Favorite kitchen appliances/gadgets? - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Jim and Barb · RV-Dreams Family Member

Favorite kitchen appliances/gadgets?

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

As a single male traveler most needed Are:

1) maid !
2) church key bottle opener
3) industrial floor steamer and shop Vac

No Really

1) coffee maker
2)teflon muffin trays & loaf pans......the rubber type
3)Multi cooker...( looks like a crockpot) it steams , roasts,frys, makes rice.......next years model should be self cleaning!!!
4)Stove top or electric griddle

Cindy T · RV-Dreams Family Member

If you use the Search feature of this forum & type the word kitchen, you'll see this list has been done as kitchen "must-haves". There's over 50 posts there & a lot of good info. That thread is a great place to start.

Racerguy · RV-Dreams Family Member

We eat very simple(don't care for Gourmet food) so a few fry pans,a couple sauce pans and our overused George Foreman was all we needed when we were on the road. smile smile

-- Edited by Racerguy on Wednesday 23rd of January 2013 12:35:44 PM

Technomadia · RV-Dreams Family Member

For us, our must haves include:

- Immersion blender/food processor combo
- Rice Cooker
- Portable induction cooktop hob
- Spice organizer
- Vegetable/fruit basket
- Ice Orb vertical ice tray
- Organizer bins in the fridge
- Really good knives & sharpener
- Quality pans
- Serving bowls for the random potluck

Your must haves will probably fairly closely mimic those of your current kitchen, actually. If you enjoy cooking, don't skimp :)

- Cherie

Ann-Hank · RV-Dreams Family Member

Love our portable ice cube maker. Its about the size of a bread maker and we keep it in the basement.
Ann

The Bear II · RV-Dreams Family Member

I like the Rocket Grill by Sunbeam to grill meat, veggies, fish...etc. Frozen or thawed.

It uses parchment paper pouches that you place what you want to cook in, stick the pouch in the Rocket Grill and it grills the food on both sides.

Take the food out of the pouch, throw the pouch away and no other clean up. Saves on water and holding tank space.

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

What, no one is doing Sous-vide?

NWescapee · RV-Dreams Family Member

Ann - can you elaborate on the ice cube maker? Looking at our DRV fridge/freezer, seems the ice maker takes up at least 25% of the freezer space.

PIEERE · RV-Dreams Family Member

LIKE MY: crockpot 1.5 qt for a single person.

microwave

4 cup coffee maker--- Of course no Hi-test for me.

Ann-Hank · RV-Dreams Family Member

Hi Ruth, ours is by NewAir. Model AI -100SS, got it from Amazon. There are several different makers and all look about the same, prices range $150-$200. Makes a batch in about 10 min. The ice isn't real hard, but is great for drinks, and as long as you dumb the bin it diss just keeps pumping out nuggets . We don't have an ice maker in our fridge and the trays just took up too much room.
We have a friend that has a boat and supplies everyone on their cruises with ice.
Ann

WestWardHo · RV-Dreams Family Member

We have Keruig's, both at home and in our 5er. (BTW, DH set up their very first customer service deapartment back in the dark ages.) When visiting my son in Chicago at Thanksgiving, he pointed out that he had done a cost analysis on Starbucks Via coffee VS a Keruig for his home office. (He's an MBA, what can I say? : ) the Via packs came out ahead as it would take so long to offset the cost of a Keruig machine.

We each drink 2-3 cups a day, so that analysis may not hold true. We like strong coffee but find storing (counter space) the Keruig and the case of pods are very space consuming.

He also showed us the secret of the Via packs is to put powder in dry cup and pour boiling water into it, rather than the reverse as steam clogs the little packet.

The space saving really appeals to us. Now if I can just buy Cafe Verona Via packs in bulk, we'll have two Keruig's for sale.

Just sharing some thoughts.

Sherry

-- Edited by WestWardHo on Thursday 24th of January 2013 11:16:23 AM

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

put my keruig away.........hamelton Beach makes the one cup scoop small very efficient and you use coffee out of the can or grinder .....no fancy filters......works great!!

