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Hello to all my RV Friends, I am heading out on my trial run for fulltiming,a six month workamping trip. I am very excited, until I look at all the stuff I still need to purchase.I need to buy this stuff with very little money, so I figured cookware was a good investment. I have the crockpot now what kind of cookware do I need. I know it has to be light and pack away but good for gas stove, oven. outside grill and I need bakeware also. Easy clean-up would be a very nice bonus as well. There are alot of choices out there. someone please HELP!!! Thank you David Sussman
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David Sussman lifeprotect123@gmail.com Will Travel in a 2002 coachman travel trailer and a 1995 F350
What do you cook with now? You don't use different items because your full timing, you just have the problem of storage. You will most likely need to pare down what you can take with you in your smaller home on wheels.
We've come full circle. When we came out we didn't think we'd have room for a crock pot, so gave away the 2 we had. Not only did we buy a small one pretty quickly, but we just bought a second larger one for entertaining.
It all gets down to how much room and weight capacity you have.
When we fulltimed it from 1997-2001 I bought a set of T-fal non-stick cookware that had the removable handles and stacked together like bowls. It came with plastic lids and went from freezer to stove/oven to table. I still had a lot of cast iron cookware (that I rarely used) but I was quite pleased with the T-fal at the time. When we gave up the RV and I had a kitchen where storage and weight wasn't a consideration, I bought a set of stainless cookware and got rid of all the non-stick. I also accumulated a ton of small appliances, utensils, gadgets and housewares lol.
Last March we decided to get back to a simpler life and full time it again. Because we know more now than we did then, I made a point of considering weight when I sorted thru what to keep and what to get rid of so I got rid of all my cast iron and my 14 Inch stainless frying pan (It was always too big and heavy and I rarely used it anyway.)
I knew from past experience that anything I cooked in a full size kitchen (including making candy and canning jams and veggies) I could also do in the RV so rather than arbitrarily get rid of everything, I put almost everything in storage for 6 months. Then when we bought the 5th wheel I emptied out the storage pod and only kept the stuff I knew we needed. I figured if I hadn't missed it or wanted to use something in 6 months, then I didn't need it. Even now, after 2 months in the rv and with plenty of storage, I'm still thinning out stuff I thought I had to have.
A couple of things I've learned: 1. Don't run out and buy stuff that you think you have to have (especially "RV items" from the RV Store). Wait. See if you can make do with what you already have. Chances are you can.
2. If you don't use it/cook with it in the house, you probably won't in the RV either. Case in point, I had 4 crockpots in the house that I seldom used. I knew I probably wouldn't use them in the RV either but I kept 1. It's almost too big for 2 people, 5 1/2 qt, but it automatically switches to warm (which the smaller ones don't do) and I know I can put a 2 or 3qt oven proof bowl (pyrex or foil, doesn't matter) inside it and "convert" it to a smaller crockpot. So I have it when I need it and one crockpot takes up less room than four.
An electric frying pan will save on propane, but only if you use it regularly. It doesn't do any good stuffed in a cupboard or outside storage compartment.
3. Foil pans and bakeware will save you a considerable amount of weight and space if you just buy what you need when you need it. That being said, if you've got a convection/microwave and you use the Fast Bake cycle, you'll need at least one glass oven proof item. I opted for a platter with slanted sides, oven safe to 450 degrees and 2 small rectangular pyrex casserole dishes that I had bought years ago because they fit perfectly in DH's lunch box. My dinnerware is correlle so all my bowls and plates are microwave safe. I do have 3 nested plastic mixing bowls and a couple lock-n-lock storage containers that can be microwaved if needed. I admit, I miss my French White casserole dishes but I'm not convinced yet that I need to have another set.
4. Novelty items, whether a small appliance or a kitchen gadget are rarely a necessity.
