Well, our caravan is tiny. But, I do a lot of cooking in this.

https://www.google.com/search?q=remoska&oq=remoska&aqs=chrome..69i57j0j69i60

I have a Czecky friend who told me that they all use them and she's right....its a gem. It's basically an oven but you can do everything from a roast dinner to cakes in it. I love it for its simplicity. It's on or off. There's a good recipe book that you can get for it.

Also, caravan cooking for me is more about knife skills than gadgets.

John, with your knowledge of boats....don't. Seriously don't. Unless it's an anchored houseboat, and even then, there's a ton you need to learn about maintenance in the wet.

Land-based, yes. Have you ever been camping? The kind of RV you're talking about isn't much different, just a bit easier. Well, the VW is basically a more solid tent, but pretty much still camping.... I've never done more than five weeks in an RV (well appointed) and four weeks tent/car, but I think that's enough to have some idea of what longer would be like. There are several major issues--systems (electric, gas, HVAC, plumbing, waste, etc.) Same as on a house, but when you're moving, your "house" is having a daily earthquake. Stuff comes loose, abrades, etc. The more you know how to fix, the better off you are. Add to that automobile repair. Even if you have a trailer rather than a powered "house", you have axle(s), chassis, wheels, tires, brakes, etc. Imagine a weekend in a tiny town 50 miles from anywhere with a broken axle (been there).

The main thing full-timing does is magnify that which you're doing without, and storage issues.

Once you're prepared for all that, the cooking is no biggie. You know how to cook. You can cook anything on that three burner range that you can in a regular kitchen. You just need to adjust sizes and expectations.

Remember when you sent your daughter to college with a multicooker? I bet one would be very useful in an RV. Even more, outside. There's usually an exterior outlet, or you can run a cord from the hookup outlet or through a window if you have sufficient power. Adding up power draw is a standard task. A portable grill is a must. Exterior storage bins are great for things like that, so you don't have to bring the smell in, but a briefcase grill is adequate for two. Re dishes, unless you're going Class A fancy, expect to minimize the number of dishes you use. If you're off grid, you'll also calculate the amount of wash/rinse water you use both from your fresh water tank and into your gray water tank. Even with gray water, there are fats and bacteria and stuff you really shouldn't be watering the landscape with untreated, but if you'll be where that's allowed, make sure you're using the right kind of biodegradable soap.

Fresh food storage is the biggest issue. You can get a 2-way or 3-way supplemental cooler. You can also use dry ice in a conventional cooler, though that's harder to find, and dealing with wet ice gets old fast. If you're going off grid, you definitely need three way (ac/dc/propane) for both the built-in fridge and any supplemental (though that might be ac/dc/dry ice). If you'll be going in and out of your real estate house, it makes sense while home to make and freeze stocks and other ingredients, plus a few made ahead foods, if you have a way to store them.

Food processor, no. In a 40' trailer, fine, but not in anything under 30'. A small stick blender with accessories including the little herb processor, maybe, if you really have room for it. Definitely no mixer. A good wooden spoon and a break-proof mixing bowl or spare pot is all you need for mixing. You can get a collapsible balloon whisk that stores flat for whipping. There are nesting pot systems with separate handles meant for boats and RVs. There are also nesting mixing bowl and colander sets, some of which also have measuring cups. There are even nesting cooking utensils. Storage is the biggest issue, especially if you're going with a more affordable vehicle, which are big on beds, which are a lot cheaper to make than cabinetry. Of course you could rehab an old one and fit it out yourself.

Best bet? When the current world situation calms down, rent something the size you were thinking of and figure out your space usage. Until then, look at literature. Floor plans. RV appliances. Read the magazines about RVing.

Check out Leisure Van. It's the price of a small condo, and the size of a small delivery van. Beautifully designed and appointed and not so hard to park (I've never traveled in one, but they're lovely). The "kitchen" is a not too small fridge, a domino cooktop (electric, I assume, because Induction would be too big a power draw) in a small cabinet with a sink, convection microwave, and a pullout pantry. I think it doesn't have a hood though. A hood is a good thing. I can't remember about boats up to 50' (I've been more the sandwich maker than cook when sailing), but it would be a good thing. Land RV's with the usual RV range always used to have a hood, but I haven't looked lately. Probably required with gas. :) Off grid you need gas, or plan to cook outside (like if you had a Leisure Van with its electric cooking).

