10 Van (or RV) Kitchen Must-Haves

During the six years I spent living full-time in a Ram Promaster 1500, the question I got most often (after “Where do you shower?”) was “How on earth do you cook?” Most people were surprised to learn that I typically made three meals a day. I love to cook, and building out a well-equipped van kitchen was the first thing on my to-do list when I moved into it back in 2018. Not only is cooking a great way to save money—especially on long trips when I’d rather be using my petty cash on gas and site fees at swanky campgrounds—but it’s also a great way to relax and wind down after a long day of driving. The van always felt most like home when I was cooking. As soon as I turned on the stove, the world and the stresses of the road would melt away. It was just me, the radio, and my tiny kitchen, stirring together my favorite recipes just like I would anywhere else.

Of course, the secret to making van or RV cooking a relaxing experience instead of a frustrating one is having the right setup—from a lightweight pot that wipes clean in seconds, to a pan designed to deliver the perfect sear, to utensils that make prep and cleanup a breeze. After six years of van living, these are the ten kitchen gadgets I could never do without.

1. GSI Essential Travel Spoon ($4.95)

This is my single most beloved piece of kitchen gear. I’ve bought it for countless friends’ birthdays, recommended it in magazines, and gotten strangers hooked on it with a single use in camp. This long-handled, silicone-coated spoon is a soup-stirrer, sauté tool, eating utensil, and pot squeegee all in one. The silicone makes it extremely heat resistant, and you can use the rubbery edge to squeegee your pot spotless so all it needs is a quick sanitization boil before bed.

2. Carbon Steel Pan ($39.90)

Cast iron pans may be the gold standard for home cooking, but they come with some serious downsides. For one, they’re heavy. WHen I first moved into my van and started agonizing over my gas mileage, I couldn’t stomach the idea of driving around a ten-pound chunk of iron all day every day. For another thing, cast irons heat up and cool down slowly—not ideal when you’re starving after a big adventure and want to eat ASAP, or when you need to hit the road soon after making breakfast. The solution: carbon steel. It cools down faster, weighs half as much, and can still go into an oven or fire pit grill if you need it to. The smooth surface is easier to clean and provides a better sear on meat and vegetables, too. Plus, it takes on a season over time like cast iron, which means you never have to clean it with anything more than a light wipe.

3. MSR Alpine Chef’s Knife ($19.95)

Ask any chef: A good meal starts with a good knife. In a van or RV, you’re not limited by weight or space constraints the same way you would be on a backpacking trip. But drawer space is still precious real estate. They come in two varieties—the smaller Kitchen Knife ($12.95), which is ideal for peeling fruit and slicing cheese, and the larger Chef’s Knife ($19.95), which is perfect for chopping potatoes and veggies. Both knives are low-profile and come with sheaths so they won’t get dinged up in your cutlery drawer. They’re also light enough to toss in a backpack for a summit picnic if you feel so inspired.

4. GSI Rakau Grater ($14.95)

For a long time, I refused to carry a grater in my van kitchen kit. I’m a bit of a minimalist (and a bit lactose intolerant) so I never saw the need. But this grater is so compact, ergonomic, and easy to use that there’s really no excuse not to have one. It’s the perfect size for grating garlic, ginger, and carrots (as well as Parmesan if you’re not lactose-challenged), and the flat surface is easy to wipe clean.

5. VSSL Java G25 Coffee Grinder ($160)

I am not a morning person. But this gorgeous little grinder has made coffee prep such a pleasant experience that I actually look forward to getting out of bed to start my morning beverage ritual. This all-metal grinder is extremely well designed with fine tolerances, high-quality materials, and a great feel and heft. A variety of settings let you dial in the grind for different brew methods, and three synchronized burrs provide an even, reliable grind.

6. AeroPress Go Plus ($80)

When I first moved into the van, it was with a partner who was a nationally ranked competition barista—and one who didn’t believe in French presses. He got me hooked on the AeroPress as an incredibly lightweight tool for thick, strong espresso-like coffees. The silicone-capped plunger pushes water through the grounds at fairly high pressure, and it’s miraculously easy to clean. All you have to do is push the grounds into the trash with the swipe of a finger—no sudsing or rinsing required.

7. GSI Halulite Tea Kettle ($29.95)

Some say you can measure the quality of a morning in the number of minutes between eye-open and having a cup of hot coffee in your hands. If that’s your kind of metric, then you can do worse than the GSI Halulite Kettle. The kettle’s surprisingly large capacity lets it boil a full Nalgene’s worth of water for coffee or tea, and the thin titanium walls mean it heats up (and cools down) fast—ideal for speedy pre-adventure mornings when you need the rig packed up and mobile before sunrise.

8. Camp Chef Everest 2x ($189.99)

Even if you have a built-in cooktop in your van or RV, I still recommend a portable two-burner stove. The biggest downside to camper life is that you’re obligated to spend dinnertime indoors, looking at the same old interior you always do—you never get to experience the joys of plein air cooking unless you seek it out. I have one of these industrial-strength-Velcroed to my countertop, which makes it removable and portable for spontaneous campsite cooking. But it’s also an astonishingly reliable workhorse. After five years, I’ve never had to clean it out or repair it even once. It lights with the touch of a button, and it’s lightweight, powerful, and efficient.

9. Our Place Mini Perfect Pot 2.0 ($120)

This astonishingly lightweight nonstick pot is ideal for everything from rice to chicken to pasta dishes. The included spoon is notched to fit on the handle’s built-in spoon rest, a clever feature that helps spare precious counter space when you’ve got a sauce-covered spoon and nowhere else to put it. Two handles make the pot easy to lift and strain, and slots in the lid mean you don’t need to purchase or lug around an extra colander. But the best part? The toxin-free ceramic coating defies even the stickiest foods—including scrambled eggs—and cleans up with just a quick wipe of a rag.

10. Primus Campfire Plates ($11.95)

Breakable dishware doesn’t last long in a van, especially one that navigates as many washboard roads as mine does. But these low-profile, lightweight, stackable, stainless steel plates—which are deep enough to be used as bowls in a pinch—are virtually break-proof. They’re also easy to clean and remarkably versatile. I’ve used mine as pot lids, to warm food over coals, and to melt chocolate and peanut butter over a pot of water like a double-boiler. They’ve more than earned their place in my regular rotation, and that’s exactly where they’ll stay.

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Source: https://thedyrt.com/magazine/food-and-drink/10-van-or-rv-kitchen-must-haves/