Leaving our 5th wheel and moving into a Motorhome was a bit of a shock. While transferring our belongings over to our new home, I realized the difference in the size of kitchens meant I had to be creative with organizing. And say goodbye to some of my small appliances.
We donated some and placed others I wanted to keep but didn’t fit in the kitchen or in tubs in our basement storage compartments.
Our new kitchen has a two-burner induction cooktop and a combination microwave/convection oven. Adapting our meal prep and cooking style to our new space has been filled with trial and error.
Today, I am sharing some of our favorite small appliances, why we like them, and how we solved some storage issues.
Versatile Cooking Appliances
Instant Pot
We have a 6 Quart Instant Pot that we brought from our sticks & bricks home. After letting my slow cookers and crock pots go, the Instant Pot became my go-to appliance for meals. Soups, chili, ribs, chicken, baked potatoes, pulled pork, and many more.
I use the Instant Pot several times a week, so I wanted it in the kitchen, but not in an overhead cabinet. The kitchen island we purchased for the motorhome holds the instant pot and several other appliances very nicely.
Counter Convection/Toaster Oven
We like take ‘n bake pizza. Unfortunately, the small gas oven that is standard in most RVs is too small for a pizza.
While living in New Mexico in February 2018, we purchased a countertop convection/toaster oven for the kitchen in our 5th wheel. Our favorite feature? It is deep enough to bake a 14” pizza. And, it fit perfectly on our 5th wheel’s kitchen counter.
In the warm weather, we set it outside on a table near an outlet. When not in use, it’s protected with a standard grill cover. In rainy weather, we move it into the basement storage area.
We still have the oven but don’t use it inside our Motorhome because it doesn’t fit on the counter. When we are living in a colder area of the country, it stays in the basement because it doesn’t heat as well when the outside temperature is below 50 degrees. If I want to bake and don’t need a large pan, I use the convection feature on the microwave.
Air Fryer
I purchased a 4.2 Qt air fryer to give us another option for grilling and baking. It’s great for chicken, pork chops, and, my favorite, meatballs! We also use it for fries and tater tots. It has become a great alternative to the convection/toaster oven.
The air fryer is 15x13x14 inches and easily fits in the kitchen island.
Electric Skillet
The majority of my pans didn’t work on the induction cooktop. After donating them and purchasing a couple of new ones, I still wasn’t satisfied with my cooking tools.
So, I purchased an electric skillet and found the missing piece.
The cooktop works great for most of my recipes; however, I find that the electric skillet’s temperature is easier to control.
And, it fits inside the kitchen island, directly below the air fryer.
Mixing It Up
Magic Bullet
I use my Magic Bullet for chopping, grinding, making smoothies, and blending. It has been with us since we began our life on the road. It is as versatile as a standard blender and takes up very little space. The bullet and the containers I use the most fit in a basket in an overhead cabinet. The remaining pieces are in a tub in the basement storage compartment, with other items not used frequently.
Hand Mixer
When we started our journey in October 2017, I left my little hand mixer at home. On our first trip back, I grabbed it and put it in the RV. I already had an immersion blender in the RV, however, I still wanted a mixer.
Due to space constraints, the immersion blender didn’t make the appliance cut and was put into our donation pile when we moved into our Motorhome. The mixer was put into the basement ‘kitchen’ tub, and I bring it out when it’s needed.
Not too long ago, I started to miss some of the immersion blender functions. So, I went shopping and found a new immersion blender that I can use in place of the hand mixer for many functions.
A Couple More
FlexBrew Coffee Maker
We are coffee and tea drinkers. Sometimes a full pot, sometimes just a quick coffee pod. We love our FlexBrew Coffee Maker because it does both. We like the separate water reservoirs and the reusable single-serve brew basket to fill with our favorite ground coffee. We also purchase single-use plastic pods for a quick cup in the morning. The coffee maker is one of the first items we set up when arriving in a new park.
Toaster
We don’t use the convection/toaster oven for toast. It’s just too big to heat up for a couple of slices of bread.
A nice to have is a small two-slice toaster. We use ours at least once a week and store it in the kitchen island behind the Instant Pot.
Digital Scale
Many cooks measure dry ingredients by weight instead of volume. If you use a scale in your house, you’ll want one in your RV. Our digital scale is stored on the island because I use it almost daily.
Fasta Pasta
Though technically not an appliance, I wanted to include this because it is so great to have in an RV. Especially if you like pasta dishes. I was a bit hesitant when I bought my Fasta Pasta, but now I love it!
The pasta cooks in the microwave while you use the cooktop for the main and side dishes.
It is easy to clean and saves your saucepan for the sauce.
I hope this information will help you make decisions regarding the kitchen appliances in your home on the road.
If you have a favorite small appliance in your Motorhome or RV kitchen, please share it with us. We are always interested in learning how others are making RV life work for them.
Peggy Staver, the author of this blog, is a freelance copywriter specializing in outdoor recreation and hospitality. You can contact her at PSCopywriting.com. The majority of photos are taken by Photography by Andreas.
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