Mark Serley · RV-Dreams Family Member

some people swear by their keruig, i prefer my 4-cup mister coffee, to each his own......mike! mark

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Mark Serley wrote:
some people swear by their keruig, i prefer my 4-cup mister coffee, to each his own......mike! mark

I agree. I think the coffee is cheaper as well. I don't care about spending a bunch of money for froo-froo coffee. Oddly enough, my 4-cup Mr. Coffee is still going strong with two pots per day for the last 13 3/4 years.

Terry

janieD · RV-Dreams Family Member

To make it even simpler and even better coffee our choice is a french press. No electric required.

VanMar · RV-Dreams Family Member

Terry and Jo wrote:
Mark Serley wrote:
some people swear by their keruig, i prefer my 4-cup mister coffee, to each his own......mike! mark

I agree. I think the coffee is cheaper as well. I don't care about spending a bunch of money for froo-froo coffee. Oddly enough, my 4-cup Mr. Coffee is still going strong with two pots per day for the last 13 3/4 years.
Terry

For those of you with Keurig coffee makers, there is hope for a cheap cup of joe. DW found, online, a reusable plastic grounds holder. It has a hinged lid and fine filter screens on the bottom. Just fill it with your favoritde grounds, snap it shut and treat it just like a K-cup. She bought it when it first hit the market and paid about ten bucks. I think she has since found it in local stores at four for $10. Only problem is, after a certain amount of usage, the plastic hinge will break. Not a problem...you now just have a two-piece K-cup.

Vance

Neil and Connie · RV-Dreams Family Member

Breville 800 Toaster Oven; get the mid line model so you can actually bake in it where as in most "toaster ovens" the baking function is pretty limited. We kept our Expresso machine but haven't gotten it out of the storage cabinet since we put it there in June. I kept one (of 3) food processors I had, a waffle maker, hand mixer, rice cooker/steamer, and crock pot. Most of the other occasional use stuff like pasta roller, stand mixer, and the like I didn't keep as the number of times they were used isn't worth the storage space. I'm thinking about getting an immersion blender again though…I would use that but would get an AC powered one rather than a battery operated model which is never charged when you need it.

Coffee pot and electric can opener we kept as well.

Grams · RV-Dreams Family Member

We still live in B&S, put plan to take our countertop icemaker with us. Got it at Target, was about $90 on sale. Has worked great for several years. We also got a Nespresso coffee maker for ourselves for Christmas ... love it! Not tall, so it will fix under the kitchen cabinets. We will only have 11.5"

suse1023 · RV-Dreams Family Member

mike what is a multi cooker?
we need a cookery gadget as we prefer not to use the burners inside the rig.
dh is an avid griller and loves his grill with side burners, but it's too dang big to travel with us.
he is a sucker for an info-merccial and thinks the nuwave convection cooker might be the way to go--i'm thinking toaster oven with broiler instead...
what to do what to do?

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

my multi cooker is called a Ninja....it looks like a big crockpot....it steams ,roasts,frys,slowcooks it is great for me...I also carry a webber 200 grill onboard....my kitchen aid mixer....bread machine ..

I like to cook & Bake!!!!

laears · RV-Dreams Community Member

I would like to hear more about the kind of ice maker you have or others may have. We will be full timing in the spring and I/we use a lot of ice and say this is a must have, DH says not needed. Of course I will win smile . But want to get a good one when I do, there not cheap.

suse1023 · RV-Dreams Family Member

we have a counter top ice maker which my dh loves. but I do not--as it does not hold the ice, he has to bag it and store it in the freezer.
what a stupid pain in the arse thing it is to constantly be making room---as much as it cost it should dang well keep the ice it makes cold!
whew, I needed to get that out!

now back to your regularly scheduled programming...

PJ Vagabond · RV-Dreams Community Member

I love sous vide cooking! And Mike, all it takes is a cheap styrofoam cooler and a thermometer (and HOT water). I cook up a bunch of steaks or chicken, freeze, then it is just the browning the outside and it's ready!

Barbaraok · RV-Dreams Family Member

Our electric cork screw from Sharper Image (also have a couple of manual cork screws just in case). I mean there is just so much roughing it that a body can take.

Barb

Nanascots · RV-Dreams Community Member

The older post Is good...but, it seems there's always new products coming out! The toastation is interesting... I like the toaster oven and my hubby likes the pop-up! So, this works for us! We hope to get our RV in about a year...

