A couple years before I began this lifestyle, while I was in the planning stage, I was thinking about what to bring along. I spent a LOT of time thinking about that because it was fun, and it was a way of preparing for my travels.

Where I lived before was not large by any means, but kitchen storage was cavernous compared to the storage I have now.

What to bring along? Or…what NOT to bring was a bigger question. The idea would be to keep it ultra simple. After a year on the road, here are a few of my favorite kitchen items:

Wonderful coffee!

**This is my number ONE kitchen item that I can’t live without! A coffee maker! It’s simply a silicone cone on a plastic base. I put a #4 coffee filter inside, along with two measures of coffee, and set it on top of my mug. Pour in recently boiled water and in a few minutes…walla! Coffee! Actually I use about 1/2 soy milk to 1/2 coffee, so first I have the milk heated and in the cup.

This gadget takes almost no room, because when I’m done with it, I can rinse it out and squish it down. It comes with a plastic lid to cover it.

**Probably my next favorite item is my toaster. I really like this because it makes just one piece of toast at a time and it’s quick, too. Lay the bread on top and WATCH CAREFULLY. When it’s toasted, turn it over and continue to WATCH CAREFULLY. It doesn’t take long and if you turn away you will end up with a lot of smoke!

Bread becoming toast!

The redness that you see under the bread is a small screen. The fire from the stove heats it, and the screen toasts the bread. This gadget also folds up flat and comes with a cloth case to keep it in.

**I have a small electric hot pot for heating water. If I’m somewhere without electricity I use my tea kettle (that pinkness that you see behind the toaster). A tea kettle would not be necessary if you have a small pan, but I have a soft spot for that tea kettle.

**Pressure cooker! These are no longer scary like in the old days. I love having a pressure cooker because I cook a lot of legumes, beans, rice, and other grains. It cooks quicker than a regular pot, so I use less propane for those items which otherwise could take a lot of time. When I ordered the cooker I also ordered a normal glass lid to fit the pan, so it doubles as a regular large pot. The glass lid also fits on the following item…

**Frying pan with a folding handle. It takes up just a little less room with the handle folded.

Non stick pan with the handle folded.

See the little button at the base of the handle? Just hold it down and open out the handle.

The coffee cone, toaster and pressure cooker I ordered from Amazon. The frying pan was one of those “as seen on tv” items.

**Other useful items are 2 collapsing bowls (similar to the coffee cone idea) for making salads and mixing, and a collapsing colander. The collapsing idea is great because they take up minimal space.

I also have a small and a tiny cooking pot, and a tiny frying pan. I have a small crock pot from Camping World, but so far have only used it twice. I’m carrying around an iron dutch oven that I haven’t used at all! I thought that I couldn’t live without my toaster oven, but honestly, I rarely use it. Amazing.