Cooking

Cooking in an RV is a learned skill due to small spaces and non-conventional equipment. Your oven, if you even have one, is smaller and they have hot spots. Most RV’s don’t have a typical oven. Most have Microwave Convention Ovens which requires you to keep in mind a few things – you can’t microwave something right after you bake something because it’s hot in there (unless you use glass containers), be careful of the door because it’s HOT and if you’re unlevel, it’ll slowly close on you when you’re trying to check food or remove food. I can’t count the number of times that I have been almost-burned by that darn hot door. When baking something you need to lower your temperature by about 25 degrees and cut your time down by about 10% and most of all – watch it towards the end!!

Note: i was recently was told that some of the newer units make the adjustment for you so read your manual!

And the drawback is that you can’t broil in it! So in comes the Air Fryer! You can broil steaks in it, make the best hot dogs ever, bacon is a breeze with no grease spatter and many more things are just better in an Air Fryer.

When you are driving all day, you need something that can cook food FAST – say hello to the Pressure Cooker! I started off with the Instant Pot then upgraded to the Ninja Foodi which is a Pressure Cooker and Air Fryer combo unit.

I also have an Anova Sous Vide cooker and a Smoking Gun. Those are a little over the top for most RVers but not if you’re a foodi like me. If you are not familiar with them, I’ll write something about them in the near future. I think you will be amazed.

What I like most though is when Ken cooks on the Blackstone Grill – especially breakfast or stir fry!

Warning though – being a sous chef for a Blackstone chef is a lot of work while he stands/sits there and turns stuff on the grill. Ha!


Microwave/Convection oven

We have a microwave/convection oven in our coach and for the first year I used both all the time. It took a little while to get accustomed to the convection oven but I learned how to cook in it just like I would in a regular oven. The only drawback was that the door always wanted to close on me when I was taking things out or checking food and the door gets hot when cooking. I burned myself several times. Also, if I was cooking something in the convection oven then needed to microwave something, I had to remember that it was hot in there so I had to use dishes that could also withstand the heat or wait till it cooled down. Not real efficient when trying to get dinner done. Then I started seeing posts on Facebook about air fryers which are basically a convection oven that sits on the counter and I broke down and bought one – the Ninja Foodi. It’s a pressure cooker and an air fryer in one. I really like it but I still have my Instant Pot too.


Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

I LOVE my Instant Pot. It’s a pressure cooker that also functions as a rice cooker and crock pot but faster. I use it a lot to cook roasts, ribs, one pot meals, etc. You can even bake cheesecakes in it. I couldn’t do without it and there’s several FB groups for recipes and help. I will post recipes in the near future.

In an attempt to make more space in the RV, I decided to buy the Ninja Foodi which is an AirFryer and Pressure Cooker combined. I got rid of my original Air Fryer but ended up keeping my Instant Pot because there are times where I will use both at the same time.

If you already have an Instant Pot with the SS liner, you can transform it into an Air Fryer by buying an Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid ($79) or a Mealthy Crisp Lid ($64.95). For instance, you can pressure cook a whole chicken for 30 minutes or so then release the pressure, empty the water out, baste with butter, season and put on one of these Air Fryer Lids and crisp up the skin. Faux-Rotisserie chicken at it’s best!

Air fryers are awesome for cooking bacon. It crisps up great and there’s no spatter to clean up. Hot dogs taste like grilled dogs. Sandwiches toast up nice and crunchy. Reheating french fryes and pizza brings them back to life. You can even broil a steak or chop and garlic toast. They are great to have!

Instant Pot Air Fry Lid

Mealthy CrispLid


Induction cooktop

I have a one burner induction cooktop by Nuwave. I don’t use it often unless we have a large group to feed and need an extra burner or need to keep something warm when cooking outside but it remains a staple in my cabinet. It’s great for frying fresh caught fish outside.


Sous Vide

I have the Anova Precision Cooker stick but there are many other brands to choose from. I did some research and it seemed that most users recommended this brand.

I can’t even remember how I got introduced to sous vide cooking but I’m grateful to whoever introduced me to this method of cooking. Fair warning though – it’s not for the quick cook. It’s a long, slow cook but the results are incredible. Sous vide steaks are the tenderest and cooked to perfect from edge to edge. Absolutely the best method of cooking if you like your steaks rare or med-rare – and it’s not just for steaks.

Perfect results, every time

Sous Vide (pronounced “sue-veed”) is a cooking technique that enables precision temperature control. Used by professionals for decades, it works by circulating heated water in a pot, cooking food to the exact set temperature. There’s only a 3º difference between a rare and medium-rare steak, so precision means perfection.

Sous vide, which means “under vacuum” in French, refers to the process of vacuum-sealing food in a bag, then cooking it to a very precise temperature in a water bath. This technique produces results that are impossible to achieve through any other cooking method.

Sous vide cooking is much easier than you might think, and usually involved three simple steps:

1. Attach your precision cooker to a pot of water and set the time and temperature according to your desired level of doneness.

2. Put your food in a sealable bag and clip it to the side of the pot.

3. Finish by searing, grilling, or broiling the food to add a crispy, golden exterior layer.

This simple and approachable technique eliminates overcooked, dried out food and ensures edge-to-edge perfection every time you cook!

Sous Vide Steak vs. Traditionally Cooked Steak

The steak on the left was cooked sous vide at 129ºF, while the steak on the right was pan-cooked. As illustrated in the comparison above between cooking sous vide steak and pan-cooking steak, there are important advantages to cooking sous vide over traditional methods.

Whether it’s steak, chicken, fish, vegetables, or even crème brûlée, sous vide gives you results that are impossible to achieve with any other method.

Whether you are a novice or experienced cook, Anova has some great recipes to get you started. Check them out. Anova Recipes.


Check out our Recipes page for some great recipes!!
There’s only a couple right now but we’ll be adding more soon!!
Recipes

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