But the actual cooking? You might not be able to get a wok hot enough for real deal Asian cooking, but otherwise, just cook. :)

My parents had a summer place. Not a cabin, just a tiny bit of ground with an O-L-D travel trailer. But we never lacked for good meals. Of course being a permanent place, my Dad built a nice fire pit but a good sturdy grill would suffice. A cast-iron skillet, a grate and a griddle pretty much can cook anything but a CI dutch oven is also useful IF you have the storage room. There was a tiny stove for rainy days. The bitty fridge was supplemented with coolers for drinks. Basically, plllog covered about everything you need to consider!

We do a lot of cooking on the bbq when we're camping; a grilled protein and a salad or a basket of grilled vegetables. I always make extra grilled veg, which can then be incorporated into an omlette or a pasta salad or hot pasta. We have a decent size 5th wheel, but not a lot of it is dedicated to kitchen space. I make sure that we have chili and soup in the freezer. We have a 3 burner cooktop, a small oven and we bought a toaster oven. We never lack for meals - can be just a sandwich or hamburger or I have cooked a ham and scalloped potatoes. It's kind of fun - I enjoy improvising when necessary. I have successfully taken enough food for the two of us for 10 days.

We have a vintage Airstream. 1970 LandYacht. We had about ten years of good travel back in the 90's. One trip south visiting family was a good 6 weeks over the holidays. So efficient. Our own apartment every stop.

We rarely ate out. Knife skills.

We have kept it original and keep up the bath/shower/toilet/hot water/fridge/oven. It is our guest house on the farm. I'd say it is one of my favorite kitchens to cook in being such a tight 'triangle'.

I grew up on the Chesapeake. A family of boat lovers. My parents did the trip from Oregon to Baja with my brother and his family. (with my one-year-old niece). Restored a sailboat and did the year-long trip.

Our boat is a day-tripper. Or a few days is possible on an island off the coast.

I do have a claustrophobic issue with a bed where I can't sit up. In a tiny kitchen I need to stand up-right. A Westfalia I would need a big modern tent connected to the back end. For sleeping, dining, bug protection. Cold climates I won't go. No way. Not without heat when it gets chilly and AC when it gets hot.

Should have mentioned in my previous posts that "one pot meals" are RV friendly. Jambalya, Risotto (with protein and veg of your choice.) Chili, chowders, chicken stew...

Building on what the others have said--for what you're describing, camping would be your jumping off place. It sounds more like semi-full-timing. Especially if Ms. SWMBO is to be happy. For going a couple of months at a time, you do need some luxuries, and some make life easier things. You also need to be able to make a broad variety of food. In the end more glamping than camping.

Unless Ms. SWMBO is a great lover of campground facilities, you really do need to consider upgrading to something with a toilet (and for the glamour part, one with an electrically deployed sewer hose). There are well designed popup outhouses with chair height portapotties, and similar ones that are two space shower rooms (wet and changing spaces) but that's not what most people want to do daily for months, especially in the middle of the night in bad weather in the "sere" years.

Two months of cooking your own meals in the VW isn't sustainable for your golden years, either. Most people who go that direction eat their main meals out, and do very simple assemble rather than cook meals for the rest. To be happy doing this long term, instead of thinking about what can you live without (other than bulky items like food processors and stock pots), think of all the things that you might want for what you think you might want to cook, and then figure out what you can fit by size and weight, what will do double or triple duty, etc. For instance, one hotel pan to fit your oven could be a roaster, cookie sheet, casserole, pie plate, baking tin, etc. For sure, 5:00's mixing bowl is 6:00's serving bowl.

Does Ms. SWMBO like cold brew?

