What to Stock in a Vacation Home Kitchen

Your vacation home kitchen should be stocked based on your vacation lifestyle, and there's no need to over do it or under do it. Ask yourself, "What do I realistically plan to do in my kitchen while on vacation here?"

Vacation Home Kitchen Basics

Even if you don't plan to lift a finger in the kitchen very often when on vacation, you'll still need the basics, including:

-Microwave
-Casual dinnerware
-Flatware
-Glasses.

The kitchen drawers should contain, at minimum, these items:

-Cheese grater
-Wine or bottle opener
-Ziploc storage bags
-Spatula
-Barbeque fork
-Can opener
-Potholder
-Kitchen towels and dishcloths
-Food storage bags and trash bags

Every kitchen has a junk drawer full of odds and ends, and your vacation junk drawer might contain:

-Butane lighter or matches
-Scissors
-Sewing kit
-Light bulbs
-Flashlight
-Batteries
-Screwdriver (both phillips and flat head)
-Hammer
-A selection of nails and screws

Under the sink you'll need dish detergent, and a few pot scrubbers. Additionally, it's a good idea to stock disposable dinnerware, cups and plastic forks for those really lazy times, or when you find yourself heading out for a picnic, a trip to the beach, fishing, or other vacation activities.

The Vacation Home Kitchen for the Gourmet Cook

If you love to cook and see yourself whipping up a souffle or something chef-like while on vacation, then equip your kitchen with all the baking essentials:

-Baking pans
-Mixer or food processor
-Measuring spoons
-Measuring cups
-For breakfasts, a waffle iron or griddle.

"Classing up" a Vacation Home Kitchen

On the opposite side of pure convenience in the kitchen, is the need for creating ambiance. If you are a wine drinker, stock real wine glasses. If you like margaritas, set up your margaita station equipped with a blender and margarita glasses. You can keep it simple, but nice. There's no need to resort to paper, plastic or styrofoam for the things that need a touch of class! Wine from a chilled wine glass feels like a resort vacation, sipping it from a paper cup doesn't. Also, when you grill at your vacation home, real plates will make the steak dinner much more enjoyable than eating off cardboard!

Food to Stock in a Vacation Home Kitchen

Stock your kitchen with basic food stuff, such as salt and pepper, spices, cooking oil, vinegar, or whatever your typical tastes dictate. Buy them in the smaller sizes and replace annually. Some items, such as flour, sugar, cereals, rices, and chips, might not be a good idea to store in your vacation kitchen since these foods can spoil, become infested with bugs or attract ants. If you plan to vacation often, a minimal amount of this type of food could be stored, but should be kept in airtight containers or the refrigerator, since insects love vacation homes!

In summary, a vacation home kitchen should be stocked so that you don't need to bring food staples and cooking utensils with you and then take them all back home every visit! But it is just as important to be realistic about what you plan to do in the kitchen and only stock the essentials you'll need to make your stay enjoyable.

To begin reading this article series go to: Setting up a vacation home