Portable Kitchen

My Next Purchase

Portable Camping Kitchen Utensil Set-27 Piece Cookware Kit, Stainless Steel Outdoor Cooking and Grilling Utensil Organizer Travel Set Perfect for Travel, Picnics, RVs, Camping, BBQs, Parties and More

This is how I travel, across the country, while living gluten free in a gluten-full world! While it certainly is possible to find restaurant/cafes that are either dedicated gluten free or that are knowledgeable in gluten free foods it can be challenging. I have had extreme experiences where in the best cases a manager will walk us through the menu and in some cases staff literally has no idea what gluten is! However, even in the best case scenario it takes time to locate which cuts into sightseeing and other enjoyable activities.

There is also a cost advantage as the average cost to eat out is $15.00 per meal per person and the cost to prepare a meal at home is $5.00 per meal per person (with the portable kitchen cost is about the same as cooking at home). There are three of us on our trips so the cost savings is approximately $1,200 on hour 14 day trips! While the cost of the coolers, batteries, oven, propane tanks, etc. add up it will take only a couple trips to pay for itself. Plus I use this equipment for all of our camping and shorter weekend trips!

Egg Carton for Camping

Eggs are fragile and easily broken if stored in a cooler using the carton they were purchased with. At less than $4.00 at Amazon its definitely a good idea, especially with the price of eggs recently!

BBQ Gloves

After burning my hands, for the last time, while cooking over the fire or with my cast iron I went on a search for a pair of gloves that fit tightly while protecting my hands! I liked them so much that I ended up purchasing a second set to use at home!

Group 24 Lithium Ion Batteries

I travel with two of these for powering the Car Freezer and Refrigerator with both of them hooked up to one. I have determined that both can run for approximately 28 hours which allows me to switch the batteries out each evening and taking the there other one into the hotel to recharge! The battery is much lighter than the freezer/fridge and this allows them to be on even when the van is off (which would be an issue if I was using the van's power). I purchased these on Amazon.

LiFePO4 Battery Charger

Lithium batteries require a battery charger specifically designed for them so make sure you pick one up! I actually have two just in case something were to go wrong with one of them. After working with computers for most of my life I always have a backup plan!

Coleman Stove

In addition to the stove/oven combo I travel with a Coleman stove found on Amazon. There are times when I need to cook more than two items at a time and there are other times when I just need a cooktop and rather than hauling the oven to a picnic table I can just grab this!

Cast Iron Waffle Maker

This cast iron waffle maker has seen a lot of use both camping and in the home (might as well bring it in during the winter months)!

As with all my cast iron I re-season it as soon as it arrives! I have also found that using butter rather than vegetable oil helps prevent the waffles from sticking!

Also, be sure to have a good pair of Cooking/BBQ Gloves as the waffle maker's handle gets quite hot!

Car Freezer and Refrigerator

For many years I traveled with a traditional cooler and was able to take week long trips without much of a problem. However, for longer trips or for when the weather was particularly hot, it became necessary to buy new ice and repack. When traveling I prefer to focus on seeing and enjoying the sights rather than spending time getting ice and repacking coolers!

After a bit of research I found the BougeRV 12V Portable Refrigerator 53 Quart Car Freezer Fridge on Amazon. I chose this unit for the following reasons:

Quick Connects for Battery and Refrigerator/Freezer

The challenge with the type of DC cords the refrigerator/freezer came with is that they can jostle out of the socket when driving. Since I was going to connect these to external batteries I purchased cables that click together and its virtually impossible for them to disconnect on their own.

Large Totes

LargeTotes

I use three of these large totes, in the van, when going on long trips, they can be found on Amazon and their strength allows me to put my two Car Freezer/Refrigerators on top of them!

One Pound Propane Refill Kit

Propane appliances have been exceedingly useful when camping and traveling especially when I am short on time and need to get food prepared quickly. Both wood and charcoal can take as much as 20 minutes before you can cook over them whereas propane provides immediate heat and we can be eating even before I could begin cooking over the former! Don't get me wrong I definitely enjoy my steaks, pork chops, etc. grilled over propane but for some foods it really does not matter.

Flame King Oven Stove Combo

This oven/stove combo, available via Amazon proved to be very useful when both camping and traveling! It allows us to prepare just about any meal at campsites, at a way side rest, or while visiting a National Park! Why eat at some greasy fast food joint when you can take in nature's beauty while cooking and eating your food!

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