ETA: John, when I played a thought experiment game of having to equip a full home in a tiny home space (I think it was a container), I asked for help on kitchen necessities. The brief was that one had to be able to cook anything for four, with no exterior storage. This was your contribution of minimum necessary kitchen items:

John Liu:

• Hmm. My list would look like:
• 10" chefs knife
  Peeler
  Grater or micro plane
  Wood spoon, a few
  Tongs
  Ladle
  Large fork
  Spatula
  Cutting board
  Rolling pin
  Colander or strainer
  Cast iron skillet, 12"
  Stainless sauté pan, 10"
  Stock pot, like a 20 qt
  Saucepan, 4-6 qt, two
  Half sheet pan, two or three
  Aluminum foil
• I could cook most things with the above tools, plus burners, oven and sink of course. The stockpot is perhaps optional, but you need a large pot for lobster, crab, corn cobs, etc and you can use the stockpot to store the other stuff. If someone makes a rectangular stock pot, that would be better storage container (also could double as a roasting pan?)
• If there was a little more room, I'd add some conveniences.
  Pressure cooker 8 qt (in place of one if the saucepans)
  Food processor (for liquefying stuff, also making doughs)
  Mandolin (don't often use it, but in those occasions it is a huge help)
  
  ------------------------------------

• Yes, a saucepan can be a mixing bowl and a fork a whisk. I admit I don't bake much - if I did, stuff like springform pan, muffin pan, etc might have been on the list. For my needs, I'd plan on making special pans and forms etc from the aluminum foil.
• I didn't list, but assumed, the basic tableware, flatware and glassware. I figure you can use the bowls for mise and the forks and spoons for misc cooking duties like tasting and mashing. I'd have chopsticks in the "flatware" of course.
• Feels odd to have only one knife in the kitchen, but I really can (and sometimes do) use only a large chef's knife for everything. Kind of like dcarch was saying with the Chinese veg cleaver.

I have a metal box where I keep my "mini kitchen" with all its gadgets. The camp stove fits on the top shelf when its opened. I got it years and years ago. Used to keep it in the cab of my truck (when I had a truck), as my friend once said of his provisions in the back of his truck, "Just in case I have to quickly evacuate." At one time I had all the means necessary to start a new civilization back there . . . but anyway, I'll have to post a picture of it. For some reason, I guess so you would not forget, the box has the words "CHUCK BOX" painted on it. It came that way. So when we go camping, hubs says, "Is Chuck ready?"

I have only a big pot and one small one and a small frying pan with a folding handle. The big pot can also serve as a big frying pan and a wash basin. I don't bake too much when I'm camping but I could . . . but then I'm dough challenged under normal kitchen conditions so it's just not a favorite thing of mine. But I have done it. I used to teach outdoor living skills. There's almost no limit to what I can whip up from a box of Bisquick . . . I'm more of a hash cook in my regular kitchen so not sure what that means for you, since I know you like to finesse things and are a gadget guy . . . no reason you can't get some outdoor cooking gadgets too. I just eventually got to a point where I wanted to travel and eat light. But also, I'm not in love with the process of cooking, my love is more with the results . . . Camp cooking is a whole ancient culture and can be a LOT of fun. I actually once worked on a big schooner. It had a small woodstove in the galley. A good cook can do awesome meals under many types of conditions . . .

Well, SWMBO is no longer a fan of camping, other than glamping, and she hates the Westfalia, so that’ll be me going solo.

She does, however, want to point us in the direction of a vacation place down the road.

I have generally pooh poohed the idea, because I’ve always worked so much that leaving town more than a couple weeks a year has been “A Vacay Too Far”, apologies to Cornelius Ryan. Anyway, friends invite us to their cabins and when we do have multiple weeks to go somewhere, it’s usually France or Italy or one of those places that Americans now can’t travel to.

Okay, after a few months of Covid we’re all used to the idea that people are “working from home” and meeting by Zoom. Internet connectivity is almost everywhere. Leaving the corporate world means I don’t have people dropping pointless meetings on my calendar just to prove they are busy. Hmm, I actually could go Somewhere Else for weeks at a time and still work from Whereever That Is. Oh, and in the next several years, the same constellations of satellites that are making stargazers sad will bring (sort of) affordable internet connectivity to almost anywhere on Earth.

