Tiny Prius Kitchen Revised

Are you hungry? Step into my Tiny Prius Kitchen! It’s right here, in the car! It’s gone through multiple iterations, and it will never be “done”. Every kitchen, whether huge or tiny, is always evolving. Over the last two years, my biggest surprise has been how small I can go and still feel like I have all the luxuries of home.  So if you want to setup your own tiny kitchen, I’m here to help!

I started out with an instant pot, toaster, electric skillet, and kettle. I even took an air fryer on my travels for a while! And though I love all those items, I’ve replaced all of them with smaller items, so that almost everything fits in one small plastic bin. With just these items I can grill, make waffles, pan fry, heat soup, make coffee and blend drinks!

The beginning of kitchen essentials always begins with boiling water, and the best thing for that is a kettle. Currently I alternate between a 300w thermos-type kettle and a collapsible 700w kettle. The lower wattage kettle is great when you only need to boil a single cup of water, or when you don’t have a large power source. I power it with my small 300Wh Rockpals power station (see newer model here).

When I want to boil a larger amount of water quickly, for guests or washing dishes, I have a collapsible 700w kettle that boils 2 cups of water in about 4 minutes. The higher wattage kettle requires use of my larger, 720Wh Ecoflo power bank, which I also use as backup power for my fridge when my car is off. The Loutytuo kettle is pretty compact and comes in a sturdy travel case.

Once my water is boiling hot, I pour it into my K-cup mug. These mugs hold either K-cups, or a basket filled with your own choice of coffee grounds, so you can make the same cup of coffee you’d make at home in your fancy Krups machine. It’s compact, requires no electricity, and the reusable baskets are good for the environment! Another option would be a small French press, but I find this easier to clean,

Let’s pause a moment and talk about safety. Please understand that the amount of power required to boil water is actually a lot, and you need the proper setup to do it safely. Drawing too much power from your car’s battery can kill it, or short-circut your appliance and ruin your outlets. The 12v sockets in your car are meant for a maximum wattage of about 150w, so it’s best to use a power station or install an inverter in your car that can draw higher wattage while your car is running. For in-depth explanation about kettles, power banks, and power consumption needs, see my previous post.

So you’re ready to start cooking? You’ve got your coffee, what about some waffles? I’ve never been one for cold cereal on camping trips. I used to take frozen waffles and toast them, but they take up a fair amount of space, so when I found these tiny waffle makers I knew I’d found one of my must-have gadgets. At least once on every group outing, I’ll make waffles with berries. Everyone loves them!

Of course you might be one of those people that prefers eggs or omelets for breakfast rather than something sweet. Or you’re Keto and into making chaffles (waffles made without wheat). Have no fear, you can use the mini waffle maker for more than just waffles! I use it pretty often to make Spanish tortilla, which is sort of like combining an omelet and a hash brown. They’re absolutely delicious!

Are you ready for lunch? This tiny grill makes burgers, grilled chicken,  pannis, or even smores! You could probably get away with making burgers in the waffle maker, or waffles in the grill, but they’re so small that having both on your trip isn’t a big deal, and you won’t end up with waffles that taste like chicken. My favorite dish on the mini grill is my “Turkish burgers”. I make them by mixing onions, mushrooms, Italian parsley and Turkish pepper into ground beef. After cooking the patties, I chop them up and top them with cucumber, sour cream, garlic and lemon. They’re a big hit in summer.

Are you the type that lives on soup? Would you like to make a single serving of Mac and Cheese? Do you want to make eggs sunny side up? Or cook some street tacos with those tiny tortillas? If any of those appeal to you, you’ll need a pot, and a skillet. The Nostalgia skillet and pot combo is for you. This tiny skillet comes with a tiny pot that you can use to cook pasta, oatmeal, chicken for your tacos, etc. It only has one setting, ON, but that’s enough to cook what you need. I like to buy cooked carnitas or chipotle chicken from the Mexican grocery store. I heat it up in the small pot, heat up small street-taco size tortillas, add some tomatoes and lettuce, and have my own little Fiesta!

Do you love rice? Would you like to have an appliance that could actually cook your dinner without having to buy a power station or inverter? If you don’t mind a slow-cooked meal, you can use this little 12v rice cooker with only the power that comes from your car’s 12v socket! You can make steamed rice and veggies, soup, or oatmeal. I’ve even used it for hot chocolate, and arroz con leche, a sweet Mexican breakfast dish made with milk, rice and raisins! The cooker makes about 2 cups of rice and the tray for the veggies or meat is pretty small, but it delivers a lot for being so small. You can even use it while you drive. Just make sure that you stabilize it so that it won’t tip over.

Do you hate cooking? Do you wish you had a microwave in your car so you could zap a frozen dinner, or that burrito you bought last night? If your answer is Yes, or even if you love cooking, the Hot Logic might be for you. It’s a very simple device, just a hot plate in an insulated bag, but it can heat things to the point of cooking raw meat. It heats things pretty slowly, so you have to plan several hours ahead. But other than that, it’s the ultimate in lazy gadgets. Put your frozen dinner, or leftovers, or raw ingredients in it, then plug it into your 12v socket, drive a few hours, then open it at your destination and eat! I find it heats things best, and makes for easiest clean up, when the container is glass. My only issue has been with food that was very liquid. Steam creates pressure so the lid can pop off causing liquid to spill, especially with the car in motion.

Has all this cooking made you thirsty? Would you like a margarita? This tiny blender uses 175 watts and still manages to crush ice. Toss in some fresh fruit, coconut milk if your lactose intolerant like me, and you’ve got an awesome smoothie. Add rum if you want a daiquiri. The perfect mojito requires only lime juice, strawberries, fresh mint, run and ice. Your camping buddies will be thrilled!

So that’s it! Our kitchen is complete and ready to go. Choose the pieces that fit you lifestyle, available space and budget. Due to the pandemic, some of my favorite gadgets are impossible to get because they’re from overseas, I’ve provided alternatives in the links when mine aren’t available, and Amazon will usually suggest an alternative as well. My last recommendation is that you should always get purchase protection plan for electric items, especially if they’re expensive and you can’t easily afford to replace them. Appliances are subjected to more stress on the road than they are at home. Car wiring can be finicky. Peace of mind is worth a couple bucks.

Happy cooking and happy travels!

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