Kitchen Gadgets
This week, I'm going to share the kitchen gadgets we've come to rely on most in the RV. First let me start by saying, I am not a cook. I do cook, but just the simple stuff. My method consists of following recipes, certainly not writing my own. That being said, we only go out to eat once a month at most. Cooking has to be convenient and easy, which isn't always simple in such a small space.
Our kitchen setup
As you may already know, we are camp hosts. A perk with this lifestyle means we have free electricity (not propane). This is an amenity we are incredibly grateful to have. All of our appliances run off of electricity. We don't have a need to use our oven, and rarely use the stovetop as these run off of propane.
As you can see, our counter space is quite limited. What we have out needs to be used all the time or at least most of the time. In other words, when it comes to our kitchen space, it's function over feng shui.
Here's what we feel are must-have appliances:
Crockpot
Our newest, and in my opinion best, addition to our kitchen is our crockpot. This is no ordinary crockpot! This is a Ninja Cooking System - it steams, slow cooks, bakes, fries, and pretty much anything else you can think of. It's super easy to clean too. And it's PURPLE - I love it!!! We got it refurbished on Amazon for only $80, and it's more than paid for itself the last few months.
I use it every day, usually more than once per day. My only wish is that I had of found this years ago. I've cooked lasagna, eggs, enchiladas, chex mix, vegetables, burgers, soups, cookies, toast, and can't wait to try more!
Coffee and Teaware
Proper brewing equipment for coffee and tea is a necessity in our home. We've got a burr grinder (an inexpensive one, but it gets the job done), a temp control electric kettle, French press, Clever brewer, handy brewer, digital scale, and teapot. Yikes! It seems like a lot when it's written in list form. We've collected these items over the years, and are extremely happy with our current setup. Below are the models we have, and most of these have been with us for at least two years.
Blender
Our Ninja Blender has been with us for over 5 years, and it's still kicking! This thing is great for making smoothies, hummus, soups, etc. It doubles as a food processor- that dual functionality is a must and Ninja is always great about that. The exact model we purchased way back is no longer available, but this one is the closest thing. At $129, it's well worth the money.
Soda Stream
Ah, our Sodastream. We just had to replace our 4 year old one with this newer model. It's great- carbonated water all the time- what's not to love? Well, $15 Co2 tanks are not to love, but we're looking into ways to cut down on that cost. We may try the Soda Mod tanks, but for now we're at the mercy of Sodastream.
Honerable Mentions
We have a few other items that aren't used as often.
Our toaster oven and electric burner have been replaced with the Ninja Cooking System. These are great to have, but they live in our unused oven at the moment. I only use them when I've got to cook a lot of things at once, which is quite rare.
I've also got a hand mixer that I use when baking. I've had this one for many years. The price is great, and it comes with a snap on case to make storing easier.
I should also mention our fire pit. We don't have a grill yet, but we do cook outside when the weather is nice. Our campsite typically comes with a fire pit, so we throw the cast iron skillet on and cook the old fashioned way from time to time.
That's our entire kitchen setup. What gadgets do you love to cook with? Leave a comment below!