It can be overwhelming to stock your rented RV kitchen, so they often come “fully stocked”. But what about the kosher consumer who can’t use any of those supplies?

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One of the benefits of an RV trip is that you can take the comforts of home with you. You have a fully stocked kitchen and can bring all sorts of mini appliances with you as well. But, when you don’t hit the road from home and have to pack everything in a suitcase first–or pick it up in the local Walmart–it’s very helpful to rent an RV already fully stocked. But, when you keep kosher and can’t use the pots/dishes/etc and don’t want to shlep, what are the essentials for stocking your RV kitchen? (BTW: all this is true for a vacation rental as well.)

5 Indispensable RV Kitchen Appliances

All the included links may be overkill. But this way you can easily order what you want/need. You can have it delivered to your house, to the person/place you’re renting from (if they allow it), to your first campground stop, or to a local Amazon locker at your destination. So many choices…

You don’t have to get everything on this list. You know your style. There may also be things that you feel are a necessity that I left off. Please share.

Disposables

Many RVers avoid disposables. Sometimes it’s for environmental concerns; sometimes it’s for space concerns (especially if they only need one set). And sometimes just not to deal with all the accumulated garbage or to “live like at home”. Personally, I don’t really want to deal with washing so many dishes–and using up my freshwater.

And, for most of us, “living like at home” means using disposables anyway, so why should setting up your RV kitchen be any different? For those who feel like it’s not environmentally friendly but still want to take advantage of the convenience under the circumstances, you can use compostable options. Below is a basic list of disposable items to consider having in your RV kitchen.

Ziplock bags in a variety of sizes–can be used for leftover storage, marinating meats, tossing salads, mixing cake batter, etc.

• Plates–make sure they are substantial enough for hot food and not to cut through. You’re not saving money if you need to double or triple up.
• Bowls
• Cutlery–not the cheapest flimsiest kind so that you can use them to cook and serve too; you can even get in its own storage container
• Cups–can also be used as a ladle
• Hot Cups and Lids
• Cold cups with covers and straws–if you want to have larger cups for while driving or to make smoothies
• Baking Sheets
• 9×13 Pans (and covers, or use foil)–can even be used directly on the stove to cook pasta and cheese and poke holes in the bottom and use as a strainer
• Other Size Pans–depending on what you’re planning to cook/bake and the size of your family; you can also use these smaller pans for leftover storage.
• Disposable Pots
• Deli Containers–for leftover storage and for lunches to go.
• Aluminum Foil–heavy duty can be used on grills, for double wrapping, and to “make” containers
• Disposable Cutting Boards–these are good for easier clean up and can double as liners for non-kosher counters; the roll version can be cut to any size; flexible cutting boards store easily and take up no space
• Press n Seal
• Disposable Tablecloths–available in rolls or precut; get clips to keep from blowing away too
• Skewers–for hot dogs and marshmallows over a campfire
• Napkins–get the super-absorbent kind, they’ll serve so many other purposes

  

• Paper Towels–ditto; so many uses outside of the kitchen
• Grill–I actually know someone who used to regularly drive between LA and San Diego and kept one in her trunk “just in case”
• Gloves–you know yourself and your cooking style; just make sure you get a different color than the ones you get for the black tank
• Sponges–new sponges are usually provided or you can even use the heavy duty paper towels
• Garbage Bags–often provided, but might not be enough for the garbage that will accumulate from using disposables

Non-Disposables

We were in the Catskills a few years ago in our RV and a few ladies from the bungalow colony down the road came to check it out. They kept commenting how my RV kitchen was bigger than their bungalow kitchens! You really can make anything in an RV if it’s stocked right. Understandably, we own our RV and were in the middle of a 7-week trip. But, with a few basic items, in addition to the disposables above, you’re good to go.

3 Space-Saving RV Cooking Essentials

• Can Opener/Bottle Opener Combo–you can even get one that comes with a corkscrew if you plan to need to open a wine bottle.
• Frying Pan(s)–one for dairy is usually enough (eggs, pancakes, etc.) depending on the length of your trip and your family’s eating style; pick something not too heavy or large if you’re packing it and you can just use foil as a cover

• Pot(s) or Dutch Oven–you might not even need one if you boil pasta in a 9×13 and make rice in the oven, for example; but a Dutch oven can be used in an oven or a campfire
• Forks and Spoons–you probably want at least a couple of non-disposable meat and dairy forks and spoons to make things easier in the kitchen
• Knives–sharp meat, dairy, and pareve knives are very useful as is one bigger knife to cut larger things (i.e. watermelon); if you really want to limit what you bring, your whole family can share one meat knife for your steak dinner
• Peeler–handy if you peel a lot of vegetables (or plan to), but a knife can do the same job

Small Appliances

I know that the Betty Crocker pizza makers are all the rage for traveling. However, if you have a whole RV kitchen, there’s no need. Just use your regular oven. Nonetheless, there are still a couple of small appliances that you might consider.

Sandwich Maker–we travel almost everywhere with our sandwich maker (even a month in Mexico); easy lunches, cake/muffin/brownie/waffle batter, and so much more (tip: store with paper towel inside to absorb anything and in a plastic bag if you’re putting in a suitcase)

Portable Electric Kettle–for a short trip you can make do with a mini and still have hot water for coffee, tea, oatmeal, or anything else; also, many RVs on RVShare come with Keurig machines (Summer Plans: Halacha on the Go)

Rechargeable Blender–we love making acai bowls and smoothies; definitely easier to do so for a family with a full-size blender but not worth the shlep for a short trip not leaving from home (but wouldn’t leave it behind if we were)

It’s important to remember that if you buy new items, then you’ll have to toivel them. You might not find a local mikvah, but you can probably find a natural body of water.

What would you bring with you?

You can really cook almost anything in an RV kitchen. But, if you’re only going for a short trip, just keep it simple. Enjoy more time with your family and less time in your Kosher RV kitchen with these basic supplies. 

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