Last fall while preparing to leave on book tour, I employed the help of a stylist friend of mine, Doria Santlofer. One afternoon while packing for the week-long London leg, Doria looked on with horror as I laid out three pairs of various jeans (a lighter wash relaxed fit mid-rise, a darker wash boot cut mid-rise, a lighter wash wide-leg high-rise). This was for one week. I of course did not need to take up space in my suitcase with three types of similar-ish jeans, I needed to pick the most versatile pair and commit (I think I went with these).
Not unlike packing your clothing for a trip away, a vacation kitchen is not supposed to meet your every need – it’s a concentrated, potent version of what you have at home, meant to illustrate your favorite, not the best; the practical, not the fancy. Did you wish you had brought your “nice” paprika? Sure. Can you make excellent grilled chicken without it? Yes. Ask yourself before packing: Do I need this or do I just want it? Sometimes, just wanting it is the same as needing it, but I do ask you to consider the space it’s taking up (and the likelihood you’re going to be schlepping it back with you).
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EQUIPMENT & TOOLS
A good list of highly versatile items you can do a lot with. If you’re especially attached to something, say, a mandolin, you can always throw it in the car (don’t let me tell you how to live your life!)
One Cast Iron Skillet (9” – 12”).
If you have nothing else (and often you have nothing else), you have this. It works on induction and gas. It can go in the oven and you can use it over a fire pit or grill. Eggs in the morning, chicken at night (a 9” can comfortably roast a whole bird), it’s something most things can be cooked in– versatility at its finest.
Cook these in your cast iron skillet:
One Large, Lightweight Pot
Especially if you know you’re going to be cooking for a large group on more than one occasion. Use to cook pasta for a crowd, boil lobsters, or a make a big pot of soup (if you’re not making a big pot of soup on vacation, is it really vacation?). Yes, it can be large/take up a lot of space, but you can fill it with things (groceries) making it pretty efficient.
I’m talking primarily about these (lightweight) stockpots. I like these enamel ones from Le Creuset, they feel like vacation to me? Brand new, they’re still a pretty affordable investment, but I think the old non-name brand vintage ones from Etsy are a good buy, too, even when in less-than-pristine condition (this one is nice and basic, this one is maybe TOO cute but I like it, this one comes with a strainer).
Cook these in your large pot:
One Sheet Pan (even better….two sheet pans)
Use it to store fruit on, roast things in the oven, season then transfer things from your kitchen to the grill, or make a Chicken Parmesan (on a sheet pan. Recipe at the bottom of this post).
Use your sheet pan for these:
Kitchen Knife
If you’re not a knife roll person (i.e. traveling with two chefs knives, a serrated and three pairing knives), something utilitarian like one basic chef's knife will do (something like an affordable, effective Victorinox would be great for just this occasion). I’d avoid bringing your nicest knife, because…what if you forget it (I would forget it). If you’re not a knife roll person, wrap your one Precious in a thick kitchen towel secured with a rubber band.
Tongs
Long, stainless steel tipped tongs (rubber or silicone tipped tongs should be banned from the earth).
Microplane
For grating, of course (ABG, always be grating).
Peppermill
Perhaps overkill for some, but here is where I tell you I bought a second peppermill to have for when I travel. The correct grind of pepper is extremely important to me. There are no good disposable pepper grinders. Either use a mortar and pestle or bring your pepper mill, stop trying to have it all!! This is my favorite one always and forever (last time I linked to these they sold out and I was not able to buy one for MONTHS).
(Cheap) Kitchen Towels
These would have not previously made my list, but my friends Sigrid and Wes packed them on a recent group trip and they really made our lives easier (the Airbnb we were at had no kitchen towels). These are the ones I have in my house and periodically refresh. The IKEA ones are also a classic (and .99 each).
Paper Towels
This is just an honorable mention, and while I’m of course a proponent of reusable kitchen towels, disposable paper towels are my security blanket, my one cigarette while I’m in Europe, my “if it’s so bad why does it feel so good?” item and I feel safest and most at-ease when there is a full roll of paper towels on hand. Imagine unpacking at the end of a long car ride ready to settle in and you have everything you need except paper towels? My nightmare. I was just sent these from PlantPaper which are made from bamboo and are, dare I say, as strong and absorbent as the bleached paper towels (and infinitely better/stronger than the usual recycled / eco-friendly ones).
Tupperware/Deli Containers/Ziploc bags
Leftovers: You will have them and you will want to eat them for lunch the next day. A little 24-hours-old tomato salad and cold sliced grilled meats over lettuce and herbs with a bit of lemon and salt– chefs kiss. You don’t need a full set or anything, but you should have a few containers on hand.
INGREDIENTS
I’d like to be able to root around my four-year-old Fresh Direct tote and know that whatever I have in there will make my fabulous farm stand or fish market purchases even better or can, with my produce and protein combined, make a fairly complete meal. Add or subtract based on your own most valuable ingredients, but there is one unbreakable rule: nothing that needs to be refrigerated.
Dried
Decant things like salts and spices into small ziplock bags to save space and make the packing home all the easier.
Liquids
Other than olive oil, you don’t need to bring the whole bottle (although this is a good way to do a fridge/pantry clean out of bottles that are more than halfway done). Decant into small glass jars (I bought these for Charlie’s food prep, but end up using them all the time for things like traveling with condiments. Bonus is that they have ounce measurements etched on them, so you can use them to make cocktails and trust me, I have).
Now, presumably the moment you’ve been waiting for: Chicken Parmesan. You may have noticed (or not) that in all my years I’ve not written a Chicken Parmesan recipe. Simply not my thing, I guess. But even I take requests, even if I’m going to manipulate your request to satisfy my specific tastes and opinions that might lead you to beg the question: do you even like Chicken Parmesan? The way I do it, yes! Not necessarily a summer food, but certainly A Vacation Food if there ever was one.
