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RV How to, Recipes

Getting Your Mobile Pantry in Order

clock 10 MINUTES READ

Feeling inspired to up the ante on your camping cooking game after watching all those amazing outdoor feasts on Chuck and Danny’s Road Trip’ What better way to kick-start your next culinary adventure on the road than by getting your mobile pantry in order à la Chuck & Danny’

Here’s our roundup of spices and kitchen staples to stock your mobile pantry in your RV kitchen before you hit the road. We’ve also bookmarked some handy camping recipes courtesy of our friends at Food Network Canada. Get ready to dish up some incredible meals in the great outdoors!

Salt & Pepper
This goes without saying, if you don’t have salt and pepper in your culinary arsenal, add these shakers to your pantry ‘ stat. Ground pepper is a versatile spice that brings a fragrant kick to pretty much any savoury dish that you cook. Regular table salt is just the beginning of the salt spectrum, as Chuck and Danny showed us in the Salt of the Earth episode. Sea salt, fleur de sel, truffle salt, rock salt, garlic salt, the list goes on. Whether you keep it simple with table salt or go the gourmet route, a little bit of salt can go a long way in boosting the flavour in your cooking.
Recipe: Golden Nugget Cups

Red Chile Flakes
Packing a small but mighty punch, red chile flakes are a game-changer for breakfast, lunch and dinner at camp. This fiery spice is a great addition to scrambled eggs, pastas, pizzas, baked potatoes or grilled meats, fish and veggies. A friendly word of caution: these little nuggets bring medium-high heat, so be sure to season to taste.

Ground Cumin
The earthy, smoky flavours of ground cumin are a perfect match for the great outdoors. This fragrant, nutty spice works well with curries, kebabs, chili, stews and other hearty dishes. Ground cumin adds an aromatic richness in flavour profile to savoury dishes ‘ for instance, the delicious baba ghanoush that Chuck and Danny whipped up on Salt Spring Island.
Recipe: Smokey Baba Ghanoush

Summer Savory
Does your recipe call for sage or thyme seasoning’ Summer savory may work well as a substitute ingredient for both. It’s also a popular herb for BBQ, grilled veggies and poultry dishes.

Soy Sauce
Even if you’re not planning to roll your own sushi at the campsite, soy sauce can still be a handy addition to your mobile pantry. Think: one-pan stir-fry, sautéed veggies or marinated steaks for the grill.

Sriracha Sauce
Move over, ketchup. Make some room for a spicy stand-by ‘ sriracha sauce! Drizzle a little sriracha on scrambled eggs, ramen noodles, hot dogs, tacos, burritos and the like. Or stir up a tasty dipping sauce with a squeeze of sriracha added to plain greek yogurt; it works wonders with perogies!

Recipe: Maple Smoked Breakfast Burritos

Balsamic Reduction
You’ll quickly find that balsamic reduction will be one of your culinary go-to’s. The beauty of balsamic is that it works well with both savoury dishes and (surprisingly) sweet ones, too. Drizzle balsamic reduction on grilled meats, root veggies, pastas and even strawberries. Or add a few droplets to some extra-virgin olive oil and you have an easy-peasy appetizer with focaccia bread for dipping, or the makings of a simple homemade salad dressing with a little salt, pepper and honey. Since balsamic ‘reduction’ is a thicker consistency than balsamic ‘vinegar’, it makes for a convenient camping-friendly option in a squeeze bottle.

Cinnamon
From a breakfast bowl of oatmeal and flapjacks on the griddle, to apple crisp in a cast-iron pan to a warm cuppa hot chocolate, cinnamon is easily an MVP ingredient on your mobile pantry roster. You just need a little sprinkle of cinnamon to add a big burst of flavour ‘ and it can also serve double-duty as a sweetener when you’re running low on traditional sugar in the pantry.

Baking Essentials
Who says you can only bake muffins in an oven’ Chuck and Danny schooled us on how to bake muffins on the BBQ on the Island Time episode. Having baking essentials ‘ such as all-purpose flour, rolled oats, baking powder, baking soda and sugar ‘ at the ready will make it that much easier to bake muffins on a whim. Definitely a delicious way to say ‘rise and shine!’ on the road, or a nice portable snack to take along on a hike.
Recipe: Cardamom Fig Muffins

Keeping It Together
RVers know that one of the keys to RV living is to keep your ‘home away from home’ organized, tidy and fuss-free. This means keeping your RV kitchen running smoothly with simplified storage solutions and minimal bulk. Opt for plastic refillable containers, not glass or breakables. No to jumbo-sized tubs and a resounding yes to smaller refillable bins ‘ ideally ones that stack easily (and securely) without toppling over in your pantry cupboards in transit. A good rule of thumb: bring only what you need; chances are, you can replenish along the way.

What’s great about dried spices is that they have a pretty decent shelf life to last throughout camping season and beyond. There are plenty of simple storage solutions for spices in your RV kitchen that don’t involve a traditional spice rack. Think: magnetic spice shakers and repurposed contact lens cases. If fresh herbs are more to your liking, grab a couple of ice-cube trays (preferably with lids) and freeze your leftover parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme with some water into individual-sized portions ‘ then just use what you need as you go!

Check out Go RVing Canada on Pinterest for more mobile kitchen tips and DIY hacks for RV Living.

Feel free to share your tips on your must-have pantry items for your camping meals with our #GoRVingCanada community. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Happy travels!

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