I was posting in an RVing group in Facebook about what other RVers liked/disliked about their kitchens. For me, I feel pretty lucky since we have a peninsula for counter space and a 4-door freezer/frig. I'd like a little more storage space and we could gain that by pulling out our one shelf dishwasher that we never use.
We probably have adequate space but need to arrange it better....I've tackled this twice and gotten rid of things we don't use but I could probably still do more. I have a bad habit of thinking that I might use something....someday. ;-)
I store extra paper products behind our loveseat (it's a recliner so no underneath storage). The cabinets over the sofa store office supplies, wine and beer glasses, pots/pans, vacuum containers, vacuum sealer, extra coffee mugs and shoe care products (yeah, I know...what a mixture...LOL)
I also chatted about how others shopped...every couple of days, daily, weekly, monthly. Do they shop at chain stores, local markets, big discount stores, outdoor stands. We tend to do most of our shopping at Wal-Mart Supercenters, due to prices and availability.
We eat a lot of fresh fruit and veggies (for salads and stir-fry mostly) as well as frozen veggies. Our freezer is always full of whole wheat sandwich thins, chicken, fish, bison, Italian turkey sausage, ground turkey. The frig is full of milk, yogurt (vanilla for my cereal, blueberry and peach for desserts), salad fixings, fresh fruit, and condiments....oh, and don't forget the beer. LOL!
I'm not a cook...never have been, never will be. Don't really like to cook but do the basics. We eat simply, that helps. But it makes me wonder how folks keep stuff on hand to cook a large variety of dishes without things spoiling. Even spices go stale after a while....
So what do you do? What do you like/dislike about your kitchen? Do you have a free-standing freezer? If so, where do you store it? Inquiring minds want to know.....LOL!
Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna and Stu
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Stu and Donna
I guess for a small kitchen I love it... I have a small pull out counter that has storage in it.. good counter space. We shop once a week and usually by to much and then I am panicking about where to store it. I love to cook and try new recipes but sometimes it's hard. We mostly shop at Walmart & Sams. My pantry, cabinets & drawers are stuffed. We also have a small freezer outside underneath which hold a lot of meats. I also have the 4 door fridge. I know I could do with less but I have adapted.
ReplyDeleteHave fun & Travel safe
Donna
I could use more counter space but with this motorhome I feel fortunate to have adequate storage. I do love my freezer in the basement!
ReplyDeleteWe do find ourselves "big" shopping about twice a month and filling in during the rest of the month.
My kitchen is too small, with the main problem being lack of counter space. We have a stand up freezer that sits in an empty space in the kitchen. It's a life saver because we have a small 2 door refrigerator. I'm not a cook either. We use our New Wave oven all the time and it helps with the space issues...even though it takes up a good bit of space. It takes the place of a toaster, grill, and I normally cook all our meat, veggies, pizzas, breads on it. Rarely use the oven or burners anymore.
ReplyDeleteWe don't plan ahead on meals. When we get hungry, then we think about it....probably why we eat a lot of frozen pizzas :)
Need a new motor home..this one's too small!
I love my rv kitchen. I have plenty of counter space (when it is just me in the kitchen). The only time I feel crowded is if Billy and I are working on a meal together. We both enjoy cooking and our rv home is fully stocked. I'd say we go to the store every 3 to 4 days. We do try to buy in bulk when and where we can for savings. Our fiver has two separate standard size rv frigs. So far, that has worked well for us. I really do enjoy cooking and baking in the rv, I have everything I need at my fingertips. Everything I did in my stick house I do here. I just wish the rv industry would come out with higher quality ovens and cooktops.
ReplyDeleteMy kitchen works fine for me too. I'm able to do anything I want in it and have plenty of storage. We have a residential fridge and the freezer is full. We also have a small chest freezer in the bedroom closet (it didn't work in the basement)and it, too, is full. When we're in a Costco area, we stock the freezers, then fill in once a week with groceries, usually at Walmart. BTW, I love my dishwasher and would never trade it for more storage :)
ReplyDeleteI have a side kitchen in our Heartland Landmark and with the sink covers have good counter space. Jim and I cook a lot and enjoy it. I have a fridge with two, side by side doors which I like. I prefer to buy from local grocery stores for meats for Jim and veggies for me. I'm not a big Walmart fan philosophically, but do shop there when there isn't another choice. I am becoming a minimalist so enjoy paring down our possessions; seems to make life easier, but have a habit of buying new kitchen things because "I can use that" ideas.
ReplyDeleteOur first fiver, I never used the oven once. Our Hiker is only a 30', but has 3 slides..But my kitchen sure could be bigger...and our refrig is sufficient, but the little freezer over it isn't. I have to cut frozen pizzas in half before putting them up there..grrrrr. We could use a bigger fiver, but Dennis is comfortable pulling this one at this length, sooooo...I don't see one in our future.
ReplyDeleteWe are pretty happy with ours, mostly because Anneke had this space as a priority during our search. Anything we liked that did not meet the kitchen test was taken off the list.
ReplyDeleteMaybe that is why I have a hard time losing weight:)
I can live with the size of our kitchen but, as someone who looks upon cooking as a welcome hobby, I could ALWAYS use more space. We have the 4-door refrigerator, always full, and use the vacuum sealer to repackage meat to store in the freezer - one side fully stocked with meat, fish, homemade sauces, the other with organic frozen vegies and fruit and the ice maker. We DO have the chest freezer in the basement, but us it as an auxilary frig, full of Odel's diet Pepsi, white wine, bubbly water, etc.
