15 motorhome kitchen essentials

Motorhome kitchen essentials: a corkscrew and a couple of plates, right? Nope! There’s no need to skimp on a proper kit just because you’re in a smaller kitchen – the trick is to make every piece of kitchen equipment count.

You can easily produce three (or five, or seven) courses just on a couple of gas rings and a small oven, even with limited space – it’s all about being smart about which kitchen set up works best! To help, we’ve put together our top 15 motorhome kitchen essentials!

15 motorhome kitchen essentials for van life

1. Nesting pots and pans

We’ve travelled for months using just one saucepan and one frying pan to produce meals from morning to night, but that was before we saw these nesting saucepans. From the Tefal Ingenio range, this aluminium set is a fantastic space saver.

Features:

• Contains 10 pans but only takes up the space of one

• Frying pans and saucepans included

• Non-stick

• Detachable handles

• Can fit in the fridge for easy storage of leftovers

Tefal set of frying pans and saucepans, £63.84

1. Utensils

Just as your saucepans nest, so can your utensils. This set of five kitchen utensils nest within the masher. They have magnetic handles too for even smarter space saving.

Features:

• Contains masher, pasta server, cooking spoon and two spatulas

• Store neatly on the counter or use the magnetic handles to attach to the oven or fridge

Nesting kitchen utensils, £21.99

1. Collapsible or whistling kettle

It’s Britain, so a kettle for cuppas is essential. Collapsible kettles are a great pick, but we like the old-school whistling type, shown inDolly above, as it can be used outdoors over a fire or barbecue. Our 2.5L pick is a bargain at £9.99.

Features:

• Big enough for mugs of tea or a teapot

• 12 different bright colours

• Lightweight

• Fast boil

• Sturdy stainless steel

2.5L stainless whistling kettle, £9.99

1.5L collapsible kettle, £42.95

Stainless steel teapot, £10.38

1. AeroPress

Tea or coffee? Bring an AeroPress along with a kettle to have either at any time. These nifty little kitchen gadgets press and make coffee faster than traditional French press coffee machines – as quick as a minute and a half.

Features:

• Sturdy and robust

• Space saving

• Simple to use and easy to clean

• Comes with scoop, stirrer, funnel and 350 filters

AeroPress, from £29.99

If you don’t want an AeroPress, a hand-operated cafetière like inWally also works well… or you could splash out on a Nespresso or similar to make your motorhome even more attractive to renters.

Plastic and glass coffee maker, £6.99

Nespresso, from £139

1. Glasses

Like plates, glasses for a motorhome kitchen should be sturdy, easy to store and come in an unbreakable material. Stick to tumblers or buy a set each of tumblers and wine glasses; either way, there’s loads of choice.

Features:

• Tough, unbreakable material

• Use indoors or out

Unbreakable plastic tumblers, set of 4, £14.99

Polycarbonate wine glasses, set of 4, £11.67

1. Glasses storage

Look for glass holders too to keep everything neatly stored, like a wine glass storage box in canvas that can fit into a cupboard. Our pick is stylish and neutrally coloured to fit in with all décors.

Features:

• Safely and stylishly stores up to 24 glasses

• Fully portable: bring 24 glasses outside in one trip

• Easy to fit in a kitchen cupboard when not in use

Wine glass storage box, set of 2, £28.99

Alternatively, use a wine glass holder gripper-style clip to hold one or two glasses at a time.

Wine glass holder, £12.30

1. Crockery

Once you’ve produced your culinary masterpiece, you’ll need to dish it up! Plastic plates and bowls are easy to source for a low price, but if you want something fancier, look for plates made of melamine. This material is non-breakable, dishwasher safe and comes in a huge range of colours. (And speaking ofdishwashers…)

Plates can be stored in a stacker, as shown in ourmotorhome storage ideas guide, or held in place in an upper cupboard, like inBillie above.

Features:

• Made of unbreakable melamine

• Choose from sophisticated blue or multicoloured for kids

• Able to be stacked without chipping

Teal melamine dinner set, 12 pieces, £41.99

Multi dinner set, 16 pieces, £24.98

1. Knives and holders

Any knife set you buy for your motorhome should ideally come with blade guards to prevent accidents while on the road. Our recommended set has a sheath for each knife.

Features:

• Fun, colourful set

• Nonporous, antibacterial and easy to clean

• Includes all knives needed for a kitchen, including bread knife and carving knife

• Comes with vegetable peeler

• Also includes five free recipe ebooks

6-piece knife set plus vegetable peeler, £19.99

1. Spices and spice rack

A range of spices is an essential part of any kitchen. As you’ll be on the road, it’s also essential to have a spice rack! Think smart and get one that doubles up as something else, like this spice rack and kitchen roll holder. Handily, it can be fixed to the wall with adhesive.

Features

• Two essentials in one: spice rack and kitchen roll holder

• Easily fits on the underside of a kitchen cupboard

• No drilling needed

No-drill paper towel holder with rack, £13.35

1. Folding drainer

Keep your washed dishes tidy and safe with a motorhome kitchen drainer – even better if it’s foldable to save space.

