6 Must Have Appliances in a Camper Kitchen

As I've said before (I think), I love to cook. I have since I was little. Something about being able to take these ingredients and turn them into something wonderful - either from a recipe or from my head - that brings people joy just makes my heart all warm and fuzzy.

That being said, when it came time to move into our rig, I had to seriously pare down my kitchen appliances (sad face). Taking space, usefulness and weight into consideration, these were the appliances that made the cut.

[Also, keep in mind that we don't use our propane oven/stovetop. That thing just sucks]

1) Ninja Multi-Cooker System

This was a definite must have. Because we don't use our propane oven, this is my oven. I can't cook pizza or anything large, but it's a stovetop, oven & slow cooker all in one! It also has a buffet feature so it works wonders and potlucks and such. I can make cobbler, muffins, brownies, etc and I can saute my veggies and switch to oven or slow cooker to finish off a meal. All in one pot. Let me say that again: ALL IN ONE POT!

[That didn't use to be so important to me, but now that I'm the dishwasher, it totally is]

It is kind of big, though it doesn't weigh much, but I have a designated cabinet just for this and my IP that would've been too deep and too high for food storage.

My mom gifted me one for Christmas a couple of years ago and I love it. Thanks again, ma!

2) Instant Pot

I used to be terrified of this thing, but before we moved into the rig, I watched every YouTube video, read every blog, and did all the research so I knew how to safely use this wonderful tool in our tiny house. Now, I can't imagine my tiny kitchen without it! I use mine almost every morning for the fresh, steamed veggies that I love for breakfast (yeah, I'm weird, I know). I've used it for pasta, rice, chicken and some mouth-watering pulled pork. It also has a saute feature that comes in handy for that one pot cooking that I love. There are a ton of Instant Pot accessories (that I asked for for my birthday, so hopefully I'll have another blog post allllllll about them in a month!) that you can do so much with! From steaming eggs to making cheesecake! You can't be scared of the Instant Pot though... it smells fear. Just do your research and embrace it fully!

3) Electric Skillet

Unfortunately, this is not the electric skillet that I ordered for our camper, but I wish that it was. I got a smaller, round one that had the pretty copper inside and now that pretty copper inside has scratched/washed off after 2 uses.... mistake.

But, the electric skillet in general is pretty much in any camper's must haves. It's great for making breakfast outside the camper (ahhh, the memories that evokes) all in one spot, or for cooking things like Hamburger Helper. It has multi-functionality and doesn't weigh a lot, so it was definitely a must have for me.

4) Electric Griddle

[side note - it took me much longer than I'm proud of to fetch the work "griddle" from the labyrinth that is my mind. I must be getting old]

The electric griddle is another one that you'll find in pretty much any camper's kitchen. There was never even a doubt that this bad boy would be coming with us for our journey. I love it cause I can make Chelsea's blueberry pancakes, our bacon and eggs all at once on the same surface - inside or outside the camper! The one we got even has a bacon warming tray for if that finishes first! [Never mistreat your bacon. I am the bacon police and I will take it off your hands! Dang it... now I want bacon] It doesn't take up much amperage, is easy to clean and is pretty versatile.

5) Hot Plate

Since we don't use our propane stovetop (not only does it take at least 20 freakin' minutes to boil water, it uses up precious propane (precious because where we are, it's a hot commodity. After hurricane Michael, a lot of people are still in campers around here while they rebuild their houses - hence it's in short supply. Also, cause it's not cheap and I am) this little sucker has come in all kinds of handy. My wonderfully sweet mother-in-law got me a Kenmore double hotplate for Christmas and I have used the heck out of it in the 2 months I've had it! It's really convenient for dinners I have to have two things going at once. I.e. Tortellini - gotta keep the sauce going while boiling the noodles. It's wonderful and I can't toot it's horn any harder. It's light, doesn't take up nearly as many amps as I thought it would, and stores easily under our kitchen sink.

6) Food Processor

Ok, so this one doesn't help me with cooking so much, but it was a must have for us. Our oldest pup, Bella (the schnoodle) has pancreatitis, so I have to make her food. She also doesn't have many teeth left, so processing her food helps her eat better. I also use it when the end of a loaf of bread gets shoved to the back of the cabinet and is going stale so I make bread crumbs out of it. I try really hard not to waste in our camper life, so having a tool like this helps me do that. It doesn't weigh a lot, is super useful to us, and fits nicely above our sink.

I think that's all of the must have appliances I brought along on our journey. I'll update if I find anymore!

How about you? What are your must haves? What appliances bring you joy? Even if you're not a camper, what kitchen gadgets and gizmos do you just love. I'll live vicariously through you until we get to our forever home and I can have my ginormous kitchen again. *sigh*