Motorhome kitchens seem minimal, do they work for you?

[Mr. M]

The space and appliances in most motorhome kitchens seem pretty minimal, especially compared to some of the more homelike fifth wheels. Many have scarce or almost no counterspace (which isn't a sink or stove cover), only 2 or maybe 3 burners, and often not even an oven, just a convection microwave.

If you like to cook, do you find this adequate? Please include what your kitchen is like, and what RV it is in.

Thanks,
James

[Z714X4]

I think "minimal" describes it accurately.

While we really like our motorhome kitchen, we are keenly aware it is not our S&B kitchen. We occasionally run out of counter room and end up using the kitchen table or TV trays... no biggie. It's all just part of the fun and experience that is camping!

Tiffin Allegro, 35QBA.
What we do like about ours is that it is not in a corner. Someone can be at the sink and someone else (usually me) at the stove, and we still have room for someone else to be in the fridge. Our kitchen runs along one wall on the same side which makes it easy for several people to participate in making the meals while several people can be on the couch or dinette and talk to us.

Yes, some of the fifth wheels have much nicer kitchens, but they cannot (should not) be fixing meals while driving down the road... we can.

[Brockx]

I believe that most owners don't want to use an oven because of the heat they generate. My 3rd owner 1996 shows no sign of the oven ever being used. I know me and owner #2 never lit it. The dinette across the aisle provides extra counter space.

[t55watson]

Originally Posted by Mr. M

The space and appliances in most motorhome kitchens seem pretty minimal, especially compared to some of the more homelike fifth wheels. Many have scarce or almost no counterspace (which isn't a sink or stove cover), only 2 or maybe 3 burners, and often not even an oven, just a convection microwave.

If you like to cook, do you find this adequate? Please include what your kitchen is like, and what RV it is in.

Thanks,
James

This and living space are the main reasons we won't be buying anthing on the market now. Keep the old HR Nav. and live with it.
Coach designers, and buyers, must spend all their time in the crapper or in the bedroom looking at how big it is. We go in the bedroom and sleep. Who cares how big it is? Same with the bathroom. We just go into perform bodily maintenance and then out to live.

[vsheetz]

Mitigation:

Eat less
BBQ/grill outside more
(-:

[sdennislee]

Originally Posted by vsheetz

Mitigation:

Eat less
BBQ/grill outside more
(-:

Ditto

[D in Davie]

I have a minimalist kitchen and find that it is something you have to adjust to. You can't leave the dishes for later because you may need that space for something else. Paper plates also save time and space. You don't cook multi pot meals, but you use the microwave a lot more. We are one of the few who use our oven but find lighting the pilot light to be a chore. Refrigerator space is very limited so you bring only what you are going to eat, keep the sizes of containers small and keep the number of condiments to a minimum. Finally we only cook those things inside the MH that we can live with the smell of for a while. All Fried foods are cooked or grilled outside but that is why we camp in the first place.

[Alan_Hepburn]

You just need to plan each meal carefully. In our 2007 Bounder 35E we have a 3 burner range with an oven, and a microwave. I have prepared some pretty good meals for potlucks in the kitchen, including roasted Cornish Game Hens with a whisky-Cumberland sauce, drunken shrimp with angel-hair pasta, mushroom-stuffed steaks (okay, I did use a grill for those!), and untold pies, cookies, etc.

The lack of counter space just means you have to work in stages, and clean up often, instead of letting the pots, pans, dishes, etc. pile up. And once you get used to how your particular oven works it does a good job on cookies, pies, cakes, etc. A good thermometer is a must!

[scenic route]

Our galley is all on the pax side of the MH. There's a pull out counter/cutting board that slides out from under the stove that gives us extra counter space if needed. With the micro-convection oven, dual burner cooktop, double 70/30 sink and double door refrigerator/freezer, we have not noticed a big difference in cooking style from the S&B...although less steps in getting the job done. We removed all the insert covers for the cook top and sink...we just don't need them as extra counter space- and they are HEAVY. Cooking outside on the Baby Q and cooking inside is about 50/50 for the most part. '05 HR Vacationer DBD...

[LEMO]

DW did an excellent job of Thanksgiving with turkey with all the fixing. of course all the clean up went to me, you adapt when you live on wheels!

[Brockx]

One other thought beyond my previous post. We have a 4 foot basement bin right to the rear of our outside steps. I keep one of those big 40 inch igloo coolers in there with all the cold drinks and water. Replenish the fridge each evening after dinner, makes the Domentic Fridge more than ample.

[njs42]

Of the 36' stem to stern our kitchen area takes up about a third. In view of the allotted space I would hazard that is more than minimalist it is substantial.

A lot has to do with selection. We passed on the oven in favor of drawers and we are happy we did. I wanted a tall pull out storage next to the refrigerator but deferred to my wife's thinking to get the double door fridge. Am I glad we did.

Some close friends own a 5er and have the oven and they cannot heat frozen pizza it does not get hot enough. They opted for the smaller fridge and we are always lending them ice from our rather prolific ice maker. They haul around a small fridge which sits outside for soda pop etc; so maybe it is not as much about space as it is space planning.

We got a lot for our buck. More counter space would be nice but we have a neat folding extension that adds just enough to get us through the big meals with guest etc.

[GaryKD]

My wife found the perfect solution. She makes excellent reservations.

[jamesrxx951]

Our kitchen has minimal counter top space also. We have plenty of cabinets and the oven, stove top, and microwave are fine. Would like a few more feet of counter top space but we make it work. For the most part were are outside anyways. More reason to not be inside.