Features:

• Stable and practical

• Easy to use

• Folds flat when not in use

• Suitable for all budgets

Kampa folding drainer, £6.99

1. Instant Pot or pressure cooker

While not necessarily falling under the category of motorhome kitchen essentials, this is a great inclusion for quick and mouthwatering meals! A pressure cooker is the easiest and fastest way to make meals like stews, soups and curries. They can reduce cooking times by up to 70%, meaning they’ll use less power, and are fab for making even cheaper cuts of meat juicy and tender.

Buy a pressure cooker on its own or look for an Instant Pot, which has a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer and more all in one unit.

Features:

• Simple, quick cooking: add the ingredients then get on with something else

• Up to 70% faster than conventional cooking

• Smart program to remember which settings you use the most

• Set for soup/broth, meat/stew, sauté, yoghurt, keep warm and more

Instant Pot 7-in-1, from £79.99

Aluminium pressure cooker, from £35

1. Food storage containers

Even in a domestic kitchen, food items like rice, pasta or lentils are more convenient to store once opened in tubs or containers rather than their bags. This is even more true in motorhomes where things can slide around when you’re on the road! Buy storage containers that stack on top of each other so they’ll all fit in one cupboard.

Features:

• Stackable containers to save space

• Airtight with durable lids

• Come with labels, markers and a spoon set

Food storage containers, set of 14, £39.97

1. Chopping board

Plastic or wooden chopping boards are a must in any kitchen. Look for boards you can store or hang to save space, or place your board over your sink cover as your chopping board as in Moroccan, above. You could also buy a chopping board that’s part of a collapsible bowl and strainer set, like our recommended pick for under a tenner.

Features:

• Odour and stain resistant

• Made of tough non-warpable material

• Use as a sink, washbasin or fruit or veg holder

• Non-slip design and ergonomic handles

• Built-in drain plug

Collapsible chopping board with multifunction strainer, £8.99

2-in-1 bamboo chopping board and serving tray, £15.90

1. Egg box

Eggs are another food item that should be carefully stored to avoid breakage, all the more so in motorhome kitchens! This plastic and sealable egg box means you can safely store up to a dozen eggs at one time.

Features:

Reusable and easy to clean

Handle for easy transporting

Egg box, £2.99

1. Adhesive tea towel holders

Even on the road, you’ll still need to do dishes! Keep your tea towels out of the way by adding adhesive holders anywhere you’ve a spare scrap of space.

Features:

Easy to install anywhere in your motorhome kitchen

Uses strong, water repellent adhesive to stick

Chrome finish

Sturdy enough to hold towels as well as tea towels

Adhesive tea towel holders, pack of 2, £4.95

Considerations for motorhome kitchenware

As well as their specific purposes, there are other things to consider when choosing your motorhome kitchen essentials. For example, heavy iron pans and cookware from the likes of Le Creuset might look great, but are unlikely to be the best option in a motorhome, where minimising weight is important! Here’s what you need to know.

Weight

As mentioned, it’s best to avoid heavy items, no matter how well made or attractive they are. As well as adding to your motorhome’s overall weight, heavy items can be dangerous if they move or slip when you’re on the road.

Storability

There’s no point having a fully kitted out kitchen if you’ve nowhere to store all your equipment. Look for easy to store kitchen items that can fit in cupboards, hang from hooks or fit on the wall in a mesh bag or similar. Above all, items need to be unmovable when the motorhome does! A silicone non-slip mat is a good idea for underneath countertop items like a coffee maker or pressure cooker.

Compactness

Compact or nesting/stackable items like the saucepans or utensils above should be top of your list when looking for motorhome kitchen equipment. No matter how large or sophisticated your motorhome kitchen, drawer and cupboard space will be limited, so aim to maximise this where possible.

Durability

Although we highly recommend keeping all kitchen items safely stored when you’re on the road, it’s best to buy kitchenware and cookware that’s strong and durable. Melamine plates, polycarbonate glasses and plastic or wooden chopping boards are all strong and durable enough for road trips. Remember you’ll likely want items suitable for outdoor use too.

Cleanability

Limited water on a motorhome trip means anything you use in the kitchen should be easy to clean. Again, plastic, polycarbonate and melamine materials are great here.

Versatility

Whether it’s for motorhome interior ideas orcampervan kitchen ideas, we’re big fans of items that can have more than one use. Buy an Instant Pot or similar rather than a pressure cooker, a kitchen roll holder with shelf space above, a chopping board that can double as a sink cover… always think of versatility.

Stock up on motorhome kitchen essentials

Luckily, kitchen equipment can be one of the lower costs of kitting out your motorhome. Even better, as with all aspects of motorhome conversion, you can aim to make your money back by hiring out your motorhome when it’s ready. Until then, why not take a few motorhomes out on holidays to see what sort of kitchen kit works for you? Search ourmotorhomes for hire in the UK to get started.

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