Cooking in a van kitchen is different from cooking in a traditional house. It just is. You’re most likely in a smaller space, more conscious of things such as water and electricity, and even maybe have a smaller stove and fridge. But just because it’s different doesn’t mean it has to be unenjoyable! It just requires doing things a little differently that work better in a space like a van or RV. So here are 12 kitchen hacks for living in a vN that make it so much easier to use our small kitchen!
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We have a 148” wheelbase Ford Transit. We sleep lengthwise which means the space that is left for the kitchen area is not huge by any means. The main kitchen area on the drivers side is about 4 feet long. We have another countertop space on the other side that’s about 30 inches. That’s our kitchen!
So we don’t have endless storage for kitchen items nor do we have unlimited fresh water or grey water storage. Hopefully some of these help your kitchen space function a little better!
Relearn How to Wash Dishes
Think about the way that you washed dishes in your house or apartment before moving into a van. Did you think about the amount of water you were using? Were you conscious of how often you washed dishes each day? How many items did you use (and then have to wash) to make a meal?
Even if you’re already water conscious (kudos to you) there is still a learning curve to washing dishes in a van. You need to be way more intentional with how much water you use. And then how much water you let run down into your grey water tank. Did you use 7 different items to make your peanut butter and jelly sandwich? You’re going to need to use the knife for both the peanut butter and the jelly, my friend!
I do all the dishes in our van. Mostly because I have mastered the art of how to use as little water as possible. Dave hasn’t quite mastered it yet and it pains our water tank so I’ve taken over the job!
- Our kitchen faucet has 2 water options, a strong stream and a rainfall setting. I prefer the rainfall because I think it’s easier to use less water. The longer you use your kitchen space you’ll figure out a system that works for you!
Read More: Why We Bought a Ford Transit Instead of a Mercedes Sprinter Van
Get a Spray Bottle with Soap and Water
This is a great way to better control the amount of water you are using. Get a small spray bottle like this and add water and some soap. Store it near your sink so it’s easy to grab when you need to wash something.
Give the plate or whatever you’re washing a few squirts of the soapy water combination and scrub. Then you only need to use fresh water to rinse it before being done!
- We use Dr. Bronner’s soap because it’s all natural! We like knowing that there is nothing with strong chemicals going into our grey water. Plus it can be used for like a million different purposes which is really nice!
Use Microfiber Towels
Once you live in a van you become super aware of how much trash you produce in a day. So in an attempt to produce less trash and be more eco conscious we’ve stopped using disposable paper towels. It is so easy to grab 1, then 2 and then you’re using them left and right.
These microfiber towels work for drying dishes so we can put them away right after they’re clean. We also use one to clean surfaces such as the countertops.
- We have about 5 or 6 of them. After a few days of use we toss them in our laundry bag and grab a new one. When we do laundry we wash them with the rest of our clothes!
- They absorb water well to clean but also dry really fast! So you don’t have to worry about drying them all day and then not being able to use it again.
Read More: Everything We Used in Our DIY Van Build
Cook 1 Pan Meals When Possible
The more pots and pans, spatulas, plates, and gadgets you use to make a meal means the more dishes you have to wash after said meal. So one way we’ve cut down on that is to find some meals where we use only 1 pan. It dramatically reduces the amount of dishes to wash. It also just makes it quicker and easier to cook!
One meal that we have a lot that is really easy is Pad Thai. We make rice noodles in a sauce pan and add some vegetables (whatever we have at the time) in with the noodles for a few minutes. Then in our bowls we stir in peanut butter and soy sauce to taste and it’s time to eat!
Storage for multiple pots and pans and all different kinds of cooking utensils is going to take up precious room. In our small kitchen we don’t have space for all that. We have 1 large pan, 1 small pan, 1 small pot, and 1 spatula. It’s the essentials we need without having any excess.
Containers to Organize the Fridge
A small vehicle means a smaller fridge. A smaller space means you need to organize it well to use the space effectively. Using containers to organize the inside of the fridge is going to help so much! We have a plastic container for the bottom shelf of our fridge. In it we store yogurt, any other small containers, and small produce items such as tomatoes. It helps keep it all contained inside the fridge.
- The most annoying thing after a bumpy drive or when you’re parked on a slant is opening the fridge and having a million things come falling out. Equally annoying is when you jam pack your fridge and then have to take out 15 things just to get the 1 thing you’re looking for in the back.
