Motorhome & Campervan Cooking Tips, Tricks & Equipment

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How to Cook Up a Feast in Your Van

If you like a full roast or are partial to banana bread, whatever your motorhome cooking style, you’ll find all the information you need on motorhome and campervan cooking options here.

Motorhome and campervan travel gives us so many freedoms; where to go, where to stay and what to do when we get there. Gone is the need to eat out every day or head for the depressingly unchanging daily buffet, where you’ll inevitably eat too much of the wrong things. 

If you spend longer than a few weeks at a time taking a motorhome or campervan trip, you’ll be craving simple food or your favourite dish, like cheese on toast or roast chicken. Kit yourself out with the right equipment in your campervan kitchen and anything is possible; your motorhome meals will be five star!

Conventional Motorhome & Campervan Cooking Equipment

Motorhome & Campervan Ovens & Grills

Most new motorhomes and some campervans come with a fitted oven. Motorhome and campervan cookers are almost always powered by gas.  Some ovens also have a grill, which may be gas or electric. 

If you are buying a new motorhome, you should consider whether you need both and check the configuration and power type with the dealer. 

Ovens often sit on top of fridge/freezers and can be quite high, making them a potential hazard for shorties. Don’t forget also about the weight allowance of your motorhome before you choose an oven for your van.

If you’re buying a used motorhome, you will have less choice about what you get unless this is a defining feature and a must have, in which case it may take you longer to find your dream machine

Motorhome Microwaves

Unless you’re cooking in an RV with acres of space, the chances are you won’t be able to have both fitted oven and microwave.  If you do need both, then it is possible to carry a small, low wattage microwave with you, but only for use when you have EHU.

We looked at this several months ago, you can read our motorhome microwave buyers guide here or click on the link below.

The hazards of positioning with microwaves is increased, where you are more likely to have very hot liquids in containers, potentially above head height.  Take this into consideration if you decide to retro-fit a microwave into a previous oven space above a fridge/freezer or buy a van with a microwave already in this position.

You might prefer to carry the microwave in your garage and use it in the awning or kitchen when needed.

Motorhome & Campervan Gas Hobs

All campervans and motorhome come with a gas hob, two or three rings depending on the size of your van. Cooking in your motorhome with just a gas hob is very possible with a bit of imagination, some chilli flakes, an onion and a clove of garlic! There are lots of great 2 ring cooking recipes for cooking in a camper on line and in our campervan cookbook picks below

Some people worry about cooking in a campervan safety due to the small space, and an outdoor cooking option may be preferable. We have found that making sure your workspace is clear and the van is well ventilated helps. 

Motorhome & Campervan Cooking Alternatives

Many van lifers prefer not to fry or cook meat or fish in their vans because of mess and smell, and choose instead additional options like these below, to make easy campervan meals without the hassle. 

Some of the best camper van meals we’ve ever eaten have been simple, cooked in the open air in front of an amazing view…and a cold beer, of course!

Portable Gas Grills

Portable gas grills are actually much more than just a BBQ.  The most common design is a metal bowl with a fixed gas burner in the centre, the heat from the burner is diffused through a plate or pan set above the ring. The plate could be a traditional ridged BBQ plate, a flat griddle plate, a large cooking or frying pan or a pizza stone. This is topped off with a lid, which enables high heat. 

The manufacturers of these systems claim you can make a roast chicken with the lid on, a loaf of bread on the pizza stone and everything in between, and they are fair claims as both of these campervan meals are possible.  The domed lid traps air and the water in the base of the pan creates steam, working just like a conventional oven.  

All manufacturers make a number of sizes, some with legs and some without. They can be an awkward shape to store and once you add all the plates, the whole lot will be quite heavy, so make sure you have enough in your weight allowance and measure carefully where you will keep it when travelling.

All these devices will hook up to either a gas canister, bottle or an external gas point on your motorhome, making cooking outside easy and pleasurable. You can buy similar styles that use charcoal but as many campsites won’t allow charcoal BBQ’s we’ve focussed on those that rely on gas instead.

Cadac

Cadac is probably the most popular of these brands with motorhomers and campervanners.  Tried and tested and with a great range of accessories, the Cadac comes in a number of sizes and configurations.

