Our Tips for Cooking in Your RV Over the Holidays

It’s the time of year when the weather gets colder and you start to see twinkling lights on houses, businesses, and street corners. It’s certainly one of our favorite seasons, and you might be celebrating the holidays in your RV this year! Whether you’re traveling or a full-time RVer, celebrating the holidays in your camper can be a bit of an adjustment, but there are still plenty of ways you can get into the spirit.

One of the more challenging aspects of this is figuring out how to enjoy all your favorite dishes in a much smaller kitchen. We here at Pete’s RV Center Indiana have provided some tips to make cooking big meals easier so you can still chow down on your version of a traditional holiday meal. Check them out for yourself, and contact us with any other thoughts and ideas you may have, here at our location in Schererville, Indiana, serving Indianapolis, as well as our neighbors in Champaign and Decatur, Illinois. 

Make a Plan

As with any holiday meal, planning your day out is essential. Trying to wing it at the last minute can be stressful and ultimately ruin the meal. Your plan should include:

• A grocery list
• The amount of food you’ll need
• A cooking schedule
• Assigning dishes to appliances

Knowing exactly how the day is going to play out can give you the roadmap you need to ensure all your dishes are properly cooked and everyone is well fed.

Consider Making Some Things Ahead of Time

The goal here is to optimize the space you have. RV kitchens are fairly small, so you won’t have a lot of space to cook many things at once. That’s why, once you have your plan, look over some of the dishes you’re making and decide if some of them--even just one of them--could be made the night before or early in the morning. 

This could include your appetizers, dips, salads, drinks, and anything else that can either sit out overnight or be kept in the fridge until it’s time to serve. This way, you can focus on other things the day of.

Making Use of Other Appliances

Even in a stationary home, holiday meals often result in a fight for the oven. This will be even more true with an RV. In fact, some campers don’t even come with an oven. Consider some of your favorite dishes, from casseroles to cranberry sauce to roasted veggies, and look for alternative ways to cook them. This can help you cook multiple dishes at once without waiting for space to free up on your stove or in the oven. 

If you’re staying at an RV park, ask the owners about a shared kitchen on the grounds that you might be able to use. Keep in mind, you likely won’t be the only person thinking about this, so ask early on in case you need to reserve the space.

The Main Dish

Whether you enjoy turkey, ham, or tofu, all of your side dishes likely revolve around this one main dish. This is where some of those alternative cooking methods will come in handy. You can cook smaller portions in a slow cooker or even pull out the grill and let it smoke. 

Alternatively, you can look into other types of main dishes to replace one that you’re struggling to cook in your RV. This may include chicken, as opposed to turkey, or stuffed squash. 

At the end of the day, you know best what you and your family will enjoy this holiday season, so plan your meals with them in mind! If you still need the RV to help you enjoy a unique experience this year, check out the models we have for sale here at Pete’s RV Center Indiana. We’re happy to help all those in Schererville and Indianapolis, Indiana, as well as those in Champaign and Decatur, Illinois.