One of the most exciting aspects of getting an RV is getting to stock and even decorate your kitchen. What you decide to do here, of course, depends on the size of your kitchen and your cooking style. In this post, I include all of the essential RV Kitchen Accessories for a minimal setup.
Don’t worry, I will also include some extra comforts you can include to bring your RV camping experience to the next level.
So let’s get to it!
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This post is the second of a multi-post series to get your new RV up and running. On the first post, I go over the general RV Accessories Must-Haves to get on the road and set up your camper at your campsite.
Also, make sure you check out the RV Bathroom and Bedding Essentials!
I will be writing more posts about the essentials for kids, pets, and outdoor comfort in future posts. If you would like to be notified, you can go here (and get a FREE RV Departure Checklist!)
RV Kitchen Accessories for Cooking
Electric grill
Chances are, your RV already comes equipped with a stove. While a stove will provide most of what you will need to make your meals on the road, we have found our electric grill to be indispensable during our trips.
Yes, most campsites will offer outdoor grills, and you can also get an outdoor grill for the “smellier and messier” items.
But an electric indoor grill is much cleaner and so versatile!
I use my grill every day while camping to grilled cheese sandwiches, quesadillas, hot dogs, toasting bagels, and toasting bread, and toasting hummus wraps.
I love this George Foreman grill because you can remove the plates for thorough washing, and it is small enough to simply live on my kitchen counter. While small, it has been enough to suit the needs of our family of four!
Coffee maker
Can forget about this one, right? I can’t imagine starting my day in the wilderness without a warm cup of Joe…
We keep it simple here. We just use a small five-cup coffee maker because it has fewer parts to clean, but you can get fancier and go for a french press or a percolator to use on your stove top. There are also small Keurig coffee makers that would work for your RV. The reason we do not use these is to reduce plastic waste generated from the pods.
You’ve got lots of choices here. Just make sure you do not forget to bring one, ok?
Cooking Utensils
Which cooking utensils to get will depend on your preferences and cooking style, but generally, you should aim for a spatula, a cooking spoon, a food turner, a pair of tongs, and a way to keep them all together and organized.
The easiest thing to do is to get something that is easy to wash and store. After all, we are going for lightweight and small here.
I love bamboo utensils for this purpose. Bamboo is generally not safe to use in dishwashers, but this is not an issue for many RVs because they do not have them! I also love bamboo because it is compact, lightweight, durable, and eco-friendly.
This simple 8-pc bamboo set has everything you need, including tongs and a ladle!
Cutting Utensils
I am more of a “make-ahead” meals kinda gal, so I leave most of the main cutting and prepping at home.
That being said, I do have a couple of basic knives in my camper kitchen.
One thing to consider is to get knives that come with covers. This is especially important for Class A, Class B, and Class C motorhomes because in the event of an accident anything inside your rig can become a projectile.
So, let’s keep those sharp knives covered, ok?
This Farberware combination of a paring knife and san knife will cover most of your cooking needs while camping. And they are cute.
A spreader knife with a serrated edge completes my set. We use this every morning to make our bagels and sandwiches.
Pots and Pans
The sizes will depend on your cooking style, the number of people, and the size of your RV kitchen.
For us, a family of four in a 16ft Wolfpup 16BHS, we can cook almost every meal with a jumbo cooker, a non-stick pan, and a medium-size saucepan.
Related: 5 Best Dry Camping Travel Trailers
Food Storage Containers
You will need a way to bring food with you on your trip. While regular containers will do the job, I am personally a HUGE fan of silicone bags. They are freezer, microwave, and dishwasher safe, and they take up no space whatsoever when empty!
Kitchen Tools
There are some RV kitchen accessories that are so easy to forget, yet are indispensable when camping. You can buy new, or easily find used items at a nearby thrift store. Whatever you decide, make sure you are including:
- Can opener
- Bottle opener
- Lighter
- Cheese Slicer – not indispensable, but huge time and money saver because you can buy blocks of cheese instead of sliced cheese.
- Kitchen shears
- Beer can insulator
- Potholders/trivet – I like these because they can be used as trivets and jar openers
- Collapsible colander
- Cutting mats
RV Dining Room
Place Mats
Keep things simple and easy, and make sure you choose mats that you can simply wipe down. The less laundry, the better, right?
There are so many options on the market for this, and you can find beautiful mats that are still convenient. This is also one of those items that you can find in the thrift store to save a few bucks!
Square Plates
Why square? As I explain in my camper kitchen organization post, I like to store them vertically. With square dishes, I can simply place them in my cabinet on top of a non-slip shelf liner and I am good to go. Huge space saver!
You can find square melamine plates that are unbreakable (but not microwave safe), or you can give Corelle plates a try because they are chip-resistant (and cute!). These wheat straw plates are small, but durable and eco-friendly.
