By Cheri Sicard
We asked you about your favorite RV kitchen gadgets, and boy, did we get a TON of responses!
We know that cooking in small spaces can present challenges. So we wanted to know what makes RV cooking easier for you and what is the one RV kitchen gadget or RV kitchen accessory you just cannot live without.
Some answers kept coming up over and over again. I would say the top three overall winners were:
- Multi cookers such as Instant Pots or the Ninja All-in-One Foodi
- Portable induction cooktops
- Cast iron skillets and Dutch ovens
But that’s just a quick snapshot. We got SO MANY great answers it was way too much for a single article.
So I am going to break this topic into three posts:
- Favorite RV small appliances (we’ll cover those in this post)
- Favorite low-tech RV kitchen gadgets (in other words, those that are boondocking-ready and need no power)
- Odd or unusual RV kitchen gadgets you might not have considered or even heard of. (This post will also include unusual ways of using things you have heard of.)
We’ll add links to Parts 2 and 3 as we publish them in the upcoming weeks. But for now, let’s start with your favorite small RV appliances.
Since space is so limited in an RV, a small appliance really has to deliver to be useful.
Extra bonus if it does not take too much electrical juice to run. Although if you are parked in a campground it really doesn’t matter. Likewise, a lot of people who answered our survey had different kitchen favorites, depending on if they had hookups or not.
Readers’ favorite small RV appliances
Without further ado, here they are in order of popularity—your favorite appliances to take along in your RVs:
- Multi cookers
- Portable induction cooktops
- Toaster oven or convection toaster oven
- Microwave or microwave/convection combo oven
- Air fryers
- Slow cookers
- Keurig coffee makers
- Electric skillets
Let’s explore further.
Multi-cookers, air fryers, and slow cookers, oh my!
No surprise that multi-cookers were the most popular answer. They can function in so many ways depending on the model you choose: pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, egg cooker, air fryer, yogurt maker, dehydrator, and more.
Two brands of multi-cookers kept coming up again and again. Instant Pot was by far the favorite. But it’s also been around the longest and is the best-known brand. Nonetheless, close on its heels was Ninja All-In 1-Foodi.
Both of these appliances function similarly, work well, and have various options for consumers to choose from depending on how many of the multi-functions they need. Some even have a sous vide option!
Joni W. said:
“An Instant Pot is absolutely essential to me. It takes food from freezer to table in short minutes. It can slow cook, sear, and much more. Making potato salad took forever in the RV, but with the instant pot it takes about 20 minutes total to cook potatoes and eggs and put the salad together. A real time-saver, and it makes clean-up easy as well.”
Karla W. adds:
“My favorite kitchen gadget is my Ninja Foodi all-in-one cooker. I can pressure cook, use it as a cooktop to sauté, or use it as an oven. The Ninja Foodi also has an air fryer function that works great. Don’t throw out the leftover French fries, use the Foodi air fryer function and they come out even better! There’s even a setting to make yogurt.”
As a side note to the topic of multi-cookers, a lot of people wrote that they can’t live without their air fryer or their slow cooker. This is great if you already own one of these appliances. However, if you are still shopping, opt for a multicooker that does it all in one appliance.
I bet Becky N., below, bought her Instant Pot before they came up with an air fryer addition. Becky says:
“I have an air fryer that I use on a daily basis. In fact, I don’t use my stove or oven for anything other than counter space. I also use an Instant Pot on occasion.”
Why are multicookers and slow cookers so popular? Because you can throw in the ingredients, turn it on, go out exploring for the day, and come home to a hot cooked meal ready to serve. What could be better than that?
Portable induction cooktops
RVtravel.com readers LOVE their portable induction cooktops! This was the second most popular answer to our poll after multicookers.
Ted S. explains why they’re so popular:
“My wife thought of this to use instead of the propane cooktop. First off, we covered the gas cooktop for more counter space. The hot plate is fast heating, compact, easily stowed and portable to be used outside.”
Stephen H. adds:
“My favorite kitchen item is a countertop induction burner. Inside the coach, it eliminates gas stove heat and fumes and, using an extension cord, it can be used to cook or warm stuff on the outside table.”
Let’s talk RV ovens
A lot of our readers love, love, love their microwave ovens and say this is the one thing they couldn’t live without in the RV kitchen. Even more enthusiastic were those who have microwave oven/convection oven combos.
Many other readers cited a countertop toaster oven as their favorite RV small kitchen appliance. These too come with a toaster oven/convection option and the consensus among our readers is it’s worthwhile as it cooks food faster and better.
What almost all the oven commenters agreed on was a disdain for the ovens that came with their RVs. They found the other options to be far more effective.
Electric skillets
Another popular appliance a lot of our readers take along is an electric skillet. In fact, these versatile small appliances have so many uses, you could probably do most all your cooking chores with one, even if you are camping in an RV without a kitchen.
