Speaking of Pantries

We are full timers and prefer to cook fresh food (never canned veggies). I have a big drawer full of spices. I have room in my kitchen to store all my favorite kitchen appliances including a Cuisinart stand mixer. I even make my own hamburger buns.

We're not fulltimers (yet) -- but I love to cook and I try to keep our consumption of processed food to a minimum. Ihave a nice collection of spices on board, and also bring fresh herbs along whenever possible.

We live in our rv, so it is my kitchen and is fully stocked. We cook most of our meals in the rv or on the grill. Somehow sitting around visiting while cooking on the fire or a grill seems more enjoyable to me that running around. Some down time is needed to.

Merrykalia wrote:
I hate to say it, but my pantry in the RV is about as well-stocked as my house. I have salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, thyme, rosemary, tumeric, paprika, parsley flakes, etc.

I do not like pre-packaged foods, for the most part and I cook for me and the family pretty much every evening. When we are camping, we might have burgers/dogs once a month, but never more than that. We will fix pizzas on the grill a lot more often than burgers.

I will purchase spices before the first trip of the year and when we close up in November, the spices will come into the house, if there is anything left.

I hear you on a well stocked away pantry, at home and on the road; it can get a tad overwhelming in terms of space.

I always try to keep to the seasonings that I need for my planned menus however "glamping" with my portable camp kitchen allows me to wander off the script and carry lots of "what ifs?". The unit has a place for everything and lots of work space.

This year our kiddo camping trip will be at water access only sites ( 15 days so far) in an area known for black bear sightings and as such decided that it makes little sense to bring the camp kitchen. Which also means less "what ifs" and more staying with the planned menu.

Gonna try to keep myself to the following this trip:

1 jar of Dijon and several restaurant packets of yellow mustard
Ketchup
a small bottle of regular soy sauce (err I tend to have 3 different versions at home)
Hoisin sauce (makes a great BBQ sauce base for any cuisine' s cooking)
sesame oil...prolly the toasted version
rice vinegar
black bean sauce
vacuum packed silken tofu
Sirracha sauce (great for many cuisines when you want some spicy heat)


So far, I've pre-seasoned most of the fresh to frozen meats we're taking with us which should cut back on pantry needs.
Also season brined/marinated and dry rubbed chicky parts and pork cuts before freezing, as well as portioning much of the protein to cut back on what to do w/leftovers concerns.

To season the fresh food we'll acquire during the trip, I'm taking the following herbs and spices:

sweet smoked paprika
a dry salad dressing from the Spice House which also works nice for fresh caught fish:

freeze dried shallots and green onions
oregano
basil
dill
thyme
maybe some herbs de Provence and/or Cajun seasoning
salts and pepper.

Like yourself, I'm not a fan of pre made foodstuff unless it comes out of my kitchen. So to that end, I've spent a nice part of the winter, pre making dishes like Italian pasta dishes, roasted Boston butt, seasoned in a couple different ways (Shanghai roasted pork, carnitas and pulled pork and such; soups (mostly veggie based), cooked at home and frozen in vacuum sealed or ZipLoc portions. This year I also added frozen cheese slices and cold cuts to the frozen list. Place a piece of wax paper between each slice and you're good to go for fast sandwiches and omelette ingredients.


A coupla cans of canned fish/seafood and choices are there for whatever the fresh fishing brings. Or not.

For this trip, I'm using frozen rice and fast cooking pastas. Mulling whether I should pre boiled small potatos at home and just throw 'em into the cooler; would cut down on fuel and time.

I don't take many condiments or seasonings, because I prefer small TTs and storage is always limited. Besides, I travel alone (DW says her camping days are over) and my cooking style is usually simple. Must-haves are salt, pepper, ketchup, mustard, honey, and butter. Lots of butter. ;)

Just a few basics:
Lawry's seasoned salt
McCormick Pepper grinder
" Italian seasoning grinder
" Smokehouse maple seasoning
" Montreal Steak seasoning
Mrs. Dash Southwestern chipotle seasoning
Progresso seasoned bread crumbs
Olive oil
Deli mustard

Us out West wrote:
We have plenty of room to bring everything we 'think' we need.

That's a well stocked pantry!

We have plenty of room to bring everything we 'think' we need.

2oldman wrote:
Pretty much the same as home, only in smaller quantities and spill-proof.

Same, except for spill-proof. The bottom of my spice drawer is testament to that.

Cooking is one thing I make time for while camping, and I enjoy it. At home, work and sleep take up the majority of my time, so cooking takes a back seat most days.

Our menu is made in advance and the pantry is packed to specific meal planning. We don't tend to leave much in the camper to go stale when we aren't on a trip.