Kitchen storage, pots and pans

[Bertadel]

My boyfriend and I bought a 2008 25FB last year. We love it! We love to camp, bike, hike, canoe, fish cook and eat! I’ve been in the process of organizing the kitchen since day one.
My questions are: Where do you keep your pots and pans and how do you keep them secure while travelling? I want to avoid rubbing the non-stick surface off. Also, I like to cook with about 20 different spices. Do you take the full size containers or do you transfer into smaller container? I would like to hear about any good storage tips.
Thanks, Berta

[Sugarfoot]

Hi, Berta, and welcome to the forums.

I try to keep my galley organized too, but it doesn't seem to stay that way in real life. Your trailer layout will differ from mine. Right now I keep a frying pan, saute pan, and a couple of baking dishes in the oven (probably not the best place) and a pot in a drawer under the gaucho. The lower to the floor you store cookware, the less it will shift in travel. Pieces of rubberized shelf liner between keeps the finish from scratching

I also travel with a large assortment of herbs, spices, powders, flavorings, condiments, and such. I figure I can cook about anything on the road if I stock the pantry basics and just buy food as I need it. I keep these in covered plastic containers so they stay put in the storage over the sink. I usually buy in bulk and used to package the trailer's supply into tiny 2x3 zip-lok bags. It was a pain and freshness is quickly lost. So I replaced what I could with Watkins that come in the tin boxes that can be refilled. Found them at Wal-Mart but its still not a perfect setup.



For the 1956 trailer I'm considering buying a case of square plastic spice bottles and adding some nice labels. I think they will hold the freshness better and square is nice for compact storage.

[Alwhisman]

Hi Berta,

I have my pots and pans under the oven and sink. My plates, bowls, glasses I have on the lower two shelves of the pantry. Coffee pot I keep in the original box and it goes on the floor of one of the bedroom closets. As far as spices go, I try to keep it organized too, but they end up in the overhead above the sink, over the stove, pantry, and at times end up back in the house. I have to inventory before I take off.

Sugarfoot is right on the money. Lower the better. I have a roll of that rubberized liner as well, just never got around to using it.

[airstreamjudy]

Storage of spices for me is in the white wire spice racks from Walmart, etc. I install them into the inside of a closet door, this closed is used for storage with shelves. I also put my dishes on one shelf with the rubber (non-skid) drawer liner in between each breakable dish and on the shelf.

now, storing the pots and pans in plastic containers under the bunk in the storage areas. Looking to design something better for the future in one of the overhead storage compartments. Light weight wood with large holes cut into it for the pot to sit in. On my sailboat I had built a cabinet like that for cookware - it was great.

[SRoffe]

Hi Berta,

I keep my pots and pans in the cubby under the pull out bench next to the fridge. i put non skid pad under them, and wrap the non-stick and the cast-iron pan in towels before I stack them. I don't store things in the oven. Plus I only store soft flexible things under the sink. I don't want to knock out any plumbing from things shifting around on really bumpy roads.

For spices I bought one of these

Premium quality wood and test tube kitchen spice rack.

It fits really well in the pull out pantry, and I haven't had any breakage.

Robyn

[Aage]

Dunno, our pots are "seconds" from the home front, so nothing to worry about the finishes. They sit on the carpeted floor of the pantry cabinets in the cooking area. We use a "Roomba" vacuum cleaner to get in there and clean up from time to time, after emptying all the pots and lids out.

It will sound like a tinker's wagon when we start travelling, of course.

Spices, I just got a set of Kromex spice containers with rack on ebaY that I thought would look good on the wall behind the stovetop area. I'm thinking of riveting the rack in there. At some point, when we run out of things to do, I plan on getting a formed countertop made, and then glueing and riveting a sheet of aluminum on that wall, as a backsplash.

[TBRich]

We found these round spice canisters with magnetic bottoms and "windows " in the tops...at World Market but we've seen them at Bed Bath & Beyond, too. You can twist the lids to pour or sprinkle holes...they stick right to the range hood (even while towing, though we usually move them down to the range cover). Since this picture we've found some that are red! Perfect for our "Cayenne" décor...

[Jim Foster]

For our pots and pans, Lynn sews bags with draw strings out of light material for each one. We then can stack them, or stow them individually wherever they fit without fear of messing them up while going down the road. Yes, it is time consuming to do that, but I don't want anything rubbing against the cooking surface of my cast iron, and aluminum pots and pans leave black marks on anything they rub against. And we certainly don't want the stainless stuff marked up.
The sacks also help to keep stuff from sliding around.

Works well for us.

[Yhottys]

Aage-We are lusting after your Kromex spice rack! (Well, really, it's just Gemma that's lusting after it!) It would look great in our our 1961 Bambi and match our collection of spun aluminum pantry containers.

Robyn-We like your spice rack. Simple and elegant.

TB and Rich-we use the same magnetic stainless steel spice containers in addition to a stainless steel Masala Dabba or Indian spice box for more esoteric spices that we don't use as often and are more sensitive to light.

What's that saying . . .variety is the spice of life!

[Bertadel]

Wow! Thanks everyone. I love your tips and ideas. Great picture and links! We are about to take a 2 week trip to Washington State (from So. Cal). With your help, I’m getting excited about rearranging, going shopping and doing some sewing.
Thanks Again.
Berta