Jeannie C. said:
“My ‘must have’ is my electric skillet, which can be used to cook a variety of foods. Using the accessories that are available for it, even baking can be accomplished! It really is a most versatile tool and one I’m not willing to do without.”
Sheryl H. concurs, adding:
“I cook almost every meal in my Presto Electric Fry Pan. In three years I’m on my second one because I wore the first one clean out! You can fry, grill, bake, stew, just about does everything, and just wipes clean most of the time.”
Darla V. says:
“I love my electric skillet. You can cook outside and use it just like an expensive flat-top grill. For parks where electric is included, it’s perfect.”
Keurig coffee machines
Lastly, a lot of you love your Keurig coffee makers when in the RV.
This one surprised me as to my mind there are better, smaller space, electricity-free ways to make coffee that also generate less trash (we’ll talk about those in the next installments of this series).
But to each their own. A lot of you said you start your days in the RV with coffee made in your Keurig machines.
##RVT1090
Cannot do without my Keurig style single cup coffee maker. Only one who drinks coffee, so suits me just fine. Paid $10 for one that works the same as that $100 Keurig rig. One in house, one in RV, and a new backup ready to go. Aldi is your friend.
I replaced my Keurig with a similar sized Nespresso coffee maker. Coffee is so much better. Yes the capsules are much more expensive but for me well worth it. It is more difficult to get the capsules while on the road so have to plan ahead.
If you order them on the road, you should look at using Amazons ‘Yellow Boxes’ or having them delivered to a local ‘Whole Foods’ (yeah, I know….). We had to get some repair parts, and had them shipped to a WFM a mile from the park we are staying at.
We use refillable Keurig pods- our fav coffee, great little coffee maker and far less trash. Air fryer is pretty amazing and not as heavy as the smallest Instapot, for limited weight both for moving it and weight limits of a smaller RV.
I use to carry around my small gas grill in my rv. I also had a big stainless steel BBQ grill at home. I had bought a 17″ blackstone griddle and it sat in a box for almost 2 years. I finally forced myself to take it with me on a camping trip. I guess I was procrastinating because I thought the grill was too heavy to mess with. But I loaded it up and took it with me on the next week long rv trip. I was totally impressed by how the food cooked faster, tasted better and easy cleanup. When I got home I went out and replaced my big stainless steel BBQ with a 36″ 4-burner Blackstone griddle and never looked back. I also replaced my 17″ BS 1-burner griddle in the RV and bought a 22″ 2-burner BS griddle. The 22″ griddle gave me a little more room when making those breakfast burrito’s and warming up tortillas on the side while maintaining different temperatures. “breakfast is ready” 🙂
We purchased a portable ice maker last year. Makes 8 ice cubes every 8 minutes. It makes ice much faster than cubes being made in the freezer. We use it every few days and save extra ice in a zip lock baggie in the freezer to use for those days in between. We were at an RV show last fall and were surprised at how many new trailers come with ice Ice makers these days.
If you’ve ever wondered why campgrounds never have enough spaces, it’s because they’re built to accommodate people who can’t leave home without bringing half of their home with them.
I’ve never seen a campsite without a fire pit. I’ve never been less than satisfied with the food I prepare using it. At a certain point, you’re not even camping anymore…
Twenty years ago, I bought a Presto 11 inch electric skillet while on Typhoon recovery duty in Guam from the Navy Exchange there. My plan was to cook myself breakfast in my hotel room (they had generator power) instead of trying to find food in town (with spotty power). I still use that skillet every weekend we go camping! Had to replace a broken handle, but the thing is perfect. We have an original Keurig model that we put in the RV full time after getting a Keurig 2.0 at home.
We take our Air Fryer because if you want to bake things, or have anything end up crispy, it is the only way to go. The propane oven in our Class A has preformed so poorly, it has been demoted to space heater (pilot light only) or mainly storage. We keep a small (6 quart) InstaPot in there as well. The wife just made a small corned beef in it, then potatoes and carrots in a second batch, while doing the cabbage in the electric skillet. We also have a USB/battery powered Cuisinart stick blender as well.
No oven (inefficient anyway), no microwave (not that big of a hurry when camping) = lots of extra storage in those cavities. Small slow cooker, dutch ovens and a camp stove. Nothing I can’t make with just those items. Bonus: don’t have to worry about weight in the trailer.
If we have shore power our favorite is the Instant Pot, no electric hookup and our cast iron deep frying pan with high top lid.
We like fresh baked bread from scratch. An electric turkey roaster (ex. Nesco or Oster) works wonders over the factory oven. Good for other dishes as well.
literally shocked that Ice Maker wasnt on this list. i wouldnt go anywhere without it
Thank you, Cheri! 🙂 Interesting stuff. I clearly care far less about food than many. I must be in the tail of the distribution. 😉 Thanks again and safe travels! 🙂