ReplyDeleteWe stock up at Costco every 3-4 weeks (meat and fish), Trader Joes when available, then farmer's markets for local produce and pasture-grown meat. Buying, cooking and eating is big for us, a lifelong interest and a way to connect to the region as we travel through. That's why we walk and hike so much!
I also have the 4 door RV fridge and an island for counter space. I haven't figured out what to do with my dish drainer yet...really no room to put it away anywhere, so there it stays. We are retired military so I try to stock up on meat when we are near a commissary...I can stuff about 2 weeks worth in there. And I keep our fridge full with veggies and all the assorted cold stuff needed.
ReplyDeleteUsed to have the vacuum sealer, but I didn't like dragging it out each time and the space it took. Now I have the Ziploc vacuum bags and hand pump....keep the bags with the other bags and the pump just gets thrown in the utensil drawer. Works just at well as the vacuum machine and takes up less space and less prep time.
I think my little two door fridge will be fine for just me, but the freezer is small - I like Doris' idea of the Ziploc vacuum bags and hand pump - I'm going to look into that. Then I can split things up into smaller packages.
ReplyDeleteThe size of my kitchen and counterspace is big enough for me. Exactly what I was looking for. I have almost no outside storage, but lots of interior cupboards.
I've only been on one trip so far, but the kitchen counterspace is more than enough for one person. On my 1st day, I stopped at a Save-a-lot store and picked up fresh fruits and veges and a few canned items, and some cheese. I have been trying to change my diet to include more fresh foods and less cooked foods. I will use an electric rice cooker to cook rice, oatmeal and other grains. Being on my own, I will probably be cooking differently than if I was traveling with a partner. I'm not a vegetarian, but I won't be cooking any meat in the RV, I'll enjoy that when I am eating out.
ReplyDeleteI'm working okay with the counter space I have. I have stored the tops that go over the burners and I keep one sink cover on. Wish I had 2 lg sinks, instead of 1 lg/1 sm. I had a 12" florescent task light added over my sink area which has really helped. I have the drawer dishwasher and have started using it when we know we will have hook-ups. Uses 4.5 gal. water and shares galley gray tank (separate gray for shower.) Also good for storing dirty dishes. I have the 4-door refrigerator and the basement freezer and normally stock-up meats and portion out with FoodSaver. Backfired when we went to Mexico - had to eat/cook all our pork & chicken before re-entering the USA. Headed for Canada and Alaska next week so will shop en route.
ReplyDeleteDonna this is a great post. . .I'm going to link to it in my blog. I remember asking Karen, from Workampers how she did her grocery shopping when they were at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon for several months.
ReplyDeleteNow that we've been living it for a couple of years it's not quite so intimidating. . .but it definitely requires planning.
I loved reading this post and all of the comments. I'm always trying to find more space in my kitchen.
ReplyDeleteI am happy with my counter space in our MH...now if only I liked or wanted to cook:(
ReplyDeleteMy kitchen is wonderful. We full-time and have enough storage - but I don't have a dishwasher. The 4-door refrig is great. Our Phaeton has a pull-out island for additional countertop space, but I rarely need it. The drawers are very deep. Also have a small pantry. Love our convection oven too. Having said all of that, we do eat out often.
ReplyDeleteCurrently my motorhome kitchen is tiny, but I am hopeful that my new kitchen will be adequate. I'll know within the next couple of weeks when I start pulling boxes out of storage and stocking the fiver! I love farmers markets, and supporting local farmers, wherever local may be. I look forward to stashing organic fruits, meats and veggies during the growing season while plentiful and cheap(er). Quality food is important to me, so I feel I will hunt for the best I can get wherever I roam. I have a foodsaver and may end up with a freezer for the basement. I can't wait!!!!
ReplyDeleteWe have plenty of counter and cabinet space in our 5er. I cook alot, so have to shop every 3-4 days. I use my large toaster oven to bake in most of the time. Hate the RV oven and use it for a bread box.
ReplyDeleteWhen we decided to full time I knew I had to have a kitchen large enough to cook what I cooked in the stix.
Our previous trailer had very little counter space, plastic pull out trays for silverware and hardware that emptied themselves on the floor if you weren't careful and a toy sink that made washing dishes nearly impossible.
ReplyDeleteOur new trailer is much better with a larger sink and really high goose neck spout. Both my wife and I are happy with the decision to purchase this unit.
Ours is a smaller rv and storage can be an issue but we have learned to cope with less over the years. Food is an issue to be discussed as my wife loves to cook..
I love my kitchen. We have been on the road for 4 years, and I have always had plenty of room. I shop weekly and do lots of cooking. We have a side-by-side in ours and seems to be big enough for our needs. I am also fairly good about purging. Great post.
ReplyDeleteI would like more counter space (as I think all of us would) but I have lots of storage and a great pantry. My frig is just a 2-door, however, we were living in for a month in FL and I found it sufficient. We do go to the store often....it's an outing for us! I was able to pack lots of staple items and had plenty of space for all of my "gadgets" which I have to have because I love to cook. My sink is not bad...it's deep...I I have a wooden drain rack which I put up each day after the dishes are dry. I do not care for the oven...doesn't brown on the top...so for biscuts, etc. I just turn them over! I brought a Nesco electric roaster with me. It was great for a roast, and also for a slow cooker for beans, etc.
ReplyDelete