Specialized One-Butt Kitchen Utensils

In a small one-butt kitchen, delicious meals are possible, especially when it’s stocked with a few specialized kitchen utensils. We bought our first motorhome in 2002. For years I got by with items on the basic kitchen essentials list. Over the years, I’ve added a few specialized appliances and utensils. All of this fits in the limited space of my small kitchen, except for the Instant Pot that is stored under the bed.

Instant Pot

Is an Instant Pot worth space it takes up in a one-butt kitchen? Absolutely! While I most often use this multi-cooker as a pressure cooker to make meals faster, it can also serve as a slow cooker, rice cooker, and several other functions. Overachievers (or people who have higher standards for yogurt than I do) can even make their own yogurt.

Another thing I like about Instant Pot meals, especially soups, is that I can make extra and freeze the rest for future meals. After a busy day exploring new surroundings, it’s nice to come home to an easy meal direct from the freezer.

I have a 5-quart Instant Pot, which they don’t even make anymore. The current models hold 3, 6, and 8 quarts. My recipes are based on 5 quarts, so you may need to adjust quantities accordingly.

Full disclosure: I store my Instant Pot under the bed, not in my one-butt kitchen.

Here are some of the recipes I make in my Instant Pot:

Spiralizer

There are fancier spiralizers, but the Ontel Veggetti Spiral Vegetable Cutter is the only one that will fit in my one-butt kitchen.  It’s about 5 1/2 inches tall and 3 inches wide.

Anything I used to eat over pasta, I now eat over zucchini noodles, or “zoodles.”  They are gluten-free, low-carb, and delicious. Squash, carrots, cucumbers, and potatoes can also be run through this spiralizer.

Here are some of my favorite recipes to serve over zoodles:

Mandoline slicer

After tasting zucchini parmesan rounds, I had to have a Mandoline Slicer to make uniform zucchini slices. It’s also handy when I make cucumber salad. Since it has sharp edges and multiple parts, I leave this in the box for travel.

A mandoline food slicer will make flat uniform slices, anywhere from paper-thin to 1/4-inch thick (or more). My basic model even has a Julienne insert for making French fries. There are fancier ones available that do wavy slices and zesting too.

I used mine for cucumbers, onions, sweet potatoes, zucchini, and other vegetables. It can also be used to cut fruits and cheeses.

Here are some of my favorite recipes made easier with a mandoline slicer:

Spice Grinder

My Spice Grinder is actually an electric blade coffee grinder that’s used only to grind spices for lavender pepper steaks and other tasty recipes.  (The spice aromas linger in the grinder; I’m not sure I’d like lavender pepper coffee.) If you have more patience than I do, you could use a Mortar and Pestle. A benefit of the mortar and pestle is getting to smell the spices as you grind them.

Here’s the one recipe that makes this appliance worthwhile:

Food Processor

A 4-Cup Food Processor is half the size of most home food processors. It’s lightweight and compact. I use it to make the following recipes:

One drawback to the 4-cup food processor is that it doesn’t include a shredding blade. If you’ll be shredding cheese, potatoes or other veggies, the 8-Cup Compact Food Processor comes with a shredding blade, which is handy for the following recipes:

Immersion Blender

An Immersion Hand Blender is a handy, compact addition to a one-butt kitchen.  Most of them have several attachments, including a blender, whisk, food chopper, and milk frother. With the blender, you can whip up smoothies and protein drinks, puree veggies for soups, make whipped cream, and juice a watermelon. The whisk can be used to whip egg white into peaks for various recipes. With a milk frother, you can make lattes.

Recipes I make with my immersion blender include:

Milk Frother

My immersion blender doesn’t have a milk frother attachment, but I absolutely love my Milk Frother. It’s a separate gadget altogether. Since I like my coffee to taste like hot ice cream, this is a must for me.

Countertop Blender

While my immersion blender handles most blending jobs in the RV kitchen, I occasionally pull out a Countertop Blender, mostly for smoothies and salad dressings.

Recipes I think work best in a countertop blender (maybe because I’m stuck in my ways and haven’t tried them with an immersion blender) include:

Hand-Held Mixer

With a Hand-Held Electric Mixer, I can make everything from mashed potatoes to cakes and pies.  If you have a two-butt kitchen–either in your RV or home–a Countertop Mixer makes these foods even easier.

Recipes that need a mixer include:

Electric Juicer

With an Electric Citrus Juicer, I can squeeze fresh oranges for juice and limes for shrimp ceviche, and citrus for margaritas. If a recipe calls for just one lemon, lime, or orange, I’ll use a Manual Citrus Juicer or a Lemon Lime Squeezer.

Recipes that need a citrus juicer include:

Toaster

Since I eat gluten free, a Toaster is a necessity in my one-butt kitchen, because, in my opinion, gluten-free bread is only edible if toasted. If you are not gluten free, a toaster may be optional.

I use a toaster to make the following:

Watermelon Tapping Kit

Without a doubt, the most frivolous item with a permanent place in my one-butt kitchen is a Watermelon Keg Tapping Kit. When kids are present, it will contain fresh watermelon juice. For adult parties, it contains watermelon martinis, which are equal parts vanilla vodka, Watermelon Pucker Liqueur, and fresh watermelon juice.

Here’s the recipe (even though you now know all the ingredients. I suppose I should say here are some tips for assembly.)

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