https://www.shorisuperstore.com/collections/outdoor-cooking/products/outdoor-stove-02
Cherie
Loved learning about the convection oven! Definitely something to get with our next travel trailer.
Another kitchen cooking tool we recently found to be quite life-saving is the electric pressure cooker. Unlike a slow cooker, the pressure cooker cooks super fast, and we’ve done everything from traditional roasts and vegies to cheesecakes! I can even make fresh yogurt in the model we have. What I love most is that I can cook quickly (so not using electricity all day like a slow cooker) and the pressure cooker does not release smells or heat while cooking. So our trailer stays cool and doesn’t smell like what we’ve cooked last, haha.
Nikki, if you guys haven’t tried one, definitely do! I bet you could even use it on your catamaran. I did some research and ended up getting the Instant Pot 7-in-1 Duo Model (because it had a yogurt function), and it’s 6 qt size is perfect for myself and my husband. They have a newer model out that has blue-tooth, so you can even set-up additional cooking controls which is rather cool.
Mark Pumphrey
Induction Burner, on a side note about this, (and someone may have already commented on it) you can also use cast iron. Just an FYI
Daniela
You guys seriously need to check out the instapot! So good.
Jen
We are leaving next week to full time it for a year with our 6 kids. I took out the useless oven but that took my burners away too? I’ve been going back and forth between getting an induction burner or just a regular electric one. My main concern is size and power usage. With a big family we use big pans and the induction burner seems small and I have heard of the over extended pan melting the controls. This may be a dumb question but does one unit use less power than another? I guess a 1600 watt electric uses the same as a 1600 watt induction right? Induction just seems more energy efficient I guess. I do have a griddle, rice cooker/crockpot and electric skillet. any advice on which way we should go given our particular situation? Thanks and your blog has been so helpful over the last couple years as we have prepared to travel!
Christine
When we went on the road in our 5th wheel(Open Range 40ft), i was pondering, do i take my rice cooker? My slow cooker? What about my beloved bread baker? I didn’t take either one of them. Instead I purchased a Ninja 3in 1 cooker. I wasn’t happy with my gas top cooker either and the Ninja solved that for me. It cooks, it roasts, it steams it bakes. It makes excellent rice or rice dishes, I baked muffins, brownies and quick breads in it, granted the tops are a bit moist than when they come out of the oven but we actually like them that way.
It’s a slow cooker, I made a lot of my favorite dishes in it. One thing I love about the slow cook function is that you can sear your ingredients first and than turn on the slow cook function all in one pot.
It’s excellent for making fish/seafood dishes. We purchased fresh tuna right from the boat, enormous steaks, we froze a lot and seared some on the BBQ and tested the sear function of the Ninja. Both were very good. The Ninja was lovely and moist. You can roast beef in it, Steam veggies, there are steam baskets and baking pans that come with it. It has a wonderful cookbook but I used my own recipes without a problem. Best buy ever, I’m very happy with it. As for storing it, it sits on the stovetop on my large wooden cutting board. I first use the cutting board for prepping and than put the cooker back on it and it stays that way. When traveling we have a large sturdy plastic bin and put the cooker, the espresso machine in there and when the slides come in the bin stays in its place on the floor.
I must say I have room left over in my cupboards and storage space. I’m thinking of taking my bread maker next time. It’s also a multifunctional appliance. That is one thing I’ve learned from living in the RV, when purchasing a new item I try to make sure it has multiple functionality.
Next on our list is the mini washer and spinner.
Julie Robertson
thanks for the review of the Ninja. I’ve been thinking about purchasing one and was wondering what a full-timer’s experience was.
Janine
Hi Nikki, my husband and I are seriously thinking about living full time in a RV, so we’ve been reading as much as we can and watching YouTube videos. We especially enjoy watching Gone with the Wynns. So far the things that I’m concerned about seem to have not really been covered – that is basically: How you are storing things such as the kitchen gadgets you’ve mentioned above along with normal kitchen stuff like plates and pots and pans? I saw in one of your videos it showed the only place that the plates and pots fit was in a draw. Some of my dishes look as if they wouldn’t even fit there – so, I’m wondering how you managed to stow away the other kitchen gadgets? As we navigate through trying to figure out it living in a RV is a good idea or not and what will serve our needs – I almost feel like I should be carrying templates of my current dishes for example to see if they will fit. Wondering will I need to just sell everything and only buy only certain size things to fit in a certain size draw for example and do away with all my existing stuff. Do you have a video that kind of shows how you solved how to store what you take along including things like patio furniture for example and basic kitchen items along with the extra tools and then your dry goods and the like? As we walked through some of the RV’s for sale in our area – over and over I ask my self questions like, Well there’s a sink and a shower and medicine cabinet, but where are they putting their towels for example? And in the kitchen, where will I put my dry goods when it looks like even regular plates won’t even fit in a great many of the RV’s cabinets? I’m wondering if maybe it’s because of the weight issues or ? Anyway.. I haven’t found a video like that with advice or suggestions on how it’s done. Do you have one I perhaps have missed?