Cadac Safari Chef
  • Perfect for two people and smaller camper cooking
  • 32cm wide and weighs 3.76kg
  • Folding mini legs
  • Easy to store
  • Push button ignition
  • Storage and carry bag included
Cadac Citi Chef
  • Perfect for two to four people
  • 42cm wide and weights 9.75kg
  • No legs
  • Compact and easy to store
  • Variety of colours
  • Push button ignition
  • Carry bag included
Cadac Grillo Chef – Our Choice
  • Perfect for four people
  • 65cm wide and weighs 8kg
  • Removable legs
  • Removable fat pan
  • Push button ignition
  • Carry bag included
Cadac Carri Chef 2
  • Ideal size for four to six people
  • 70cm wide and weighs 14kg
  • Roasts a chicken in 60 minutes, ready to serve – perfect for a motorhome Christmas lunch!
  • Removable legs
  • Awkward to store due to size
  • Push button ignition
  • Carry bag included

Cobb

Cobb Premier Air Charcoal Barbecue Grill
  • Perfect for two people
  • 33cm wide and weighs 3.6kg
  • With a use-anywhere stay-cool base
  • Workd with barbecuq briquettes
  • Carry bag included


Campingaz

one of the best campervan kitchen accessories
Party Grill 400 Stove
  • Perfect for two to four people
  • 36cm wide and weighs 10.7kg
  • Runs on any LPG
  • Very compact
  • Push button ignition
  • Carry bag included
  • Excellent value for money

Multi-Purpose Pots & Pans

Multi-purpose pans are great for campervans and motorhomes as they are space saving and do more than one job. Some of these pans will need a heat source, which could be a gas hob, camping stove or electric hob and some plug in, so be mindful of wattage when choosing your model.  Anything over 500w is likely to cause issues at busy times of the day and will not work with less than 10amps of electricity.

Ridge Monkey

Campervan meal ideas withe Ridgemonkey
Connect Combi & Steamer Set
  • Incorporates a flat bottom frying pan, a four section multi-purpose pan and a steamer tray
  • Lightweight aluminium
  • Can be used on any gas ring
  • Non-stick coating
  • Detachable handles
  • Easy and compact to store, weighs 2kg
Ridgemonkey, one of the must have campervan kitchen accessories
Connect Multi-Purpose Pan & Griddle Set
  • Incorporates a large pan and griddle as lid or ridged frying pan
  • Lightweight aluminium
  • Can be used on any gas ring
  • Non-stick coating
  • Detachable handles and hinges
  • Easy and compact to store, weighs 1.4kg

Remoska

Remoska - just add sour cream
Electric Cooker – Our Choice
  • One pot easy camper meals cooked by roasting, steaming or baking – just chuck the ingredients in and turn it on!
  • Two litres and 400w
  • Requires EHU
  • No graded heat control
  • Compact to store, weighs 3.2kg
  • Detachable handle

Lakeland

find a motorhome kitchen storage solution with this nifty instapot
Mini Multi Cooker
  • One pot meals such as curry, soup, rice and stews
  • Ideal for two people
  • 1.4 litres and 400w
  • Eight digitised programmes
  • Requires EHU
  • Easy to use with a non-stick pot
  • Compact to store, weighs 3.3kg

Omnia

Omnia Oven
  • Does everything a conventional oven does
  • Ideal for two people
  • 2 litres and weighs 800g
  • Can be used on any gas ring
  • Can also buy accessories
  • Great for baking

Although there are lots of variations on this type of motorhome cooking equipment on the market, we think our picks offer the best value for money combined with the best functionality and quality available.  All have been tried and tested by motorhomers and campervanners across the UK and Europe, many of whom use this campervan cooking equipment day in, day out over months and years.   

Campervan & Motorhome Kitchen Accessories

Now you’ve got the major motorhome cooking equipment sorted, you’ll need all the bits and pieces to chop the veg, stir the pot and serve your meal in your campervan kitchen. From whistling kettles to unbreakable stainless steel wine glasses and multi-purpose gadgets, you’ll find everything you need to kit out your motorhome kitchen in these posts, along with lots of other must-have motorhome accessories and motorhome housewares.

Van Life Cookbooks

camper cook book

You’ll find great cooking top tips and campervan cooking recipes in our Camper Cookbook, which can be adapted to suit your equipment, ingredients and whichever season or country you’re in – whether you’re in your own motorhome in the UK or even a campervan hire in New Zealand!

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