I am going to be traveling these next few weeks, doing some simple cooking in a couple of rented kitchens, and I’ve had enough hair-pulling experiences with crappy, dull knives and flimsy plastic spatulas to be stashing a few key utensils in my luggage this time.
Because I am also traveling with a toddler and a baby who need their own minimalist traveling kit — including such essentials as toy diggers, special blankets, and stuffed monkeys — I really need to make my kit as trim as possible, and have elected to bring along:
~ My paring knife, freshly sharpened: rented kitchens are notoriously lacking in this regard, and since half of cooking is cutting, trimming, slicing, dicing, chopping, and paring, this qualifies as an absolute must-bring. I will be following this tip on how to wrap knives for traveling.
~ My vegetable peeler because, again, anything that’s supposed to be sharp is going to be dull in a rented house, and a dull vegetable peeler is worse than no vegetable peeler at all. Also, a good vegetable peeler allows you to cut vegetables into tagliatelle and papardelle to make all kinds of pretty summer salads such as this zucchini noodle salad.
~ A pair of locking tongs because it’s rare (especially in France) to find it in a home cook’s utensil drawer, yet I rely on it heavily for handling ingredients, for stovetop cooking, and for grilling. As a bonus, it doubles up as a toy for the toddler, who uses it to catch imaginary fish.
~ My Earlywood scraper made of bloodwood, sturdy and smooth with a thin and sharp edge, and a fantastic multipurpose tool that can be used for stirring, cutting, lifting, and scraping. I have written about Brad Bernhart’s handcrafted utensils before, and they’ve become cherished items in my kitchen that get used every single day (including his latest creation, the adorable coffee scoop, which I use daily to serve my paleo granola).
~ My pepper grinder, replenished with black peppercorns, because good-quality, freshly ground pepper, transforms the simplest dishes, which is exactly what I plan to cook while I’m away.
~ A small supply of unrefined grey sea salt, because ordinary supermarkets only carry stripped-to-nothingness salt I hate to cook with.
~ Extra virgin olive oil, in a small container I saved from a tasting sample I once received, and simply refill every time I need it. In the house we’ll be renting with friends for a whole week it will make sense to buy a whole bottle of olive oil, but for those one- and two-night stays, I don’t want to lug around a whole bottle, yet good olive oil is all you need to dress a few crudités from the local market. Plus, with the above salt and pepper, you have the simplest, most delectable snack at your fingertips.
You and your family and friends are packing up the car and going away for a week to your little rental at the beach, the lake, the woods, and the country spot with a swimming hole. There’s a general store, a weekly farmers’ market, and maybe a decent butcher and fishmonger, but there’s no Whole Foods, no Trader Joe’s, and definitely no Instacart. You’ll eat out a couple of times, but mostly you came to sleep in, hang out, cook meals together, swim/hike/bike, and take at least one nap a day. Here are the kitchen tools to bring from home, how to shop like a local upon arrival, and the recipes that let you get the most out of summer. Consider it your guide to culinary survival in the not-quite wilderness.
Pack the Essentials
Dull rental-kitchen knives, cheap cookware, and musty spices can derail the best-laid vacation meal plans. Think of this checklist as your insurance policy, and bring the key equipment, kitchen tools, and pantry staples from home that will make cooking enjoyable when you’re away. Pack up everything between a big plastic storage bin and a tote that can double as a market bag.
Equipment
Cast-iron skillet
Nonstick skillet
2 rimmed baking sheets
Blender
Cutting board
Airtight deli containers
Kitchen Tools
Knives
Wooden spoons
Thin metal spatula
Slotted spoon
Whisk
Peppermill
Citrus juicer
Fine-mesh sieve
Microplane zester
Digital thermometer
Pair of tongs
Wine key
Can opener
Dish towels
Pantry
Your top five jarred spices
Olive oil from your countertop
Any nuts, grains and/or pasta, and oats you’ve got
Coffee
Flaky sea salt
Yes, You Want Your Own Knives
These are the key three you want:
Utility knife: for all your slicing, dicing, chopping, and general prep work
Paring knife: for all the tomatoes and strawberries that need coring, trimming string beans, and cutting salami
Serrated knife: for crusty bread and bursting-ripe cherry tomatoes
And no, don’t wrap them in a dish towel secured by a rubber band. There’s a safer way: Pick up a few inexpensive blade covers, slide them onto your knives, and pack everything in a sturdy canvas pouch.
No, Really—Bring the Blender
When you’re trying to make the most of your mornings, keep breakfast quick but filling with frothy fruit-and-nut-filled smoothies for everyone. Still not convinced? Here are some other things you’ll be using the blender for on a daily basis:
Pesto
Aioli
Salad dressing
Salsa verde
Grated Parm
Chopped nuts
Frozen margaritas
Milkshakes
Marinades
Gazpacho
Get the recipe: Blueberry, Lime, and Cashew Smoothies
Shop Like a Local
Hit the farmers’ market for lettuces, fresh beans and greens, herbs, melons, berries, and a few good eggs. Round out things with bread and cheese and you’ll be freed up to throw together casual dishes, such as a giant salad or on-the-fly frittata, with little to no planning required. Come midday, when it’s hot and no one feels like cooking, opt for the lazy lunch: Whip up a garlicky aioli and serve it with a produce-heavy platter starring your market haul. Graze all afternoon. Nap. Repeat.
Plan on serving about half a pound of veg and two to three ounces of protein per person. Try:
Blanched long beans, wax beans, or sugar snap peas
Boiled fingerling potatoes
Radishes
Cherry tomatoes
Baby lettuces
Cooked, peeled shrimp
Thinly sliced ham
Hard-boiled eggs
Get the recipe: Grand Aioli
Divvy Up Duties
Vacationing with extended family or a big group of friends? Meal plans save friendships and marriages. Create a shared Google doc and get pairs to sign up for dinner and clean-up duty. Do this for every night you’re planning to eat in. Seriously.
Use the Grill (but Not for Grilling)
When the sun goes down and the evening breezes kick up, take the kitchen outside for a full-on fish fry. Set up your cutting board on the deck table, enlist housemates to pitch in with prep and stocking the cooler with drinks, and treat the (probably propane) grill as the heat source for these insanely satisfying fish sandwiches (or fritto misto or fried chicken). The open air comes with advantages: Gas grills can be dialed into a steady temperature for frying, there won’t be oil splatters on the cabinets or lingering fish aromas, and you’ll fall even more in love with your cast-iron skillet.
Get the Recipe: Fried Fish Sandwiches with Cucumbers and Tartar Sauce
Don’t Make Pie
Did we tell you to bring a rolling pin and a pie plate? No, we didn’t. Eat ice cream for dessert. Go to the cute little local shop for it, get it from the snack bar, or pick up pints and eat it at home. End the night on a sweet note while someone else does the dishes.
