Cooking in your motorhome: the essentials

Living in a motorhome quickly feels like a full-time holiday. I think that assumption is accurate. You're outdoors a lot, at cosy campsites and motorhome stopovers. Despite having to 'do' all sorts of things on a daily basis, of course. Emptying the toilet, servicing the water and... how about cooking?

You have your entire belongings with you, so eating out every day is not necessary. Especially if you live in the motorhome permanently, it is the most common thing in the world to cook delicious (elaborate) meals. At least for me it is. I really enjoy cooking. But I know that not everyone is into cooking. Fond of cooking, or not, these basics are guaranteed to get you a long way. What do you absolutely need in the motorhome and what's nice to have? Next time, I'll share a tasty motorhome recipe with you!

Your absolute motorhome kitchen essentials

When setting up your motorhome kitchen, whether you are going on a holiday or permenantly living in your motorhome, it also depends on the number of people in your travel party. By myself, a small frying pan is enough for me. But with two - or more - you need a bigger pan, of course. That goes for all the cooking utensils you will put in the cupboards and drawers. And don't forget that the dimensions of those cupboards and drawers. So everything that is now in the 'for motorhome kitchen' pile should actually fit inside.

What do you take and what don't you take with you? It very much depends on the destination. For example, are you going to France on a holiday and do you like to drink wine? Then you will be in for a rude awakening if you forget to pack your corkscrew. Because hardly any bottles in France have a screw cap... Or, will you be in Spain and addicted to farmer's cheese? Then ask your cheesemonger to vacuum some pieces of cheese. That way, it will keep for months in the fridge and you will soon be feasting on a piece of farm matured cheese on the costa del sol.

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The cookware

I think these are the ultimate basics to equip your kitchen with. If you invariably bake pancakes on Sundays, I would bring a pancake pan as well. This list is just a guideline. And depending on what you like to cook and how you cook, you will of course determine your own motorhome inventory.

• A frying pan, saucepan
• Bialetti for the very best camping coffee
• Large milk jug to quickly make hot water for tea (and more)
• Twice as much cutlery as the nummer of your travelling party*
• Chef's knife, paring knife, peeler, scissors, can opener, corkscrew, whisk, cheese slicer, bread knife
• Plates, bowls, dishes
• Chopping board (large & small)
• Glasses, mugs and (thermos) cups
• Large bowl (for salad or batter)

* Tip: saves washing up again! At least, you don't have to wash your cutlery again for every bite.

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Stock products

There is no accounting for taste. But in general, it is often useful to at least pack some stock products. Here is an example to help you get started. Just pick what you like! And remember, there are supermarkets in every country. But if you love your peanut butter and chocolate sprinkles, I would pack them.

• Rice, packets of mashed potatoes, couscous
• Cans of tomato paste & cubes, corn, and other vegetables
• Cans of tuna, mackerel or other fish
• Pepper, salt and spices you like
• Olive oil, butter, ghee or coconut oil
• Stock cubes and a bag or can of soup
• Coffee, tea, sugar and evaporated milk
• Oatmeal, brinta, muesli
• Long-life (vegetable) milk
• Cheese

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Non-food items

These are the things to easily forget.... The moment you spill and your wipes are nowhere to be found. Or when you start washing the dishes and the sponges are still at home 😎

• Kitchen roll
• Dishwashing brush or sponges*, washing-up liquid
• Tea towels, kitchen cloths
• Wet cleaning wipes
• Metal or plastic strainer for the sink
• A small piece of non-slip mat, ideal for opening jars that are just too tight
• Plastic containers for the leftovers

* Tip: cut your sponges into 2 or 3 smaller ones. This way they last longer and you don't have to pack so many.

Nice to have

Sometimes you want to go the extra mile right? Or you just love cooking. And a bit of luxury. Then this is probably part of your standard inventory as well:

• Omnia oven (miracle pan)
• Kettle
• Nespresso
• Toaster
• Outdoor grill, BBQ
• Electric (pressure cooker) pan
• Mixer, blender*
• Egg slicer, mandolin

* Tip: you can also buy 'portable blenders' these days. These are USB rechargeable and you can easily make a pancake batter, tasty smoothie or dressing in them.

Now you have your motorhome's inventory together. Let's get started! In the next part of this series, I share tasty camper recipes that should not be missing from your repertoire.