So, revive the vacation place idea? The thing is, I drew a two hour radius around Portland and, while there’s lots of places to visit, I’m just not convinced I’ll want to keep going back to those places over and over and over. There *might* be, I’ll spend the next few years checking places out, but I haven’t found it yet.

So that led to the RV or the floating tubby thing (are they called “boats”?) idea.

Naturally I’ve been looking online and wow they have bigger kitchens than my house!

Oh, oops, those are the $$$$$ ones. Let’s look at the $$ ones. Hmm, much smaller. And that’s what I described in the opening post.

Compromise: If you can find a wonderful lot you'd like to visit regularly, especially if it's improved (i.e., has, or has access to, water and power, if not sewer), get that, make a parking pad and get or build a nice trailer or "tiny house" that Ms. SWMBO finds acceptable. When you want to go somewhere else, hitch it up and go. Learning to safely operate a tow vehicle and travel trailer is a lot easier than learning to safely travel by boat.

I was, mostly, talking about the kind of kitchen you described. The one with the three burner, small oven propane stove and Dometic three fuel fridge. How much kitchen storage you'll have is extremely variable. I mentioned the Leisure Van--where the kitchen is so limited--as a point of comparison. It's a lot more functional than the VW, but that's not saying much. It's not for full timing. OTOH, the kitchen in a midrange RV (motorhome or trailer), depending on the design (a lot of these are built as bunk houses for hunters/fishermen, or for on site corporate meetings, where sitting and sleeping space is far more important than storage and workflow).

If you want to go bigger, with a giant fifth wheel or moveable (i.e., roadworthy, but you have to hire a driver to move it, and don't do so more than a couple times per year), you can have more and bigger toys, but the experience is more like the cabin, with occasional changes of scene, than anything like the VW and wanderlust.

Look into foldables. Like the current craze is a nylon cutting board with a silicone ripple inside the rim, which folds out to make a basin with a drain plug for washing your veg before you cut them...or washing dishes.

There's a silicone folding tea kettle, but you could just boil water in a pot.

You don't have to limit knives--I think you could use a serrated knife too. Put edge guards on them, and they fit compactly. in your drawer--or any other place you like.

Look at Magma and Cristel nesting pots.

Check out Joseph Joseph folding and nesting kitchen stuff.

Weight is a concern with a caravan.

My folks bought a large sailboat for the reasons you describe John. It was a 32 ft. Hunter. Living in a nautical state, Dad liked that he could travel from port town to port town easily and stay at the public marinas. It was like having a traveling vacation home on the water, that would not have the upkeep of a permanent house. On the plus side. On the negative side was the cramped quarters and constant provisioning, plus taking in and out of the water, and a certain type of maintenance that is/was not for everybody. Folks eventually ended up getting a condo and taking day trips. Similar to the RV lifestyle but I think RVs are easier and more flexible as to destinations. My folks best friends happily RV'd for years. Hubs and I would like to do that but right now we can't afford one. Not sure if we ever will. But while camping we met a few folks who traveled for work and lived at campsites so that was a thing even before the pandemic and I see it continuing. Migrant workers, in a sense. Not too bad if you aren't having to take the whole family. Sad if you either do or can't and have to be away for months. I know of folks in both situations. I imagine many were frequent customers of the fast food industry.

All what stuff? I pointed out some possibilities that are tradeoffs, for sure, but it depends on what suits an individual's desires. What most campers? If you mean the kind that slides into the bed of a pickup truck, I agree. As I said, some RV's are all bed, no storage. I've spent a lot of time in tents, vans, trailers, and sailboats, and know how much storage they have.. Other than the possibility of a multicooker, which might still be worth its space (probably in a non-kitchen bin), especially in an RV that doesn't have an oven, I haven't suggested anything that wouldn't fit in a basic camp box, 25' trailer, or class C motorhome, if there's a drawer and a cupboard for cookware, which most have. None of it is particularly heavy, none of it is bulky. John was asking about post-Westfalia which doesn't have room for full sized German people, let alone their belongings.

