I have been living from Van since 2016 and have cooked great meals in my motorhome van (or now my adventure truck), is one of my favorite parts from Van Life. But now that I travel full -time with my son, I had to prioritize meals that are quick, convenient and easy to clean. With a limited space in our rig, I can’t pack everything I want, so I reduced our Campervan cooking equipment to the essentials that we use the most.
In this article, I share my preferred proven essential of the van Life Kitchen equipment-the cookware, the utensils and the equipment that make cooking on the street simple and stress-free. Regardless of whether you can do a new build or update your current setup, you can eat with these van Life Cooking -important essentials without overloading your room.
Further tips for planning van Life meals can be found in my guide for cooking delicious food in a tiny room.
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Large kitchen appliances
Over the years I have found which Camper -Van cook equipment is actually worth the room -and what we can live without life. These are the most important devices that I use most in our van. Some people love to have things like a toaster or an Omnia stove (if you cook with gas), but for our setup this list covers everything we use to make cooking on the street easier.
Induction stove: While gas stoves are actually suitable for cooking outdoors, an induction stove in your motorhome van makes it much easier. No setup is required, no ingredients outdoors and cleaning is child’s play. Simply note that you need a powerful battery system and an inverter to do it. I strongly recommend that I avoid a built-in propane oven-I had one in my first van, and it took a lot of space, was not the safest option and was a great effort to clean.
Small air roast: Apart from our stove, our air fryer is the device that we use the most. We have the Instant Pot Vortex Mini (2-liter capacity) and it is the perfect size for a pack of tofu that we eat regularly. I also use it to make sweet potato fries, roast vegetables, heat the remains and even roast bread.
Small instant -pot -quick cooking pot: I bring the smallest instant pot in our motorhome and it is a game-change for fast, hands-off meals. It is perfect for cooking rice, quinoa, beans, soups, lentils and stew pasta. I love that I can hire and forget – to free myself to clean up, play with my son outside or to do something during dinner.
Cuisine: I use the Magma Nisting Induction stainless steel cocket set and it was amazing. While this set is heavy, the handles are removable and the pots nest together to save space, and they are super high quality (in contrast to most Camp cooking harness). In my experience, the stainless steel keeps better than not a stick. I used to have the non -Steak version and the coating was scratched on some bumpy streets.
microwave: A microwave is definitely a luxury article, but now that we have one in our Rossmonster Baja Trail Truck Camper, I use it every day. It makes the heating of remains, milk for my morning mata or late popcorn quick and easy. I have lived for eight years without surviving, but if you have the room and the power capacity, it is a nice convenience.
mixer: We brought our big vitamix with us, but frankly it is too bulky, difficult and annoying to clean for Van’s life. While I love it for smoothies and homemade hummus, a personal ninja mixer is a more practical choice. It is compact to clean or drink directly from the mixer cup.
Most of my cooking devices fit into a closet below the counter in my Rossmonster Baja Trail Truck Camper
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Cooking utensils
Below you will find a list of cooking utensils that I most often use in my motorhome. I recommend looking for a cooking utensils set that contains most of these articles so that you don’t have to buy everything separately. Search for silicone tools from food-sie are safe, heat-resistant and easy to clean.
I keep things organized in my drawer with partitions, so that everything is always easy to find.
Get my free guide for the van Life food
Would you like to make cooking even easier on the street? Download my free list of Easy van Life meals and must-have pantry staples. It is full of simple ideas and ingredients that make purchases and meals into a child’s play-Perfect to keep your motorhome kitchen in stock and stress-free.
Dishes
When it comes to dinner in our motorhome van, I avoid plastic as far as possible. Since we strive to prepare good meals, it is nice to enjoy them on normal plates and bowls instead of tiny, thin camping dishes. Here are my recommendations:
4 plates: Even if you only travel with two people, it is helpful to have four plates so that you are not immediately forced to wash dishes – and you are ready when you have guests. I like the high -performance -rtic anywhere plate set and light weight made of stainless steel panels.
4 shells: These hydropic surface shells are light, durable and large enough for a hearty bowl soup, salad or muesli.
Isolated cups: Bring one per person. I use the Yeti Rambler cup – it keeps coffee and tea hot for hours and the lid is really easy to clean.
Additional cups: It is nice to have 1 or 2 extra light cups for drinking electrolytes, cold drinks after a hike or a glass of wine around the campfire.
Cutlery: I prefer to use silver goods regularly via camping -specific utensils. It is heavier, but it is much nicer to eat and makes the meals a little more homely.
Coffee/tea
Coffee and Matcha are on our morning menu in our van. Here is the van-friendly kitchen equipment with which we get our fix.
Kettle: A small electric kettle is perfect for quickly boiling water for coffee, tea or immediate meals.
Coffee machine (Aeropress): The Aeropress is small, compact and makes a delicious cup of coffee. It is also super easy to clean – as soon as you are finished, just overthrow the terrain in the trash and rinse it briefly. Not a messy wet earth that goes down the drain.
Compact coffee grinder: We usually buy ground coffee because it is easier, but if you prefer to use whole beans, you want a small hand -sick or an electric coffee grinder.
Milk frother: I use a handheld milk jar to make creamy, foamy milk for my matcha. It is easy to store easy and makes my morning drink like a pleasure.
Loose leaf tea parts: If you like to drink loose leaf tea, a small tea stair is a must. It hardly takes up space and simply makes it easier to enjoy a high -quality tea without the waste of tea bags.
Use the Aeropress Go Coffee Maker in my motorhome car
Food storage
When it comes to grocery stores in a motorhome, it is important to save space and keep things organized. I like to use reusable, not plastic options that are compact, durable and easy to clean.
Foldable silicone tupperware: Space is always in a motorhome in a motorhome, and foldable tupperware is a great solution. If you do not use them, they flatten and take up little space.
Stasher bags: Stasher bags are reusable, durable and available in different sizes. They are perfect for packing snacks for hikes, storing remains in the refrigerator or even heating foods are microwave-safe and can be moved in boiling water. Wait until they are offered for sale because they are quite expensive!
Clean up
If you have the right tools, it is much easier to keep your van kitchen clean. I like to keep things with quick drying towels and compact cleaning equipment that doesn’t take up much space.
Microfiber towels: These ultra -absorbent (and cheap!) Microfiber towels are ideal for drying dishes and hands and take up very little space.
Saps towel or cloudy drying mat: When we make dishes, we put a quick dry towel on the counter to lay out the clean dishes before we dry them.
Tafile brush with soap under control: Makes the dishes wash quickly and easily without needing a separate soap bottle.
Environmentally friendly mature: With biodegradable, non-toxic soap, the environmental water is particularly protected if you released gray water outdoors.
Last thoughts
After years of part-time van-life and now full-time with my son I find out that the right kitchen setup can have your experiences on the street or break. If we simply, comfortably and easy to clean, we can spend less time dealing with dishes, and more time to collect the places where we are there to explore.
I hope that this list of my favorite cooking equipment of my favorite campervan and the essential of Van Life Kitchen helps you to feel safer to expand your own kitchen setup.
If you have a favorite kitchen equipment without which you cannot live, I would like to hear about it in the comments.
Michael Johnson is an advocate for sustainable tourism, helping travelers minimize their environmental footprint. He collaborates with eco-friendly resorts and conservation initiatives.
