Eating is a huge part of Neli’s Big Adventure, and there’s no better way to get to know a culture than by tasting its cuisine! In order to stay within our budget, however, we have to balance things out with time spent eating at “home.” We have a three-burner stove inside the camper and a two-burner camp stove for cooking outside, so any scale meal is possible. Here are the kitchen essentials that make cooking in a tiny space both easy and fun.
Alite Designs Clover Cookset
: This is near and dear to our hearts, because Victoria contributed to the Kickstarter campaign that helped launch the cooking tools. They’re perfect for camping as the spatula and spoon nest together for compact storage, just turn the spatula over and join with the spoon to create tongs. Not only are they heat-resistant up to 400 F, they match our decor as well! Bonus!
Anolon Advanced Hard Anodized Nonstick 3-1/2-Quart Covered Straining Saucepan with Spouts: We use this pot for absolutely everything. From boiling water for our coffee to cooking pasta for dinner. This is one time that the nonstick surface comes in really handy. It’s also tall and skinny instead of wide and flat, meaning we have more room on a small stove. Best of all is the lid, as its got straining holes on either side, and the pot has a lip for pouring.
All-Clad Stainless 10-Inch Fry Pan: We use a 33 year-old Revere Ware Frying Pan that Victoria’s parents bought when they first moved to the United States. So… You can’t exactly find it these days, but the one we have linked to is very similar. We love it because the stainless steel is easy to clean and it gets hot quickly with less propane required.
Breville® The Control Grip Immersion Blender: Smoothies, sauces, soups, salsas… We can handle it all with our immersion blender. Best of all, it takes up almost no space and is super easy to clean. This is another item we used all the time at home and couldn’t imagine life on the road without it. There’s amazing fresh fruit everywhere you go in Mexico and Central America, and it’s usually both cheap and delicious. An immersion blender helps you take full advantage of all that deliciousness.
GSI 30oz Java Press: We had an awesome glass-walled french-press at home, but figured something a little sturdier would be called for on the road. Enter the GSI Java Press! The BPA Carafe is lightweight and shatter resistant (perfect for on the road) and the insulating EVA sleeve keeps our coffee hot. NOTE: GSI gifted this to us but we would be singing it’s praises even if we had paid for it. This is one of the few things we use every single day.
Squish Colander: We wish we had discovered this line of products long before we left! They are amazing space savers, and the colander comes in handy for straining veggies and pulling double duty as a fruit bowl. Squish has a whole line of bowls, measuring cups, and measuring spoons that we really wish we had with us instead of the hard-sided ones we do have.
ZWILLING J.A HENCKELS 7-pocket Knife Roll: You need knives all the time on a trip like this, and your machete will only go so far. We bought this J.A. Henckels Knife Roll to keep us safe and organized. All our knives are in the same place, and the sharp edges are tucked away. These Wusthof Gourmet Knives are what we brought with us on the Big Adventure.
GSI 30oz Java Press: We had an awesome glass-walled french-press at home, but figured something a little sturdier would be called for on the road. Enter the GSI Java Press! The BPA Carafe is lightweight and shatter resistant (perfect for on the road) and the insulating EVA sleeve keeps our coffee hot. NOTE: GSI gifted this to us but we would be singing it’s praises even if we had paid for it. This is one of the few things we use every single day.