Nikki Wynn
You are correct, that is one subject we need to capture on video. Each RV is so different and what fits in one space in one RV, won’t in another. I do like your idea of taking paper templates to see if and where things will fit. Keep your eyes peeled (maybe subscribe to our newsletter if you are not already, the join us button can be found on the home page) and I will show where I have everything stored in an upcoming video soon!
Janine
Awesome! Thank-you – I’m looking forward to seeing it. PS. I’ve subscribed to the newsletter and the YouTube channel ; )
Victoria Stewart
I thought that the transition from living on a sailboat to full time RVing would be easy…yet I have a few questions where one does not translate to the other…my old refrigerator was set in the counter…being five foot tall I had visions of falling head first into the boat’s fridge…now I have a full size refrigerator…do I need the tension rods to hold things in? Have a 2015 fleet wood excursion 33D…
Fern Faschoway
Hi Guys,
Love, love, love your tips & videos.
We have been full time in our 5th wheel for just about 3 years now and also think the induction cooktop is amazing, we have the Berghoff double cooktop and love it!! We also love our NuWave oven, it bakes everything, I have never used my oven and actually wish I could take it out. Another thing I could never do without is my rice cooker.
Thanks again for all the great info and happy RVing!
Fern
Nona
Hello,
As long as a magnet sticks to your pan you can use it for induction cooking.
YOU DO NOT NEED TO BUY NEW PANS FOR INDUCTION COOKING!!!!
If shopping for cookware just bring a magnet with you.
I love to cook with cast iron pots and pans and induction cooking rocks it.
Liza
I am almost ready to click “complete order” to order the Cuisinart 5 in 1 Griddler. Looks perfect for us – we are heading out with our three kids in two weeks for a year (or longer 🙂 – and they love grilled sandwiches and quesadillas. The big question for me is: how do you toast bread? I love to have toast every morning. I am trying to cut way down on the amount of gadgets from our 2500 sq ft. house and would love to not have to buy a toaster. Our rig isn’t here yet, but am already puzzled as to how everything is going to fit in there!
Nikki Wynn
It’s awesome and the griddler makes great toast, even better than a toaster (because you can butter the toast while its toasting).
Kathleen
Hey Wynn’s. I’ve been following your blog for awhile now as we prepare to become full timers (just waiting on the house to sell now). I’m shopping amazon for an induction cook top and am surprised by a lot the reviews. What model is your Caso? Thanks!
Nikki Wynn
I have found varying reviews as well. Especially from the lower end models. We have loved ours and have found that you have to buy good pots and pans made for induction cooking. The link above is for our exact model as with all the links above.
diane
what about your water distillery…distiller? your one video showed it~where do ya put that?
is it a wattage hog? how long does it take and how many quarts do you distill a day?
diane
santa cruz, ca
Nikki Wynn
Diane, you will find the water distiller in our Travel store (look at the squeaky clean water category on the right) where you’ll see all the specs on it. We distill one gallon in about 5 hours and only run it while plugged in or during peak sun hours.
Pete
I live full timein a 30′ bumper pull trailer and love it. I use an induction cooker and love it too.
I’ve been considering a Griddler (wore out the George Foreman) based on your experience, I think I’ll give it a try.
I like your blog (you are great ambassadors for RV’ing) and recommend the RV lifestyle to anyone with a wanderlust. I support my lifestyle with a web based business; with today’s technology almost anyone can.
Jason Wynn
Thanks Pete,
If you purchase please use our Amazon link, we get a small kick-back and you pay the same price…works well for everyone. Our little griddler has taken a beating over the years and still performs just as well as the first day we purchased it.
Lorri
Nikki-how do you store all those items? I would love to see how you organize your kitchen.
Nikki Wynn
I am going to do a little video soon to go with this post so I can show where I store it all. It really doesn’t take up much room. Plus it will give me a chance to show some of the other little things I love.
karin@yumandmore
Great gadgets and I know you love to cook Nikki! You should put a little RV gourmet meal together and we can post it ;D or you can, what fun. Tell where you get your inspiration from, do you cook while Jason drives and other tidbits! Big hugs and keep on cookin’! xox Karin
mary van
If you get an invitation to have dinner with the Wynn’s take it! Nikki has some of the best tricks up her sleeve and she is an incredible cook! I learn new things every time I watch her. Sometimes, I even get to help!
