Oven/Stovetop Essentials
In any trailer kitchen, having a stovetop or oven is indispensable. Without one, you’re limited to cold meals and packaged snacks. Cooking options are restricted unless you resort to campfires.
While RVs typically accommodate a standard oven with a stovetop, the setup varies in travel trailers. Some models integrate the oven within cabinets, with a row of storage beneath. However, this design poses safety concerns, especially with flammable items in the drawer below. In smaller trailers, ovens might be omitted entirely, leaving only a stovetop for meal preparation, eliminating baking options.
Teardrop trailers, the smallest of all, often lack indoor kitchens, opting for retractable parts revealing an outdoor kitchen setup. In unfavorable weather, an awning becomes essential to protect food from the elements.
Essential Sink for Hygiene
Preventing foodborne illnesses like E.coli, salmonella, and norovirus starts with proper hygiene. Without a kitchen sink in your trailer, you’re forced to use the bathroom sink for cooking tasks, increasing the risk of spreading harmful bacteria. E.coli, for instance, can linger on surfaces for over 24 hours, posing a threat to anyone who comes into contact with contaminated areas. Ensure a healthier living environment in your trailer by prioritizing a kitchen sink for convenient handwashing and food preparation.
Essential Refrigeration for Your Trailer
While your grocery runs may be less frequent on the road, having a refrigerator in your trailer is indispensable for keeping your food fresh. Despite being more compact than household fridges, trailer refrigerators like those from Dometic and Norcold offer ample storage space with dual doors, multiple shelves, and convenient drawers for organizing your essentials.
Understanding how RV fridges operate is key—they’re powered by a heat source, converting water into ammonia vapor, which cycles through various components to maintain cool temperatures. While you could purchase and install a fridge aftermarket, it’s a costly endeavor with potential safety risks. Opting for a trailer with a built-in fridge ensures convenience, safety, and optimal storage for your travel adventures.
Essential Counter Space in Your Trailer Kitchen
Cooking in a trailer comes with its challenges, especially when it comes to space. Unlike your home kitchen, you’ll need to simplify your meal plans due to limited room for elaborate cooking. Prioritizing counter space in your trailer becomes crucial for meal preparation and accommodating additional appliances like microwaves or coffee makers.
When evaluating potential travel trailers, don’t overlook the importance of counter space amidst other enticing kitchen features. Sufficient counter space ensures you have room for meal prep and convenient placement of appliances, enhancing your cooking experience on the road while saving you from the expense of relying on external food options.
Choosing the Right Fuel Source for Your Trailer Kitchen
Similar to your home kitchen, the appliances in your travel trailer require a fuel source to operate efficiently. Typically, RV kitchens rely on three primary fuel sources: diesel, electric, or gas, although diesel is less common.
In most setups, gas fuels the oven, stovetop, and often the refrigerator’s ignition system. Meanwhile, smaller electric appliances like microwaves, coffee makers, and portable freezers run on electricity. Many fridges operate on two-way power, utilizing both gas and electricity for optimal functionality.
When it comes to powering your appliances, having flexibility is key. While shore power at campsites offers a reliable electrical source, relying solely on electricity can quickly drain your trailer battery. In such cases, utilizing gas for appliances like the fridge becomes essential to preserve battery life and ensure uninterrupted functionality during your travels.
Managing Graywater Holding Tanks for Your Trailer
Within your trailer, there are separate tanks for graywater and blackwater. While blackwater tanks handle toilet waste, graywater tanks serve a dual purpose in both the kitchen and bathroom areas. Regardless of their location, these tanks store water from sinks and showers, often earning their name from the grayish appearance resulting from soap residue.
However, graywater tanks have finite capacities and require periodic emptying. Disposal must be done at designated dump stations, typically found in campsites or parks, to prevent environmental contamination.
Maintaining cleanliness is essential, as residual waste may accumulate over time. Many tanks are equipped with flush openings for easy cleaning, a feature worth considering when selecting a trailer kitchen setup.
For added convenience, portable graywater holding tanks like the Tote-N-Stor model offer a solution. Available at an affordable price point, these tanks can hold significant volumes of waste and feature wheels and handles for effortless transportation to dump stations, ensuring efficient waste disposal during your travels.
Essential Safety Measures: Smoke Alarm and Carbon Monoxide Detector
In addition to kitchen essentials, don’t overlook safety measures like a smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector—a crucial bonus for any trailer kitchen setup. While fires are rare, they can have devastating consequences in the confined space of a trailer, making early detection vital for evacuation.
Equally important is a carbon monoxide detector, especially considering the cooking and showering activities conducted within the trailer. Purpose-built detectors like the Atwood model offer advanced features tailored for RVs and trailers, distinguishing between false gases and humidity to prevent unnecessary alarms. Utilizing fuel cell technology, these detectors provide accurate readings for up to 10 years, with an easy-to-read LCD display indicating potentially hazardous carbon monoxide levels.