Heather Schlueter - RV Cooking Made Easy: 100 Simple Recipes for Your Kitchen on Wheels

Twenty-five years ago, I used to send my kids to my sister and brother-in-law for a week, and they would take them camping along with their own kids. I had no interest. Send me to a five-star resort, please. And my kids would come back home every year full of stories and laughs and family bonding that would last a lifetime.

One year, my brother-in-law couldnt go, and my sister begged me to go instead. Lets just say it was not an easy task for her to convince me. But she did. So the two of us took our young children up to the pine treeladen forest of northern Arizona in their little pop-up camper that could sleep an amazing number of people.

Getting there and setting up was a bit chaotic, to say the least. But the next morning, I woke before anyone, snuck out of the pop-up, started a morning fire, heated up a cup of joe, and sat there, curled up in my camp chair as I watched the sun sneak up over the horizon to stream through those pines, creating the most spectacular and peaceful scenery I had ever seen. I was hooked.

After that trip, I went home and bought my very first campera small pop-up just like my sisters. And weve been camping ever since. Ive had everything from that little pop-up to a forty-foot Class A motor home to a tow-behind pod with an outdoor kitchen to a thirty-six-foot fifth wheel. I love them all and I could happily camp today in any of these RVs. Its all about the experience.

And food is a huge part of the experience. I dont recall what I made on that inaugural trip (hot dogs and Pop-Tarts ring a bell) but I have now cooked in every type of RV out there for the past twenty-five years. In fact, our families still go RVing together, and I do all the food planning and cooking for our trips. It makes me happy (and it makes my sister happy, too!).

My goal with this book is to bring together everything Ive learned about RV cooking over twenty-five years and share the tips, tricks, and recipes that have always worked so that you can spend less time stressing about food and more time enjoying your own RV experiencecreating memories, stories, laughs, and lifelong bonds.

Give me the choice today between RVing and a five-star resort, and RVing wins. Every. Single. Time.

Storage space. Countertop space. Refrigerator space. All are in short supply in an RV and can cause cooking challenges. But with some careful planning and organization, you can put together an amazing variety of fabulous meals, even while youre out enjoying quality family time in the great outdoors.

Each recipe in this book has its own set of ingredients, but the following is a list of general good-to-have-around seasonings and staples. Keep the size of your kitchen in mind when selecting ingredients. If you have a tiny kitchen with a very tiny pantry, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning will go a very long way.

Salt

Black pepper

Italian seasoning

Seasoned salt

Cayenne pepper

Grilling spice blend

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Ground cinnamon

Red pepper flakes

Dried basil

Dried oregano

Dried thyme

Dried rosemary

Olive oil (regular & extra-virgin)

Nonstick cooking spray

White wine vinegar

Balsamic vinegar

Tabasco

Soy sauce

Hoisin sauce

Maple syrup

Relish

Mustard

Steak sauce

BBQ sauce

All-purpose flour

White sugar

Brown sugar

Cornstarch

Baking powder

Coffee & coffee creamer

Breadcrumbs (regular & panko)

Pantry organization is essential in an RV kitchen due to the limited space, and I have tried any number of solutions to keep things neat and tidy. Typically, RV cupboards tend to be deep to utilize all available space. But this can make it difficult to see or reach items in the back of the cupboard, and its rare to find a good, confined space to keep spice jars and bottles.

Heres how I make the most of my RV kitchen:

Use small plastic bins that fit into smaller kitchen cabinets to store spice jars. These bins will typically fit in the upper small cabinets. Organize the spices alphabetically so each one is easy to find when you need it.

Use a larger plastic bin for liquids such as oils, vinegars, and syrup. Keeping them all in one container will limit any potential mess, should one of the containers get jostled around and tip over (yes, that happens!).

Keep breads in an open cubby, if possible, to reduce the potential for mold. Flat breads, such as pita or tortillas, take up far less space and usually last longer than regular loaf bread.

Put baking staples such as flour and sugar in sturdy plastic containers with lids. Empty plastic nut containers from warehouse stores work well and can usually be stacked neatly on top of each other without creating a mess.

Put taller, boxed items such as cereal, crackers, and cookies in the back of larger cabinets. They will be easy to see and easy to reach.

Keep canned goods together and in front of boxed items but be mindful of the weight. Some RV shelving is a little weak and can easily be overloaded, causing them to bow.

Place bags of chips and items that are frequently grabbed in an easy-to-reach but high cabinet.

Due to the weight, bottled water should be placed in cabinets on the floor.

Proper meal planning can make the difference between a relaxing and enjoyable experience with family and friends or a stressful and miserable RV trip. I love cooking in the great outdoorswhether Im outside using a portable grill or camp oven, or in the RV using the cooktop or oven.