RV Kitchen Storage Solutions
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It can be a bit difficult to find RV kitchen storage solutions because we all have totally different RVs. Add to that the fact that we all eat different things, cook differently, travel differently and have different priorities; and it may seem impossible to find the RV kitchen storage solutions to suit you. But don’t give up my friend! There are lots of solutions out there, you just got to keep looking until you find the solutions that are perfect for you and your RV kitchen.
You already know that there are lots of kitchen storage solutions on the internet, HEAPS of them in fact. But whatever solution you look at, you just need to keep in mind that not only is your house much smaller than most houses, it also gets shaken up as it rumbles down the road. You’ll also need to keep in mind that your house is subject to temperature extremes that you may not be used to in a house.
With that said, here are some of the solutions I’ve found for solving the biggest/most-annoying/hardest-to-solve RV kitchen storage questions.
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Storing Pots & Pans in Your RV Kitchen
They’re big, cumbersome… and an absolute necessity for cooking!
First off, you will probably need to cull your pot selection. For us, we use just a large non-stick frying pan, one medium sized pot and a small pot.
We’re finding that we would like a stock pot size every now and then, but we wouldn’t use it enough to justify having to carry it around. And once we get a thermal cooker (which I’m looking forward to!) then I don’t think we’ll need the stock pot at all.
Since it’s only the two of us, these three pots are all we need.
For bigger families, or better cooks(!), you’ll probably need more though.
These storage racks are awesome, especially if you have lots of saucepans. I could get away with nesting the two stainless steel pots, but I hate the idea of nesting anything in the non-stick pan (cos it might scratch) so these stackers would be great.
And I love being able to store the lids on the inside of the door. So easy.
What to do with so many herbs and spices
Magnetic Spice Tins (Or a Magnetic Wall)
You may have already seen that many RVers recommend magnetic spice tins that you can store on your backsplash, fridge or anywhere you choose.
Personally, I don’t really like having much stuff out on display in my kitchen. I’d rather have it hidden away in a drawer or cupboard if possible. These are the solutions that would suit me better:
Spice Drawer Insert Organizer
But let’s get real… who has a spare drawer in their RV that they could dedicate solely to spices? I know that here in Australia at least, drawers are a coveted spot usually quickly taken up with cutlery and all manner of cooking utensils.
Standalone Spice Organizer
Maybe a unit like this would fit in the cabinets nicely, or if needed, on the countertop.
Spice Racks on the Inside of the Cupboard Door
I think these are my favorite solutions. It gets the spices out of the way, out of view, but easy to see when you do want to find a particular one.
Spice Shelving
If you do decide to keep your herbs and spices in a cabinet, then these shelving solutions should make storage and finding the spice you want (!) that much easier/less frustrating.
What to do with appliances
I don’t know.
!!!
There are no tricks or tips or magic little storage solutions for kitchen appliances. I’m sorry.
Kitchen appliances are unfortunately, large, cumbersome and more often than not, very awkward shapes. I have just two pieces of advice when it comes to kitchen appliances in your RV.
- Cull – only take those appliances which you know you will use every day. Or at least every other day. If it’s a once-in-a-blue-moon type of appliance, I’d say it ain’t that important.
- Look for the best SMALL kitchen appliances for your RV. If you’ve got the option of the big version or the small/compact version, I know you’ll be glad for the small version. Especially if it has to sit permanently on your countertop… or you have to lug it out from the back of the lowest cupboard.
Dinnerware Organizer
I’m not sure I’ve found a solution for dinnerware organization that I’m totally happy with. EXCEPT that I’ve replaced our old dinner set with Corelle dinnerware.
I love this stuff because it looks and feels (mostly) like normal porcelain dinnerware but it’s heaps lighter and I think more resilient.
Just the fact that it’s so light weight is enough for it to be a winner for us.
Even still, I don’t like the idea of having to stack all the different size plates on top of each other just to save some space. So some sort of shelving, or storing the plates on edge is going to have to be found.
I’ve got to admit, I’m not totally happy with any of the options below. Can you just imagine how much your dinner ware will be rattling around as you’re driving down the road?
I have seen other RVers use silicon on the bottom of the their normal dinnerware to stop them rattling against each other. Now that’s a good idea!
All the Paper Products
My guilty sin is that I use way too many paper towels. Waaay too many. But they’re just so dang convenient.
But why do supermarkets have to sell paper towels in a roll? Why don’t they sell a dispenser and refills? If I knew I could get refills at any supermarket, then I’d definitely attach a dispenser to the RV wall and be done with the rolls.
I mean, EVERY time I need a paper towel my hands are covered in meat juice, or oil, or something… yet I need two hands to rip a paper towel off a roll. That’s why I love the dispensers so much.
Okay, enough of my ranting about rolls…
Where’s the Wine Glasses?
Unlike a conventional house, you’re hardly going to have a set of six wine glasses in the cupboard plus a box or two in storage for those times when you have more guests than you can fit in your RV… are you?
Surely you only have enough for whoever is travelling in the RV with you and maybe one or two spare.
I do prefer an actual wine glass with a stem, but they are a bit more tricky to store in the cupboard that rattles down the road. So honestly, I’ll probably just store them in the box they came in. Or if i want to get fancy… something like this:
There is also the option of changing your wine glass to plastic or steel or something else.
And as for the Wine…
It’s all very well getting your wine in a cask (don’t judge! After 800kms of corrugated roads, you’d be glad you had a cask too! :-)) but for those times when you want to splash out on bottles… this is what you need.
I think that just about covers the most important RV kitchen storage questions that I have. Do you have any other RV kitchen storage conundrums that you’ve been able to find solutions to? Let us know in the comments.
I love RVing! I share about our journey around Australia, how we came to do this trip, all the planning involved, and snapshots of what life on the road is like.
We are MAJOR ?? wine snobs hate plastic wine glasses? it’s just all wrong.
Yes! 🙂
This is a great list! You’re right…each RV is different, so our needs and solutions are different. I’d recommend anyone looking for solutions like these to go to a Container Store or go to their website. I worked there for 7 years. If they don’t have it, you probably don’t need it! 🙂 These are great recommendations, though! Thanks for the helpful post!
Oh, the Container Store (and places like it) are like a candy store to me. My eyes glaze over because I can’t decide on only one thing to buy when I want it ALL!
Ugh! I cringe every time someone suggests putting spices in the metal tin on a magnetic board. I hate clutter and to me that just makes everything in the SMALL kitchen look more cluttered. I told hubby that I want to put our silverware in a small utensil caddy that fits up in the cabinet which gets it out of the drawer, and then put all of my spices in the drawer. Right now they are in a basket up in the cabinet. It works, but I’d hate having to pull the basket out and pull the spice jars out one by one until I find the right one….because they’re not labeled on the top.