Travel Cooking: What’re your essentials, strategies, etc.

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DitmasPork

DitmasPork

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What’re your travel essentials?
I travel a fair amount to destinations with a kitchen, maybe 2–4 times a year. Now I’m in LA for a work/play trip, staying in a nice apartment with a poorly arranged kitchen—too many things on the countertop. First step, clear away the toaster, knife block, dish rack, etc.
In my suitcase for this trip:
• Knife roll (2 gyutos, suji, petty)
• Hasegawa board
• Miscellaneous tools (spoons, cooking/plating chopsticks, sushi mat, etc.
• 1.5k SP, 500 SG stones
• spices, rice
• 1/4 hotel pan
• magu roll fish/meat preservation paper
• apron

IMG_5288.jpeg

Before

IMG_5303.jpeg

After

IMG_5302.jpeg


I don’t travel with pots/pans—not an option since I have a small suitcase.
 
If I'm traveling within driving distance I'll bring this smaller cherry board and something like my 185x75 Eddworks that makes a perfect travel knife. Usually just bring a pocket coti for touch ups as it lives in my field bag for pocket knives anyway. If there's room I'll bring my All-Clad 3.5 qt saute pan since you can pretty much cook anything in it and Airbnb or long stay hotel/apartment kitchens are usually filled with scratched Teflon crap.

20240702_220934.jpg


Now I'm over in England and I brought a Merion Forge 200 mm gyuto. Since I'm staying for 2 months I bought a cheap wood cutting board, a ceramic saute pan, and a stainless pot. As expected, everything was scratched up Teflon...I do too much PFAS remediation to play with that stuff and have no problem expensing it. Will give the pans to my coworkers when I leave. Pocket coti came along as well.

20240824_105219.jpg


I usually switch between these two stones

20240704_223028 (1).jpg
20240326_160309.jpg
 
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SwampDonkey said:
If I'm traveling within driving distance I'll bring this smaller cherry board and something like my 185x75 Eddworks that makes a perfect travel knife. Usually just bring a pocket coti for touch ups as it lives in my field bag for pocket knives anyway. If there's room I'll bring my All-Clad 3.5 qt saute pan since you can pretty much cook anything in it and Airbnb or long stay hotel/apartment kitchens are usually filled with scratched Teflon crap.

View attachment 346955

Now I'm over in England and I brought a Merion Forge 200 mm gyuto. Since I'm staying for 2 months I bought a cheap wood cutting board, a ceramic saute pan, and a stainless pot. As expected, everything was scratched up Teflon...I do too much PFAS remediation to play with that stuff and have no problem expensing it. Will give the pans to my coworkers when I leave. Pocket coti came along as well.

View attachment 346956

I usually switch between these two stones

View attachment 346957View attachment 346958
Click to expand...
One reason I bring my Hasegawa board is it’s the same length as my knife roll. …also got tired of cutting on tiny, cheap, bamboo or plastic boards.
 
I typically bring a Tosa AS gyoto, my lynn pepper mill, the cafelat robot and hand grinder, freshly roasted coffee..the rest i'll improvise
 
Last trip I brought:
  • FKM 210
  • Shindo 220
  • Okubo 190 nakiri
  • Fish spatula
  • Y peeler
  • Thermopop
  • Aeropress
  • Timemore C2 grinder
This Airbnb was actually pretty reasonably stocked, pans weren't totally scratched to hell, so this worked well. I was able to pack everything but the coffee stuff in a padded knife case, though if I was traveling with this kit a lot something a little bigger would be ideal.

PXL_20240705_004026643 (1).jpg
 
timebard said:
Last trip I brought:
Click to expand...
Very similar to what I take.
  • Gyuto
  • Bread knife
  • Paring knife
  • Fish spatula
  • Famos potato peeler
  • Instant-read thermometer
  • Pocket-size soft Arkansas stone
  • Tongs
If I’m feeling fancy, I might add a petty knife and/or a fish filleting knife. All fits easily into a knife roll.
 
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@DitmasPork you carry way more than I do 😳. That said the only things I see missing is an offset spatula and most important for me, a citrus squeezer. Vacations usually involve drinks and groups, so being able to juice a bunch of citrus quickly is awesome.

ETA: A mesh strainer would be cool if bringing a lot of stuff.

ETA 2: Microplane.

Forget the knife roll, KKFers be needing a damn knife trunk…
 
Last edited:
I found that typically there is a little cooking and mostly salad / outside grill action with bread.

Somehow I had faith that they had acceptabe tongs!
 
Last edited:
Johnsmyname said:
@DitmasPork you carry way more than I do 😳. That said the only things I see missing is an offset spatula and most important for me, a citrus squeezer. Vacations usually involve drinks and groups, so being able to juice a bunch of citrus quickly is awesome.

ETA: A mesh strainer would be cool if bringing a lot of stuff.

ETA 2: Microplane.

Forget the knife roll, KKFers be needing a damn knife trunk…
Click to expand...
Use a pair of tongs to juice fruit. Single-task utensil my ass 😎
 
Johnsmyname said:
@DitmasPork you carry way more than I do 😳. That said the only things I see missing is an offset spatula and most important for me, a citrus squeezer. Vacations usually involve drinks and groups, so being able to juice a bunch of citrus quickly is awesome.

ETA: A mesh strainer would be cool if bringing a lot of stuff.

ETA 2: Microplane.

Forget the knife roll, KKFers be needing a damn knife trunk…
Click to expand...
Cutlery support van

Just a DK said:
Knives from last trip!

View attachment 347584

View attachment 347585

View attachment 347588

Dalstong petty
Zwilling serrates utiluty
Mercer bread knife
Kagekiyo B1
F Dick filet
Yoshikane SKD
Rando grater
Tsunehisa AUS-8 Ko deba
OXO Peeler
(It was too late when i figured out i forgot to put in my zwilling scissor)
Click to expand...
I’m obligated to tease you about that petty.
 
****. I’m tasked w pre-dinners and thanksgiving sides for the holiday. IN TEXAS!

I might bring a plastic tote full of gear. Sheet pans and my food processor for sure.

Of course I’m bringing a case of my local Napa and Sonoma wine to up my family tolerance levels.
 
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