A friend of ours told us that a couple years ago there was a list published on this forum that gave a complete list of everything a full timer would need to take along in the kitchen and she has never needed anything not on the list. Is that still available?

Thanks,
New Full Timers, Bill & Linda, starting in August '08

Don't recall that specific list but here is a current thread on the subject if you have not seen it. http://escapees.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/421609561/m/7391044642/p/1

I tend to think that the kitchen would be one of the places that might vary more than most, due to eating habits and the amount of cooking done. We have good friends who do gourmet cooking, while Pam & I are pretty basic in our cooking/eating habits. But we do require some things like a crock-pot and bread machine that others might not want.

In general, most of us carry only four place settings of dishes because that is all we can seat for dinner. We tend to think in terms of pot-luck events because they are quite common in the RV world.

We used to have much more glassware than we do today, as we so seldom used it that we weeded it out and we use plastic when we have company. There is a lot of weight in that stuff. The same is true of plates. We keep four "real" ones and all others are paper. Silverware has the same rule, but not quite as strict.

Pam has recently gone to the silicone cookware and she really likes it and it don't rattle or break. Space tends to be very limited in the kitchen so seldom used items should be kept to a minimum.

I really think that a single list to fit everyone might be too rigid for most of us.

Maybe a set of lists?
1. For a kitchen before any sort of actual cooking/heating is required. This should be a pretty generic list and would focus more on cleanup and storage activities.

2. Then a list for Soup, Sandwich-TV dinner type folks.

3. A list for country style folks where a lot of pots and pans and serving dishes and utensils would be needed. Maybe a small tow-behind corral and chicken coop would be neat.

4. And one for gourmets that requires a small landscaping trailer behind to hold all the specialty stuff and a big refrigerator....


Maybe

We only incrementally full-time (in increments of 2 - 5 weeks at a time) in a 16ft Scamp. However we rarely eat out. Since the chief cook is Vietnamese, a list of what we carry in the kitchen may not be of much interest. However our process of getting to a workable system might.

We started out taking what we thought we'd use. Whenever we had a bad weather day, we would head for the nearest town/city and shop. Often in the used places, i.e., Good Will, St. Vincent, etc., we found stuff that has worked out the best. Then when we returned to our home base, we would sort out the stuff we didn't use and re-organize our Scamp storage. After several years now, we seldom change anything.

For pans, we prefer those with thick aluminum bottoms and teflon interiors for anything boiled or sauteed. For anything fried, we carry a small cast iron skillet. With either of these, a quick swirl with a non-abrasive Scotch-Brite pad and another with a paper towel results in an acceptable level of cleanliness.

We also carry two German made pressure cookers, one small and flat and another larger one. The handles can be removed for storage.

For outdoor cooking we have a spaceship shaped charcoal cooker procured from a boating supply that can be used for grilling or for stir-frying in a wok.

A good set of knives and sharpening stone/iron set and a stainless kettle for making tea completes the utinsels.

For dinner plates, we like the colorful plastic throw-away ones that are divided into three sections. But we seldom throw them away. They wipe clean easily with a paper towel, then swish them with a non-abrasive scotch brite pad dipped in a detergent solution and a quick rinse is all they need. For flat ware, we splurged on some nice ones, as nice or nicer than we have at home.

This web link has some usefull check list that you can tailer to you.
http://www.thecampingjournal.com/?gclid=CJ6cuoS_wpQCFQMIswodPxBBFw

We live in a class B Sprinter conversion van. We don't have room or weight capacity for a lot of stuff. We are very informal people who rarely cook. We have:

