You learn a lot when you live in a camper. One of the more interesting adjustments is learning to cook and clean up after in a space the width of my kitchen sink at home. We had a small sink and two burner stove with about one inch of space between the two. To have enough room to prep food, you had to cover the sink so we learned to clean food first, then cover the sink, use that area for a cutting board, then start preparations over the stove. Dirty spoons and dishes were placed in a pile until we could uncover the sink. Clean dishes or needed ingredients were staged on the bed, which was directly next to the sink, until needed.
Mastering the stove was the other hurdle. The first time I used the stove, I was sautéing onions and set off the smoke alarm. Lesson learned, always cook with the window open! While we didn’t take a grill on this trip, many folks use those and cook outside – that is one way not to set off the alarm. I also highly recommend Instant Pot, which did not heat up the camper and made tasty, quick dishes.
Cleaning was another challenge. With such a small sink, washing and rinsing the same dish was hard and the drying mat had to be placed over the stove. Here was another way that the Instant Pot came in handy as it allowed me to use the stainless steel pot for washing with rinsing in the sink. I really missed my dishwasher though, not for washing the dishes, for storing them out of the way until we were ready to clean them.
Despite the small space, we managed to make several lovely meals. For being on the road for several weeks, we really only ate out a few times and two of those were “date nights.” With a refrigerator traveling with you, lunch is easy to grab. Just pull into a parking lot, make a quick salad and eat. And plus, you often have lovely options for meals al fresco!
Bon appetit!