Tips for a Small Kitchen

I'm starting this thread to share some of our tips and hopefully gather some of your tips. We just spent 3.5 weeks in the motorhome and did a little cooking which tested out some of our systems.

TUBTRUGS: I'll start with my favorite one which is Tubtrugs. We met these wonderful buckets on a friend's farm where they pull all kinds of duty. I chose the Extra Small Shallow tubs to use as dishpans. I've done the three pan washing with Boy Scouts using those dollar store pans and I wanted something a bit better and less grungy looking. Tubtrugs cost a good bit more but are AWESOME! They are food grade, heavy duty, have sturdy handles, are flexible and come in a rainbow of colors. So cool. So, I bought three and John laughed at me for being so excited to get dish pans. Now HE really likes them (but still laughs at me). We stack the three tubs in the sink. If you push them to one corner you can still run the water and dump your old coffee down the drain. We toss our random dirty dishes in the pan as we go along then cover them all up with the sink covers until it is time to wash. Then we lift the top tub out with the dirty dishes in it and set it on the flip-up shelf. The second tub gets a few inches of rinse water and sits to the right and rear of the sink. The third stays in the sink and gets the hot soapy water for washing. I also use a silicone dish drainer to set the rinsed dishes on. We just droop it into the sink so the water runs off. The dishes move from tub to tub until they are done then you wash each tub and toss them on top of the dishes. They are also great for lugging the condiments and place settings out to the picnic table and getting everything back in again. They sell them on Amazon but I bought from the manufacturer's site to get the colors I wanted. http://us.tubtrugs.com/   Now I want a bigger one as an RV wash bucket but am not sure where to store it... they do flex to fold a little at the top, so there may be hope yet.

Knife Dock - our second helpful item is a bamboo and cork knife dock from The Container Store. John wanted a full set of knives on board and I figured that meant a full stock of bandaids to patch us up every time we stuck a hand in the drawer. Some of the RV knife docks looked nice and light but not too safe or sturdy. This one has a bit of weight to it but we decided to go with the extra ounces and save our blood. We have a full set of chef knives and steak knives tucked between the cork slices. It fits down in the bottom of one of the deep drawers (we have the 2552) and we set our little bamboo cutting board on top of it. The cutting board tips up easily to allow access to the knives. The system worked extremely well on our recent trip.

Water Pitcher - this one is a request for a solution. John and I live on water and keep a Brita pitcher in the fridge at home. Currently it rides in the cabinet over the Euro Chair as it doesn't fit in the fridge (so not a good place for it but I haven't dropped it on his head yet, so kudos for me on that one). I've been shopping pitchers but haven't found a fit yet. Any suggestions?

Holly,
    Great thread to start - a helpful from me!

    As far as water pitchers - we have used the Brita Slim Water Pitcher ( as seen here ) http://www.amazon.com/Brita-Slim-Water-Filter-Pitcher/dp/B0000AP7NV/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1375653103&sr=8-3&keywords=water+pitcher and it fits on the top shelf of the refrig as well as the door.  I don't like to put heavy stuff on the door so that is why I generally keep it on the top shelf of the refrig.


Sue

Some of my other kitchen utensils that I find handy are

1.  Any of the Progressive International Collapsible kitchenware - I have bowls, a small collander, and measuring cups.
2.  Sometimes I like to bake pies so I carry a very small pastry roller and I can actully roll out a pie crust.
3.  My pot and pans are the Cusinart stackable ones with removable handles.
4.  I use my slow cooker alot and buy the Reynolds slow cooker liners http://www.amazon.com/Reynolds-Metals-00504-Cooker-Liners/dp/B00578EKRY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375654299&sr=8-1&keywords=slow+cooker+liners so it is easy cleanup

Sue, thank you! I'm ordering the pitcher now. I looked at those but my engineer said it was still too big. If it fits in your fridge, it will fit in mine. I'll placate him by telling him that his new coffee pot will go in the cupboard where the big brita was.

Holly,

    Just went out and tested it again.  Fits on the bottom shelf of the door and also on the top shelf of the refrig.  I put it at an angle on the top shelf and then there is storage behind it as well.  Very easy to get to and use.  Too bad we won't be at the reunion.  I actually have an extra one because we saw it on clearance at a store for about three dollars and it came with three filters.  It was cheaper to buy the pitcher and filters than just filters.

Sue

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I just got an email from Tubtrugs that fit this string so I thought I'd share. This is an old post so I'll clarify that I'm posting this on Thanksgiving Day 2017. Tomorrow, BLACK FRIDAY, Tubtrugs has a sale of 15% off on their entire store - use discount code THANKS15 at checkout   - They also have free shipping on all USA Orders over $50. The price on the Tubtrugs has gone up so if you have been thinking about purchasing, this is a good deal.