TRAILERKING · RV-Dreams Family Member

Margaritaville Machine.....................Just wish the ice maker could keep up. wink

scrappy · RV-Dreams Family Member

Our NuWave Induction Cooktop. Love it!! The only downside is you need induction capable cookware. We use the small pan they sent with cooktop, and our Lodge cast iron. But, my good Calphalon stainless sits in drawer under stove.....*sniff*

And our convection toaster oven. I bake cookies, cakes, pies in it. Awesome.

BiggarView · RV-Dreams Family Member

TRAILERKING wrote:
Margaritaville Machine.....................Just wish the ice maker could keep up.

When do the doors open? Do you "card"?

'ritas..... mmmmm biggrin

-- Edited by biggaRView on Thursday 15th of May 2014 10:39:32 AM

HabDaddy · RV-Dreams Family Member

Must haves that I use everytime I camp:

Mr Coffee Make - 4 cup

Electric Griddle

Sharp Knives (small, med, and large)

Outdoor Gas Grill

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Wife.....

......I can't cook.

Terry

manycats · RV-Dreams Family Member

George Foreman grill with several removable plates. A little too heavy for my taste but perfect when it's raining outside and you want steak, pork chops, chicken, etc. Makes great grilled sandwiches, frozen biscuits, veggies and useful for warming some food you don't want to microwave. Has a deeper plate good for cornbread, a mini lasagna and "wet" recipes. Easy to clean, just put in wet paper towels while it's still hot and everything steams off the plates. You can't feed a crowd but perfect for the two of us.

Classy Lady · RV-Dreams Family Member

My Cuisinart Rice Cooker is my favorite appliance in the RV. It is very versatile. Of course it cooks rice well, but it also steams veges, fish, chicken, etc on top when the rice is finishing. The manual gives times for cooking other foods. I recently did a big pot of potatoes very successfully. Doesn't heat up the RV as cooking on the stove would. My other appliance is an older Crock Pot. I like to make oatmeal in the crockpot - great recipe if anyone wants. Also love making a chicken dish which is very versatile. On our last trip we had 8 or 9 dry camping sites. We carry a camp-style coffee pot to percolate coffee on the stove. I had to reteach myself how to do this. Now it tastes as good as the electric pot.

Sushidog · RV-Dreams Family Member

A rice pot is essential for me. Sure I can cook rice in a pot on the stove, but it's much easier to make consistent sushi rice with a rice pot.

Where does everyone keep their big pot and burner for boiling crawfish, crabs, shrimp, and frying turkeys and such? Most La. campers carry their burner, hose and regulator inside their 80-96+ qt pot, along with their seasoning. My 96 qt pot is just the perfect size for a sack of crawfish. A narrow 30qt pot is better for frying turkeys, as it uses less oil. If using one of these smaller pots you must ease the turkey into the hot oil, or it will boil over, starting a huge fire. Always have a fire extinguisher on hand, just in case. Of course you could nest the 30 qt inside your 96 qt boiling pot, but you'd have to store the burner elsewhere. When I found crawfish this big I just couldn't resist:

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Chip

TRAILERKING · RV-Dreams Family Member

Sushidog wrote:

Laissez les bon temps rouler!
Chip

Yikes......................You sure know how to get me to clear the table. I'll take the beer.................See ya later.

I never did like the looks of those things.

BiggarView · RV-Dreams Family Member

TRAILERKING wrote:
Sushidog wrote:

pix
Laissez les bon temps rouler!
Chip
Yikes......................You sure know how to get me to clear the table. I'll take the beer.................See ya later.
I never did like the looks of those things.

Your loss Bernie

Chip.... Mangeons! Passer les écrevisses! smile biggrin

-- Edited by biggaRView on Wednesday 16th of July 2014 08:04:02 AM

TRAILERKING · RV-Dreams Family Member

biggaRView wrote:
Your loss Bernie
Chip.... Mangeons! Passer les écrevisses!

-- Edited by biggaRView on Wednesday 16th of July 2014 08:04:02 AM

Just curious...........................What do they taste like?? What are they similar to??

I don't touch lobster either.

It's always been a flashback I guess back from elementary school when we would have to dissect crayfish. Used to hate it.

I can still remember the smell of the liquid they used to store them in......Yuck.

However I do love fish, shrimp, crab meat out of the can(not out of the legs).

