Cooking on the Road: Equipment Check

While we’ve done fairly well with rental kitchens, there have been some gaps between what we would consider “well appointed” and “basic.” I get that not everyone cooks, but we do. Or I should say, Jan cooks a lot and I enjoy the results. Regardless, I think I have a better handle of what to expect from shared economy after about a half dozen attempts to live in these spaces. I hope someone else can benefit from this brain dump.

We knew there would be gaps, so we built a mini-traveling kitchen including our French press, coffee grinder, travel coffee mugs, chef’s knife, assorted spices, some ziplock bags and containers, scrub pads, one plastic cup that Jan loves (my Shakespeare’s Pizza cup from college), water bottles, and a small fold-able cooler.

Jan bought a smoker while we were in Canada, but he put it back in storage before we left for Peru. We may have added a roasting pan — we’ll get to that later.

Missing in Action

What’s typically missing? Well, a lot actually. It’s a rare kitchen that has a properly sharpened knife. We’ve been hauling our chef’s knife around because every rental unit seems determined to skip a decent knife. They have knives, but they’re dull and dangerous. Also, no sharpening stones.

Beyond salt & pepper, seasonings can be hit or miss. I think the spices we’ve found have been left by previous renters. What else explains nutmeg in a cabinet that has nothing else? When we splurge on spices and bouillon cubes, we bring them with us because those items are small and can be stuffed into other things. Cooking oil is hit or miss.

A full set of cooking pans/baking sheets is rare. With one notable exception, we’ve yet to have a full set of cookery with which to unleash our (Jan’s) culinary genius. Often, the cookery that is there is not the best to be found on the market. Hot pads are frequently missing, so we double up the kitchen towel. Speaking of towels…there’s often only one towel and no wash cloth. Disposable scouring pads are popular in rentals (though don’t have as many uses.)

Common utensils like measuring cups/spoons are frequently missing. I baked in Canada using tableware and dead reckoning. I may finally break down and buy a vegetable peeler. Who doesn’t peel veggies? Airbnb renters, apparently.

I bought a cheap pitcher for making drinks while we were in Canada and left it in Washington state. Still wish I had it.

Consistently present

Toasters. Rentals love for visitors’ to eat toast. This has been great because when our toaster broke earlier in the year I didn’t replace it knowing we’d be on the move. I’ve had my way with bagels, English muffins, and lightly toasted bread for months now.

Coffee makers. I think there would be furious flurry of one-star reviews if these rentals didn’t cater to the caffeination needs of their clients. We bring our own coffee kit though still note the rental equipment.

At least one drinking glass, mug, plate, bowl, fork, knife, and spoon per person. Sometimes there’s more, sometimes a lot more. But often, the bare minimum is present. There’s also at least one medium-sized pan and some sort of baking sheet. Plan to do the dishes a lot if you use the kitchen.

Odd Finds

A few places have had things that were completely unexpected. For example, our place on Harstine Island was where 70’s-era appliances came to find a better life. We discovered an ice cream maker, bread machine, crock-pot, waffle iron, crab crackers, and corn cob holders. I’m sure most of it was there to make room in the owner’s fully appointed and overstuffed kitchen on the mainland. No matter, we made waffles and stews, and used up some of the baking supplies that hadn’t seen elsewhere. Flour? Brown sugar? Vanilla? Gold!

This place also had a completely awesome outdoor grill that we used whenever we had gaps in the weather.

I’ve mentioned before that the bachelor owner of our Canadian rental had new, unused appliances stashed in his basement. Jan talked him into letting us use his brand-new Instapot. I can picture it back in his basement the moment we left Canada. Poor Instapot! BTW, the bachelor had LED lights installed in the kitchen so we could turn the glass cabinets different colors. Fun!

Our current rental in Albuquerque actually has fully supplied disposables like garbage bags, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, dishwashing soap, dishwasher pods, laundry soap, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, paper towels, and scouring pads. I can’t overstate how wonderful it is to find that stuff. Usually there’s enough of these for a week — not the full month. We feel spoiled. Also, there’s a full block of knives and mixing bowls with lids.

Recipe for Success

So, what have we learned? After using convection, gas, burners, and electric stoves, we’ve decided we have a preference for gas. There’s more control and it’s more familiar.

We like full-sized refrigerators and plenty of counter space. Quality cookware makes a big difference in the outcome of meals.

We don’t need a microwave, garbage disposal, or a lot of freezer space.

We don’t actually need a full complement of kitchen equipment to successfully cook. Although I did buy a granite ware roasting pan at an estate sale for fifty cents today. Let’s set aside what drew me into an estate sale and discuss this under-rated piece of equipment. Do we need to roast on the regular? When we have a roasting pan, we use it and we don’t really have anything that size. And for fifty cents? We have some time to decide if we can stow away in a third bag, or if we need to eat those two quarters and move onward without it.

I guess our best advice is to bring what you use everyday and won’t add too much weight to your luggage. Only you are going to know what that is. And if you get back to your kitchen, use your experience to decide what it is you actually need to keep in your full-time space. I know we’ll pare back more and add differently when/if we eventually settle.