Cooking in a rental property can be stressful, but packing a few treasured items from home can help you actually relax, and eat and drink in style.
Vaughn Vreeland
Nothing dampens the out-of-office energy more than stepping into your home-away-from-home and realising there are zero cutting boards — but 15 butter knives.
Arriving prepared to a rental property removes the guesswork, and perhaps more importantly, lets you unwind without worrying about how you’re going to open the wine at dinner or how old that garlic powder above the microwave really is.
Whether you’re the self-proclaimed house mum or you’re just making everyone your mum’s famous breakfast casserole, planning to pack some touches of home will take you a long way. Come prepared in a way that works for you, your group and how you’re travelling, so when it’s your turn to cook, even the smallest kitchen task feels like a big win.
1. A reliable cooking vessel
Dan Pelosi, a cookbook author and self-proclaimed Vacation House Mum, found himself getting tapped so frequently for advice on what to pack for a holiday rental that he created a guide on his website.
He likes to pack rimmed baking trays because they fit easily into a suitcase and are so versatile. “You can make almost any meal in a sheet pan and serve it from there,” he says. He also brings a Dutch oven, which he fills in his luggage with smaller tools or even undergarments. If you have the room, a frying pan can also be a good addition, being more reliable than anything a rental has in stock.
- Great to bring: Rimmed baking tray(s)
2. Sharp things or sharpeners
Everything that should be sharp is usually dull at rental houses. Lise Smout, an avid traveller and service journalist from Belgium, loves turning up to a rental equipped with sharp knives. If you’re flying, make sure it’s not in any carry-on luggage. I also know several food editors who travel with a Microplane grater and a good, sharp Y-shaped peeler.
- Great to bring: Sharp knives, knife sharpener, Microplane grater or zester
- Nice to bring, but not necessary: Y-shaped peeler (surprisingly nice for parmesan curls and carrot ribbons)
3. Food storage containers
Keep leftovers in mind. If you’re travelling with a group, you may be making big meals and will want to set aside any extras for next-day (or middle-of-the-night) snacking. So pack accordingly, and bring some storage. Plus, they’re versatile: A one-litre container with a lid makes a great cocktail shaker.
My first time vacationing in Fire Island, New York, I packed sunscreen, bathing suits and empty containers for leftovers. As I unpacked, my friends met me with scepticism, even a couple of eye rolls, but as I packed to leave a week later, there was only praise.
- Great to bring: Empty takeaway containers with lids
- Nice to bring, but not necessary: A couple of press-seal bags (optional, but surprisingly nice for space-efficient storage and preventing condiment spills en route)
4. A few spices and other flavour agents
Since many rental properties come stocked with just salt and stale pepper, and since buying brand-new spices can be wasteful, think about the seasonings you lean on for help. Smout likes to pack spices in empty pill containers — this ensures she never has to settle for dull pancakes or bland tomato sauce.
The same goes for salt, which can make or break a meal. Pack what you use at home, and you’ll reduce the very real risk of an over- or under-salted group meal.
- Great to bring: Plot out a few recipes you’d like to cook and bring the spices you need: Cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom can add pizazz to breakfast, while smoked paprika, cumin, onion powder and ground cayenne are great for grilling
- Nice to bring, but not necessary: Your favourite salt (surprisingly good as an emotional support ingredient)
5. Caffeine delivery systems
For some people, nothing is possible without caffeine. If you’re a coffee drinker, consider a portable moka pot or over-the-cup coffee cone. It’ll keep you going until you can make your way out to explore the local coffee shops. If you’re more of an iced coffee drinker, you may want to bring a large jar and some coffee filters.
- Great to bring: A moka pot, over-the-cup coffee cone or large jar, depending on your preference, and coffee filters
6. ‘Special’ equipment can also be essential
If you’re the group’s baker, it may be well worth it to stuff a scale or measuring spoons, or both, into your bag, and pack around a large mixing bowl and a cake (or pie) tin. But bear in mind that vacation isn’t the time for great culinary ambitions. Recipes that require little — mixerless cookies, no-bake pies — will feel especially rewarding. Even so, few rental houses have even the most basic baking equipment.
On that trip to Fire Island, I also packed an offset spatula and a zester − for baking and cooking − and a meat thermometer, which is especially smart for roasting and grilling meat.
- Great to bring: Measuring spoons, a large mixing bowl, a cake or pie tin, a meat thermometer
- Nice to bring, but not necessary: A scale
7. Something impractical but delightful
Practicality doesn’t always have to be the name of the game. Jess Santoro, a social media manager from Brooklyn, New York, likes to haul the mezzaluna her grandmother gave her years ago. “I take it with me whenever I drive to an Airbnb or vacation spot and use it to chop herbs,” she says. “It’s not ergonomic, nor does it store well in my bag, but I love it.”
Will Lin, an information technology administrator from Oakland, California, has also even extended that idea to bring things that get everyone involved. He once brought his hot pot setup on a trip. While he’d joked at the time that having others cook their own food was cheating a little, he viewed it as a success: “The communal, interactive meal format makes it perfect for group dinners,” he says.
Among Pelosi’s personal non-negotiables? His wooden smiley face spoon — “always down for a smile, a chat or a selfie” — and his mandolin, known in his circles as Amanda Lynn.
- Nice to have, but not necessary: A wooden spoon you love (just be careful not to leave it behind!); tools you might need for a special group meal, whether that’s a tagine, a hot pot or a giant stockpot for a seafood boil.
And some tips…
Consider the vibe. Think about the crowd and what types of activities you’ll doing, and prioritise your list from there.
Joe Fejeran, an executive assistant from San Diego, usually brings his portable Zojirushi rice cooker wherever he goes, but on a recent group trip, he opted for a multicooker.
“Three out of the four of us come from Asia and the Pacific Islands heritage, so rice is such a staple,” he says. He factored in the essentials, but kept the option for slow cooker set-it-and-forget-it meals. “That way,” he adds, “we can spend more time in the pool.”
Set aside what you use in a week. In the days leading up to a trip, pay attention to what you reach for most when cooking at home, and make a note to pack it later. (Or pack it once you’re done using it, as my colleague Ali Slagle advises.)
Be kind to yourself. Great food doesn’t have to be prepared in a kitchen equipped for Michelin-level cooking. Back in 2013, my colleague, Melissa Clark, expounded on the joys of minimalist cooking.
“Despite the lack of kitchen luxuries (or maybe because of it),” she wrote, “some of the best and most memorable meals I’ve ever made have been with nothing more than a battered skillet, a spoon and a dull knife.”
Often, straying from comfort makes us better cooks. Find joy in the chaos and allow the inspiration to strike … you’re on holiday, after all.
The New York Times
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