It’s nothing special but we also use a plastic container to store produce. It doubles as a food container to store leftovers when we make dinner for two nights. So when we have leftovers they go in there and when we don’t any produce goes in there to help organize the fridge. That way we don’t have to store containers when we’re not using them.
- We have this inexpensive AC fridge and so far it works great! We debated a lot about getting a DC fridge. Although they are more energy efficient, they are also like four times as expensive! Ours cost about $100 and so far we’ve had no problems with having enough battery to power it.
Read More: Is a Nature’s Head Composting Toilet Worth It?
Hanging Wall Fruit Basket so Fruit Doesn’t Get Mushy
We’ve seen a lot of people use a fruit hammock. But after a rough road the items in the fruit hammock can get really smashed up. After living in the van for only a few days we quickly learned we needed a dedicated space for fruit and other produce items to go that wasn’t the fridge. It just isn’t possible to leave them out on the counter like you would in a traditional house.
These hanging wall baskets are perfect! They come in a 3 pack that you can use for a variety of things. Having them on the wall takes up no additional space! We use the large one for fruit on our kitchen wall. The medium one is on the door of our sink cabinet for microfiber towels, extra sponges, and trash bags. Then we use the smallest one to hold our vinegar spray bottle next to your Nature’s Head composting toilet so it’s easy to spray it after we use it!
Collapsable & Flexible Items That Take Up Less Space
When we were thinking about what we wanted to move into the van it was important to us to bring items that were space saving but also easy to use. We didn’t want to feel like we were camping every day. Sure that’s fun for a few days but we really wanted the van to function comfortably long term just like a house would.
That are some things that still function the same but are more space saving which is the best of both worlds! This collapsable colander is a great option! A traditional colander takes up so much space and is so hard to store. But this one collapses completely flat. It’s not something that we use everyday but it’s something that we’ve found ourselves needing.
These silicon cups are super flexible so they are really use to smush into one of these open containers inside our upper cabinets. These flexible cutting boards are another really good space saving option! They aren’t as bulky as wooden or plastic cutting boards. It comes as a set of 2 which is nice to have a back up. They both fit in our drawer and are also really lightweight which is important in a van or RV.
Read More: How to Stay Warm in a Van Without a Heater
Stand Plates up to Save Cabinet Space
We cut a piece of plywood to act as a divider in one of our upper cabinets. It creates about an 8 inch area for us to store our plates standing up. Storing them vertically instead of laying them flat horizontally takes us so much less space. It also makes it easier to pull one out when we’re making food. We have a set of 3 of these cork trivets to protect our countertops and table when we have hot items. We put them in between our plates to help secure them more when we drive. They move around a lot less and it also makes it a lot quieter!
Nonslip Drawer Liners to Stack Bowls and Cups
These nonslip drawer liners are so inexpensive and you can buy them everywhere! A roll cost us under $10 but they make such a difference. We stack our bowls with them in-between so they don’t move around and don’t rattle as much while were driving.
We also have all of our upper cabinets lined with them to help make things not move around as much while the van is moving.
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Container for Silverware and Spices
Once you start driving your entire house around instead of just a car you will quickly realize that everything needs to be secured down otherwise it will move and become a disaster! Containers are one of the easiest ways to keep things in place while you’re driving. They are also so helpful for organizing some of your cooking items so it’s easier to find what you need. We have a small vertical container to store our silverware, peeler and scissors. It’s really easy to grab a fork without having to take everything out of the cabinet.
We have this open container with the smaller silverware container, olive oil, cooking spray, salt and pepper, and other spices. If we’re cooking and we need anything this is where we know to grab it. We’ve never had a problem with any of it falling while driving either!
Undermount Soap Dispenser so You Don’t Have to Move It
We opted to have an undermount soap dispenser which I absolutely love! It doesn’t seem like a necessity but it means one less thing you have to constantly move. This one matches perfectly with our faucet. It was really easy to install and you refill it from underneath the countertop. Its nice to know we can wash dishes without having to take out a container of soap or worrying about a big thing of soap falling off the counter and spilling because we forgot to put it away!
Read More: Our Van Life Essentials that You Can’t Live Without
Cut Sponges in Half to Reduce Waste
This is a new one for us and such a good idea! We’ve started cutting our sponges in half before starting to use a new one. We really don’t need the whole thing and it reduces the amount of waste we produce every time we throw it away and grab a new one. It also means when we buy a pack it lasts us double the amount of time now!
- We have this suction sponge holder in our sink for it to sit so it can dry out. It’s nice to have a spot for everything, including the sponge, so it’s not just sitting at the bottom of the sink all the time!
