Now that the warm months are upon us, many families are looking forward to camping in the summer in their RVs and trailers. A big part of summer RVing involves enjoying delicious food with your friends and family while you’re out in nature. Sometimes, though, you don’t feel like heating up your camper on an already warm day with the energy from your stove, or spending hours in the cramped quarters of your kitchen trying to fix a gourmet meal with limited space and lower-quality appliances than the ones you’re accustomed to using at home.
Cooking in your camper doesn’t have to be a trial, though! The seasoned campers of Wisconsin RV World in Deforest, Wisconsin, know that having good food is essential to your camping experience, but that you don’t want to spend too much time or energy preparing it. That’s why we’ve created this quick guide to help you get the most out of your limited RV kitchen without stressing too much. Follow our tips and you’ll be able to have delicious meals every day of your vacation.
Use Your Slow Cooker
Slow cookers are a valuable tool when you’ve got other things to do besides watch a pot boil or time something in the oven. You can start out in the morning by spending ten minutes filling the cooker with ingredients, set it to simmer and by the time you’re done driving to your destination or doing whatever fun recreational activities you find at your campsite, you’ve got a hot meal ready to eat. You can prepare soups, stews, cuts of meat and even casseroles and desserts in your slow cooker, so look up some recipes and make sure to use it on your trip!
Microwave It!
Some may eschew the microwave as a tool of the lazy, but honestly, it’s a wonderful way to heat up leftovers, steam vegetables, cook potatoes and prepare instant rice and other side dishes without dirtying a pan or boiling water. If you’re really not feeling like cooking, you can even use it to cook frozen prepared meals.
Clean As You Go
Your RV kitchen is pretty compact, so you won’t have a lot of space to spread out and cook like you would at home. You’ll have to make the best of it by cleaning as you go, making sure to rinse off knives and cutting boards, set pans in the sink to soak, put spices and ingredients away right after you use them and wipe down counters so you can use them for the next step of the cooking process. This also means less work when you’re done eating, so it’s a win-win.
Cook In Advance
If you have time at home before you set out, you can use all those wonderful spices, condiments and kitchen appliances at your home to prepare your favorite recipes, then store them in Tupperware containers that you can stick in your RV freezer. When it comes time for a meal, pull them out and toss them in the microwave. Instant home-cooked meals on the road without heating up your kitchen or spending your precious daylight hours inside instead of relaxing by the lake!
Don’t Cook
This tip may sound counterintuitive, but bear with us. You can still prepare great food without ever turning on a burner or opening the oven. Need a quick, nutritious breakfast? Pull out the blender and chop up some fruit for smoothies, or pour everyone granola topped with yogurt and diced fruit. Breakfast cereal is a classic no-cook staple, too, and a great snack for the kids. For lunch, set out an array of lunch meats, sliced cheese, fresh greens, sliced tomatoes and condiments and let everyone construct their own sandwich. Toss in a few bags of chips and a jar of pickles and you have a tasty lunch that took no heat to prepare. For dinner, use some leftover grilled salmon, chop some previously hard boiled eggs or open some canned chicken to add protein to a big tossed salad, served with some sliced French bread. Make fridge bars or instant pudding for dessert.
Now that you’re well-versed in the best ways to cook in your camper, it’s time to get your RV ready for your next trip! If your RV needs service or repairs, call our maintenance department to have us look it over for you. Looking to upgrade? We carry a huge selection of new and used RVs, trailers and campers for your browsing pleasure. Wisconsin RV World serves the cities of Madison, Eau Claire, Green Bay and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with our Deforest location.