Notice I am not mentioning using disposable plates. While I always keep paper plates on hand, I discourage their regular use. Creating a huge amount of waste while camping is against my own camping code. I mean, we camp because we like to be out in nature, so let’s try our best to protect it, yeah?
Silverware
You can go as cheap or as fancy as you want here. I would still encourage you to keep your choices to smaller, lightweight options for your RV. And again, I would discourage the use of disposable utensils.
You can find very cheap sets of silverware at Walmart (which is what I did), at a thrift store, or small flatware sets at Amazon.
Wine tumblers
My favorite purchase by far has been these wine tumblers. They are perfect to keep my coffee warm in the morning, and my wine chilled at night. I love products that have multiple purposes, and perform each task well!
Related: Best Gifts for Campers
Cups
We normally use our water bottles but also keep a set of stainless steel cups in the camper. They are unbreakable, easy to clean, lightweight, and easy to stack and store.
Filtered Water Jug
Although you should already have an inline water filter (as I specified in the first article of this series), a water jug with filter is a great way to ensure you will have plenty of good tasting drinking water. This will reduce, if not eliminate, the need to buy several bottles of water from the store.
We have been using the Waterdrop Pitcher for nearly two years now and we are quite happy with the quality. It also comes in larger sizes if you want to keep more water on hand!
Cleaning your Kitchen
Wash basin
A washbasin is a handy tool to have. You can use it to wash dishes outside or to take them to the bathhouse sink. It is also handy to keep all of your dirty dishes in the basin until it is time to wash them, instead of the dishes taking up space in your sink.
Even better, you can hand wash clothes when the need arises…and it probably will.
We use a simple wash basin that fits inside our camper kitchen sink. It is sturdy and does its job well. While it takes up more space, I use it during transport to hold “leaky” items such as dishwashing soap, oils, or anything else that may spill and cause a mess.
Another option is to get a collapsible one. For example, this foldable basin doubles as a cutting board, which makes it a neat product to have with multiple uses.
Drying Rack
All of the dishwashing results in wet dishes and utensils. Gotta get them somewhere to dry, right?
So, get yourself a collapsible drying rack, or simply a drying mat. I use this mat with an included rack. It takes a minimal space and it gets the job done.
Kitchen towels
You are probably going to get water everywhere after doing all of the dishes, so it is nice to have some kitchen towels handy.
You can get some decorative ones (why not, right?), but I keep simple and cheap flour sack towels for all the cleaning I do. They are quite absorbent, cheap, and easy to wash and dry.
Trash Can
I was not sure if I should include this in the kitchen section, but honestly, it is where I use it the most. Where else am I going to put those coffee grounds and orange peels?
Round shapes do not do well when it comes to saving space in tight areas, so stick to small and rectangular shaped trash cans with a lid.
Some other cleaning stuff
Let’s not forget all the other little things you should have in your kitchen:
- Dishwashing soap
- Hand soap
- Mild multi surface cleaner
- Dish brush or sponge
- Garbage bags (I just use grocery bags)
For all of you foodies out there…
We are not foodies and keep our kitchen setup to a minimum. We have just enough to make something healthy and filling!
But if you would like to take it a step further, here are some other items you can consider in order to satisfy your inner chef.
Cast iron pans and dutch ovens
I know lots of people enjoy cooking with cast iron pans over the fire, as well as dutch ovens. I have never tried them, but I know they are popular! This cast iron multicooker combines both and seems small enough to keep in your RV.
Related: The Best RV Battery for Dry Camping – A Buyer’s Guide
Griddle
We have a griddle and love using it at home, but rarely bring it camping. We try to use our electric grill instead for the most part.
But if you would like to go all out and make yourself some sunny side up eggs, bacon, and pancakes with just one appliance, then a griddle is just the right thing for you!
Slow cooker and Instant Pots
Lots of families rely on slow cookers and Instant Pots to make meals in their RVs. I probably would not keep these in the RV because of their bulk. There’s nothing to say you cannot bring the ones you use at home.
Toaster Ovens
If you have a decent amount of counter space, then this is a great addition that would significantly expand your menu items.
Toaster ovens are not just for the foodie, as this is an item you can bring if you would like a fast way to make some toast or bake some mozzarella sticks!.
I would recommend not leaving toasters inside your RV, though. It is difficult to clean them completely and remove the crumbs, making these bug magnets!
Air fryer
An air fryer is yet another great counter top item that will help you quickly put some fries and chicken nuggets on your camping dishes!
Ice-maker
These are quite popular for campers. RV kitchen freezers are not particularly fast when it comes to making ice. Countertop ice makers are little magical machines that can make ice in minutes!
Last Thoughts
Keeping your RV kitchen stocked with the basic accessories is one of the huge perks of RV ownership. It really helps not having to bring your home kitchen with you anytime you are about to hit the road.
I hope this comprehensive roundup will help you get your kitchen ready to satisfy hungry bellies while you are out adventuring!
And do not forget to grab a copy of our RV Departure Checklist on your way out!