Nikki Wynn
Thanks for the love Mary! For the sake of full disclosure, you’re my mother in law, so you may be biased…
Walt
Just bought one of the Ninja Master Preps. Can’t wait to see how it works. Don’t know if I’ll quite be ready to get rid of the food processor, but maybe the blender and the mini processor can go with the larger processor on borrowed time. 🙂
Nikki Wynn
Please do let me know if you like it as much as we do! I think the blender can double as a larger food processor…but i’ll be curious to see how you feel about it.
Walt
Finally got a chance/excuse to try the Ninja. First time use was great! Made some pineapple-banana-strawberry smoothies that were truly smooth. Next, to put it to the test making hummus. (And the next time I make smoothies, I need to remember to add some rum!)
Nikki Wynn
Ha ha, thanks for sharing Walt! The rum sounds like a great idea!
Paulina
Hi Nikki,
I see you have a bread maker.
I have one too, but my bread always cones out too dry and heavy. Any tips you can give me?
Do you have any good recipes that you would like to share?
Thanks for any help you can give me.
Nikki Wynn
Paulina, there is a drop down under the bread maker with my favorite recipe.
Bernard Schaer
Hi Nikki, it was great to meet you and Jason at the rally in Goshen! “Windy” yesterday arrived her new HQ albeit with a cracked windshield. It was a pleasure to drive her!!
Have you given some thought to an RV cookbook of your favorite recipes? I am sure there are others out there but coming from you…
Ginny
Even though we are not on the road fulltime, I have been downsizing to just simplify our life. This last spring I put my George Foreman grill, waffle maker and quesadilla maker in our garage sale. I replaced all those appliances with the Cuisinart Griddler. It’s amazing how many overlapping items I have in the house! I think there are a few more cabinets that are going to get a cleaning!
Nikki Wynn
It is amazing isn’t it! It’s also amazing how quickly we can end up with a bunch of gadgets we don’t really need.
Shari
An induction burner is on my wish list. Right now, we’re making do with an electric skillet and a 4-quart crock-pot, and they’re getting the job done. We must be on the same wave-length as I wrote about my RV kitchen on our blog this weekend.
That solar oven looks like a great idea too!
Nikki Wynn
Great minds do think alike!
Lauren
I love mine, won’t leave the stick house without it. Have an induction stove in my stick house so already had the pots.
Ron Husges
Do you guys have a convection or microwave oven? I really don’t want one of these in our future trailer, so wondering if all your appliances can do similar things. thanks!
Nikki Wynn
We do have a convection microwave oven and with all my gadgets I very rarely use it. I could absolutely go without one!
Lindsey Harper
We have just started full timing so this is a great review to read. I am still learning how to work the convection oven inside our RV, I love it so far. I can defiantly see a couple things on this list that I want to look into!
Nikki Wynn
The convection oven is a snap to work once you have used it a few times! Happy RV cooking!
Bobbi Tidwell
I’m very interested in that solar oven. That looks awesome!
Nikki Wynn
There is nothing quite like cooking with the sun!
Laurie Pedrick
We have many of the same items! Love my induction cook top.
I may have to check out the solar oven…. but I have a convection toaster oven that works great already.
Nikki Wynn
those little toaster ovens are great too. The sun oven is one of my favorites. If you dry camp a lot, it pays for itself in no time.
Lisa
Hi Guys!
I have seen other posts about this, but in my quest for minimalism and compactness, I just discovered the Grilliput Duo, which is a combo portable grill and fire bowl (http://www.industrialrev.com/grilliput/).
This is the smallest and lightest portable grill I have ever seen. The grill parts are all contained in a tube and very easy to assemble. The bowl is like those metal veggie steamers, but without perforations.
I love BBQ and this has been a great find for us, as we can grill anywhere!
Happy travels,
Lisa
Jason Wynn
Sounds cool, thanks for sharing.
Bob
Nikki–My wife and I make our own “Izzy” drinks by mixing fruit juice with club soda. Is the Soda Stream a better method than using club soda?
Lisa
Hi Bob,
I saw Nikki’s post about Soda Stream a while back and decided to get one. I am so glad I did, because there is no endless lugging of bottles from the store (great for the environment and your back!), and the fizz seems to last longer.
You can also adjust the amount of fizz to your liking.
I love making my own soda drinks too, and this was a terrific find. Thank you, Nikki!
Lisa
Jason Wynn
Bob,
“Better” is debatable. We prefer the Soda Stream so we don’t have to carry a bunch of extra bottles (or cans) in the RV with us. Saves on weight vs soda pop, and as long as we have fresh water we can make soda! As far as costs go I believe a 1 liter bottle costs around $0.25 using the Soda Stream.