As an update, we still use the Tubtrugs every single day we use the Phoenix. We have 5 that are onboard at all times... actually 6 since we have a large black one that rides on the wooden circle under the eurochair and hold our shoes and such. The first 5 are the extra small shallow which fit in the sink with room to spare. Note that we have the older composite sink, not the new stainless I hear they are installing. You'd have to measure to find out which fits best for you (and if your dishes fit in the tubs). We use two or three as our wash tubs while the others hold our water jugs and miscellaneous "stuff" that wanders the rig. Our tubtrugs look like new despite years of use and a decent amount of abuse. We managed to damage one by dropping a steak knife into it from a few feet up (at which point the really sharp knife went INTO and through) the tubtrug. We don't use that one to hold water anymore (and we no longer put the steak knives in the tubs) but it still totes things out to the table and back and can be used to store random stuff on the beds when we are shifting things around or have the granddaughter on board.

When it is time to wash and drip-dry our dishes, we pull out our drip tray that we store under the rear dinette bench, along with a collapsible dish rack....bought at Menards.

Ready For Use


Collapsed

For The Skilled & Determined:  DOUBLE YOUR GALLEY DRAWER SPACE

We've been using this for a couple of RVs. . .works and stores nicely. https://www.walmart.com/ip/S-T-XL-Microfiber-Dish-Drying-Mat-Cream-18-x24/134110230?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222227051577911&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=150251808120&wl4=pla-261528202027&wl5=9021595&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=134110230&wl13=&veh=sem

 

We had, and liked, the drying mat until we hit more humid areas. Then it got mildew stinky and never seemed to fully dry. It needed washing and heat drying too often so we stuffed it under the sink as a backup.

Ron, no dinette, no easy storage of that tray. The tubtrugs drop down into the sink and have many uses - multi-use being a high priority for us. Our kitchen items have to earn their space in the rig.

Bottom line - go with what works for you.

Holly, thanks for reviving this topic.  We were gone when you started it and I forgot about it when we got home.  I did, however get a Tubtrug for the sink- nifty little buckets!  I am always on the lookout for small, fun stuff and love to see what other folks use.

I love silicone too.  These covers eliminate the need for pot lids.  I also cover bowls in the refrigerator and microwave.  It keeps the splatter away.  I use the ice cube tray mostly as a trivet for hot pans and under frozen food when thawing in the sink.  The tube shape makes ice that fits in small mouth water bottles.

I keep my tea bags in the bamboo boxes that are sold as drawer dividers.

These foaming soap dispensers don't pump themselves when we come home at high altitude.  The museum putty holds it on the counter.  I also use it to keep baskets etc.  from moving around.

I was given a gift of the Norwex microfiber cloths.  They are thicker than other microfiber products and seem to work really well.  So far, true to their claims, they don't get stinky.  They are rather pricey but I think I'd like to get the dishcloths.  The purple, glass cloth works great on windows without using Windex.  I use it on the shower door- easier than using a squeegee.

We just got an, Instant Pot.  It was a Black Friday impulse purchase.  I hope it doesn't turn out to be an expensive dust collector.  The ladies on the full-timer sites love them.  So far, it took 8 minutes to cook 4 lbs. of potatoes for Thanksgiving mashed potatoes.  Don boiled a lot of eggs in about 8 minutes.  They peeled easily.  Next up will be Kalua Pig when the turkey is gone.  Stay tuned, I'll let you know if it is worth taking in the PC.

One other thing I didn't photograph is this silicone microwave popcorn popper- works great and is collapsible.

https://www.amazon.com/Lekue-Microwave-Popcorn-Popper-Maker/dp/B00NF9CT0C/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1511631739&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=lekue+popcorn&psc=1

Patti

In this same idea thread, what things do you use when travelling that aren't really economical to use at home?

The Cold Brew iced teabags and the, Idahoan potatoes don't taste as "instant" as other brands.

The laundry pods are easier to tote to the laundry room.  I do keep some in a plastic box as I do not want a mess if they get squished.  I also keep some dryer sheets in an old baby wipes travel case.

I've re-used this Bisquick shaker for years.  It holds one cup of mix.  If we want waffles instead of pancakes, I add an egg and some oil and use milk.  I have a Babycakes small waffle iron- love it.

Crisco in the sticks works out well on the road.

Just found these silicone ice trays that fit great in the Crusier frig

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XXPQ4VG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1