ETA: OMG!! I just figured it out! If you folks are worried about the bullet point list, that's JOHN's list from six years ago for what he thought kitchen must haves were. It's NOT my list of what I think he needs. I thought he'd find it a useful list to look at, since it was his. The 20-qt. stockpot is a no-go unless it's usually the trash can or some other double duty thing that gets moved around wherever there's a spot for it. Etc.

The following was my answer to the above post before the addition of the fact that there are functionally only two cabinets:

Sherry, I haven't suggested more than will fit in your big camper. As I said, however, there are trade-offs, but one drawer and one cupboard for cookware leaves you at least a drawer and two cabinets for dishes and food. For two months at a time, cooking most meals in, one needs more kitchenware than for pared down camping, but not more food storage except the home canned foods that John was talking about, or the extra cooler I mentioned (which might live in the tow vehicle).

In a pop up, you're lucky to have storage and the people I know who have them, love the towability, keep their kitchenware in a chuck box which is easy to move outside, and depend on their tow vehicles for storage. That's also more about camping camping, not full timing on the glamping side, which is what Ms. SWMBO will require. He specifically said she's not going in the VW and he's looking for something bigger with a range.

I don’t remember making that list but looks like it was for a tiny apartment? The big stockpot does seem a stretch, maybe it holds everything else.

Okay, for small appliances maybe pare it down to a sous vide stick and a hand mixer :-)

John mentioned in his first post about stove, fridge, sink, etc. An RV and a Boat/sailboat will have plenty of storage. No need for special anything. A quick rummage in any stocked kitchen will have what is needed for weeks, even months, of travel. So much storage in even the Bambi Airstream.

Always have loved that 'baby girl'. Lots of drawers, overhead storage and a closet pantry. Oven, gas stovetop, big fridge. (for a trailer).

Sure it is a dance to pack. I've done that so much it is not a big deal.

Not sure SWMBO wants the headache when just renting a house is so easy and nice, no stress, just pack a crate of cooking needs. (rentals are always lacking in useable kitchen tools).

Can't imagine zipping off alone and not considering what my spouse might like, but nothing wrong with some private time alone if she says go-on-your-merry-way in the Van. If DH had some ants in his pants to drive away with a tent...go baby. See ya in whatever time it takes to scratch your travel bug.

That would never happen since I am the ultimate stressless packer. 😜

He has no interest without me. We are a team. That makes it work.

Sherry, we're obviously talking about different setups. I've been camping and RVing just as long. I know what we can fit, have fit. I was suggesting the whisk that twists flat for storage and the nesting pots with the removable handle and the cutting board that is it's own basin. Again, the big stuff was John's list from a different discussion.

Even the guy I knew who had a tent pup up running behind his Harley had a usable amount of kitchen stuff, but more like backpacking stuff. He also had large, hard side trunk and saddlebags on his bike. Storage is key, no matter how big or small your rig.

John, the list came from a thought exercise game of furnishing (using real world items) an 8'x20' shipping container house, including kitchen with all appliances and bath, required to be able to seat four people at table with cloth, candles, flours, stemware, etc., and be able to cook anything. I just thought you'd like to see what you wrote six years ago in answer to the question of what is the least you'd want to be able to cook anything.

Just think back to your grandmother's amazing meals that she cooked with one knife, a couple of pans......you're over-thinking it.

I went through my stuff and came up with a list that might satisfy the glampers. :)