BiggarView · RV-Dreams Family Member

While not exactly like shrimp in taste, that would be closest. Harvesting the meat from the cooked shell/exoskeleton can be a bit messy, but it's all part of the experience. Like peanuts, it's hard to stop eating them once you start.... mmmmm!!!

Sushidog · RV-Dreams Family Member

They have the texture similar to shrimp and are boiled in a spicy seasoning that obliterates much of the subtlety of the taste, but it a little richer, sweeter taste than shrimp (sort of between shrimp and crab). The fat (what you get when you suck the head) is sweet and buttery. It is technically not a fat, as both crabs and crawfish store their energy in the form of a carbohydrate. Crawfish fat is much tastier than crab fat and is the secret to making a buttery crawfish bisque. I think they are a natural source of crack cocaine, as they sure are addictive. I probably boil about 20-30,000 lbs a year, mainly at festivals and such.

BiggaRView, Bonjour mon ami! Il est bon de voir un collègue cajun sur ce site.

Speaking of sucking the head, here's a poster that hangs on the wall of my kitchen:

Chip

-- Edited by Sushidog on Wednesday 16th of July 2014 02:39:37 PM

cherylbrv · RV-Dreams Family Member

Further up this thread was talk about coffee makers. I'm a tea person and in my s&b I had a water cooler with a hot water spigot. I got very spoiled not having to wait for water to boil for my tea.

The best investment I made for the RV was a whistling tea pot. The first few days I boiled water on the stove in a saucepan. Almost burned it each time, as I forgot all about it. The whistle is a life saver! (I did try boiling it in the microwave, but somehow it tastes a little different).

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

Cheryl: You might want something like this from Walmart.com - http://www.walmart.com/ip/SPT-Hot-Water-Dispensing-Pot-with-Dual-Pump-System/19301757. Amazon has many more choices, they are very popular in Asia.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Cheryl,

If you two also do coffee, this is what Jo decided that we needed. It has a reservoir for each side, the coffee side and the hot water side. She really likes it, and since it still makes coffee, it's suitable for me as well.

Cuisinart Coffee Plus

When we have traveled (only just recently), Jo places a bath towel across the two sink parts and sets the coffee maker on one side and the carafe for the coffee maker on the other side.

Terry

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Now, again a thread has gotten off topic. Let's get back to kitchen "gadgets and appliances."

Terry

BiggarView · RV-Dreams Family Member

Terry and Jo wrote:
Now, again a thread has gotten off topic. Let's get back to kitchen "gadgets and appliances."
Terry

Was that before or after you mentioned Jo as your favorite kitchen appliance or gadget? biggrin biggrin smile confuse On a similar vein, I tend to stay out of the kitchen.

-- Edited by biggaRView on Thursday 17th of July 2014 02:12:04 PM

Cindy T · RV-Dreams Family Member

I don't know if this would be called a gadget, but I think it is the handiest item I've purchased for our RV kitchen.

This is the Polytherm Grid System from The Container Store. I have it hanging on the wall behind the kitchen sink. I got several little baskets to hang on it & that's where I keep the fruits & veggies that aren't kept in the fridge. It works really well & makes the useless wall behind the sink really useful. It's a real space saver & I love it!

laears · RV-Dreams Community Member

I love my ice maker, BUT it only good if your going to stay in one place for while, other wise it's to much of a pain to put away and get back out, because of it's size goes under our bed. But it will be a keeper for those time when we stay put.

blijil · RV-Dreams Family Member

Small Kerug gets the most use closely followed by our blender which is a magic bullet.

Classy Lady · RV-Dreams Family Member

I have four kitchen appliances, that I consider necessary: coffee pot, small crock pot, rice cooker, and hand blender. The hand blender is quite useful. We make milk from nonfat dry milk every other day and the hand blender mixes the milk so there is no foam. I have also used the hand blender to blend canned tomatoes when I want a smooth sauce.

I forgot to mention our small Dyson vacuum cleaner. It is fantastic way to keep up with dog hair.

-- Edited by Classy Lady on Thursday 24th of July 2014 07:38:18 PM

Talensnana · RV-Dreams Family Member

DH could not live without his coffee pot. I love my Breville 650 oven and my Deni steamer. I use them every day in the sticks and bricks and will be doing the same on the road.