4 small plastic plates with a lip that lets us serve stew on them.
4 Camping World potluck plate/platters that we haven't used yet.
4 Tupperware cereal bowls.
4 Tupperware iced tea glasses—one in the frig with cold water; the others not used yet.
2 folding mugs—we don't drink coffee but may buy some cocoa mix someday.
2 large Nalgene bottles—I pour pop in mine, Dave's is in the cupboard--he drinks from the can.
4 cloth napkins because I can't eat without a napkin and hate throwing them away every meal.
2 pots with lids.
1 skillet with lid.
1 folding trivet.
2 oven mitts.
4 sets Lexan silverware from REI.
A few pieces supplemental silverware we thought we might need but haven't used yet.
4 steak knives.
A few cooking spoons & spatulas & 2 larger knives.
1 meat fork.
1 can opener if you don't count Dave's P-38.
1 bottle opener.
1 knife sharpener.
1 potato peeler.
1 whisk.
2 bag clips.
2 sets of measuring spoons.
1 set each of dry & liquid measuring cups.
1 set Tupperware mixing bowls.
1 pizza pan in case we ever decide to bake something in our convection oven.
2 silicone baking pans, 1 loaf and 1 square in case we ever decide to bake something.
12 silicone muffin cups to use as nut cups or to bake cornbread muffins.
1 Toaster oven and the trays that came with it.
1 Tupperware pancake pitcher we haven't used yet.
1 Tupperware strainer in case we ever make another macaroni salad.
1Tupperware pie plate with lid we can use to take deviled eggs to potlucks if we ever go to any.
1 grater
1 cutting board

We eat simply. Usually cereal with fruit and turkey bacon for breakfast. Sandwiches with some selection of chips/fruit/cookies for lunch. Freeze dried entrée and desert for supper. We have lots of those 100 calories bags of snacks we eat between meals—these include things like chips, cookies, Lara Bars, jerky, nuts, etc. We eat out when it is convenient to do so but even then it tends to be places like Perkins (where I usually bring home half my meal) or some small town cafe'. We have used the microwave to make bacon and reheat restaurant leftovers and the stove to heat the water for our freeze dried foods and cook hot dogs. One of these days we'll make something real—like a flavored rice mix with some meat or fish stirred into it.

Linda

This message has been edited. Last edited by: sandsys,

Only you can really know what you need to bring along. Each cook is different. Of course you will carry the basics like plates, silverware, pots and pans, but after that the field is wide open. For me one of the must haves is my Weber "Q" gas grill. I also carry a full complement of spices (40) and it's still not enough spice. Most folks can get by on salt and pepper and a couple of others. I grill almost everything in every meal. I have used the stove top in our MH exactly once in 9 months and that was because it was too rainy and cold to cook under the awning. If I can't slice and dice it, it's going on the grill. The one thing that I really miss is my Kitchen Aid Pro 6 QT mixer and I don't bake much. I grind my own meat and make vegetable and fruit purees, whipped creams. herb butter, the list could go on forever.

As you can see the list can vary completely from person to person according to each individual. So it's going to be tough to get a definitive list.

It's like, if you ask my Lovely Lady Linda what to bring along, her answer is simple "A credit card."

Bruce

I don't believe that there is a "one size fits all" rule of thumb. My sticks and bricks kitchen had different items in it than my friend across town. She did more cooking than I did. Decide what type of cooking you will be doing and the space provided as well as the weight you have to work with. I agree with Kirk, we take only a setting for 4. I have 2 different size pans, 1 skillet. My glasses are nice plastic type (they don't break). I have several tupperware type storage containers. I also like those rubbery type pans you use in the convection oven. No weight there. I love my crock pot - we can go out exploring or workamping for the day and dinner will be ready when we get home. Take what you think you will need and then as you get into fulltiming you may find you need to get rid of something you aren't using and add something you need.
I would recommend a nice grill. We cook outside as often as possible.
Good luck and have fun!

My wife and I just scaled back our kitchen. We went through tons of junk that we never use(d). I couldn't believe how much stuff we had to have but never used. We eat pretty good and scaling back to the basic hasn't hurt us one bit. I can't believe the amount of space we gained. Just remember "KISS" Keep It Simple Silly

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