• Pot holders/trivets/oven mitts/bbq mitts--Don't over do, but don't short yourself. Too easy to grab a damp towel and get burned. I like silicone ridged grabbers which can be pot holders, trivets and non-slip pads for bowls and cutting boards, and are flat and easy to store.
• Scrubbie/sponge/dish cleaning device
• Dual veg brush, soft and stiff parts
• Tea towels--bulky. Expect to wash often rather than having more.
• Silicone mat for work surface
• Sieve-mesh strainer The flat drum kind (no handle) is the real deal, and easiest to store. You could also make an even lower sided one yourself, or even use a spatter screen, especially if you might want to use it for spatter, as well.
• Lettuce drier/colander old fashioned fold flat wire.
• Cutting board + skins for meat, fish, etc. The super thin skin mats on top of a proper cutting board help contain cross contamination while your knives are protected. Not sure if this is a gimmick or great.
• Nesting prep and mixing bowls--no lids, use plastic wrap or foil. Lids are a mess to deal with, even if they fit inside the nest. Pretty ones that can be used for serving.
• Collapsible silicone funnel
• Folding digital scale
• Frying pan
• Dutch oven
• Hotel pan (perhaps two) to fit oven and be sheet pan/ roaster/ lasagna/ brownie/ pie/ bread/ pizza
• Paddle grater. Some have two sizes of holes on one paddle. There are folding box graters, but they take a lot of room.
• Do you need a masher? They make fold flat ones.
• Can (rotary)/bottle opener. Make sure there's a bottle top puller as well as a pointy "church key" can piercer which can also loosen jar lids. Or get a smaller plain can opener and a flat, stamped military style church key.
• Whisk--I haven't used the kind that twists flat, so I can't guarantee how well it works, but storing a whisk is a pain.
• Peeler
• Tongs
• Rubber (silicone) scraper
• Solid cooking spoon
• Slotted spoon
• Wooden spoon
• Ladle
• Turner
• Cork screw
• Measuring cup/spoons There are collapsible dry measure cups, but I don't know that they actually save any room, and I'd think they'd be less accurate. I'd probably get an OXO one cup liquid measure jug and use it for everything.
• Scoop that can be used for ice cream or meatballs.
• Nesting plastic cutters for biscuits, cookies, ravioli etc. Plastic won't cut the silicone mat.
• 1" dowel rolling pin. You can roll anything you can fit in your oven with one, and it's easy to store.
• Papers for muffins/cupcakes/potato puffs, etc. They can be made hotel pan, or silicone "papers", which are easy to store the way a muffin tin is not.
• Pitcher with lid, pref. rectangular. Bulky, but one always seems to be needed.
• Parchment
• Foil
• Plastic wrap
• Food storage bags
• Mop--depending on your storage availability, telescoping may be better, or solid.
• Broom--ditto
• Bucket--a good solid, multipurpose bucket is a joy. Stuff can be stored in it. They make collapsible, which may or may not work better (see telescoping mop).
• Wet sponge etc. holder. The sink is going to be too small to just leave the sponge in, and you'll have more important things to safely store in the sink while traveling. A disposable container is sufficient, but there might be a specific to the task one that you prefer (and is prettier).
• Chef's knife, paring knife, serrated knife, with edge guards
• Plates, bowls (cereal size and shape), mugs, tumblers, knives, forks, spoons, chopsticks, for 4. Unbreakable if possible. More guests, use disposable. Wash up after every meal. Mixing bowls and sheet pan, cooking spoons, can double as serving pieces, but if they're all employed in making the dinner you might need to add a few bits.

When we're camping, and our van is small

That is pretty perfect islay. Small RV traveling is not, to me, glam. It is compact and simple travel. Especially when no plans are necessary...just a destination direction, north-or-south. If the travel team is on board about tasks. Simple destination set-ups. Not an issue. Takes 10-15 minutes.

What we like about destination travel is the no need for reservations. Stay put for a few days when it seems right. Move on for another experience. I could do that for months.

A co-worker retired. Sold his home. They bought a RV and went on the road. Good retirement with investments. I followed their blog for a while. Curious now that I have lost contact. Interested in where they ended up. They liked a few southern towns. But loved the pacific NWest. Idaho, Wyoming. The intention was to settle somewhere. Buy a home far from NYC.

I liked him enough to care but not that much, 😂 He was a bit sour/surly

The process was interesting.

I did look at rental RV's but those are not available or in short supply...just curious. Farm home sales in the Catskills are in bid-wars. North of the city and work from home.

Why would a tiny tricked out SV be glam when a rental home for a week or two is just so sensible. Kitchen, bedrooms.

This thread is exciting to me! My daughter and her wife are thinking of going in on a smallish RV together that has been kept in fabulous shape.

We've done a lot of trailer camping with my sister and BIL, but they moved to an old folks neighborhood and sold their trailer.

Hubby's the best at grilling, there's at 3 burner stove and the owner said there's a "portable stove" in the cupboard (didn't have time to really go through the rig yet)

Covid camping!