Sometimes when going somewhere by car or plane or you need a travel kitchen. You may be travelling for a vacation, a meeting, or a conference. Bringing a portable kitchen will help you meet your dietary and budgetary needs. Start with your HOTLOGIC® and round out your portable kitchen with a few more items. You will then be able to create a variety of meals, even if there are no kitchen facilities available.
Appliances
A HOTLOGIC® will heat frozen dinners in the original packaging, reheat leftovers and can cook raw, thawed or frozen ingredients. It is a temperature pre-set heating plate placed inside a soft-sided, insulated tote.
This Collapsible Kettle will heat 2.5 cups of water. You can heat water for hot beverages, gluten free oatmeal cups or backpacking freeze dried meals. What I like about this kettle is how small it is when collapsed for travel. Note how the handle tucks in tightly.
Powering Your HOTLOGIC®
If you need to be able to use your HOTLOGIC® in both a vehicle and in a room, then you will need an adapter.
Your HOTLOGIC® Mini 12V (45W) works well with a 60 watt convertor to be able to plug it in an electric outlet.
The 120V HOTLOGIC® Mini (45W) and Max (100W) can use a 200W inverter to be able to plug into a vehicle. A 150W converter will work, as well, for 1 Mini & 1 Max as long as it has two plugs.
When travelling overseas, a stepdown converter is required. This converter can handle a draw of 200W so it will work for either the Mini or the Max or both at the same time.
If you want to operate your HOTLOGIC® while driving, you will need to know if the 12V outlet is off when the vehicle is turned off. Also, it is advisable to supplement the power with a power bank to keep the HOTLOGIC® operating when the car stops. If the car battery is old, it may drain it too low for starting the vehicle. A lead acid battery jump starter is an inexpensive method of providing power when the car is off.
Food Prep Tools
I went looking for a cutting board and found this Disposable Cutting Board. Who knew this existed? You can slice off a few of these to easily pack in your luggage. If camping with limited water supply, this would be great way to avoid cross contamination.
A knife with a blade cover allows you to safely transport it. If you are travelling by air and are only taking carry on, then a cheap one can be picked up at a store, such as Dollar Tree.
Many times, a container is required in which to heat the food in your HOTLOGIC®. I recommend this 100% silicon container for ease of packing for travel. This fits in the Mini.
Other containers that work with the HOTLOGIC® Mini and Max can be found here.
To remove containers from your HOTLOGIC®, you can use folded wash clothes, hot pads from Dollar Tree store or try these cute, pinch grips.
One way to make fresh coffee is to use this pour over drip coffee maker. It collapses to a thin disk. Coffee filters are required. Check your local grocery store.
Eating Utensils
Some additional items to include in your packable, travel kitchen that will pack small and equip you to eat while away from home.
Travel coffee cup with a press to make coffee from ground coffee beans. It makes coffee like a French press or can be used with loose leaf tea.
Collapsible tumbler for hot/cold drinks
This expandable bowl for soups, salads or cereals will pack flat. You can find this item in different brands or with lids. It comes in a variety of colors.
If you prefer a durable set of flatware instead of using plasticware, this Stainless-Steel set will fit your needs.
There are other sets that also include a set of chopsticks which can be useful when cooking.
Here are the dishes that pack the flattest possible. The plate, bowl and cup travel flat and then are snapped together on the folds to form a 3D item. The description says you can even use them as a cutting board, if you don’t cut over the folds.
Travelling by Car
When you travel by car, this gives you more options for food choices and eating times. The HOTLOGIC® can be plugged in and cook your meal while driving. You can, also, bring a 12V portable refrigerator or ice chest to carry perishables.
When you look at portable refrigerators, you need to be aware that if the “cooler refrigerator” costs under $150 it is most probably just a cooler. It cools the interior of the appliance down 20-40°F from the ambient temperature. This means that if the interior of a car is over 80ºF, it is unlikely the cooler will maintain 40°F.
True portable refrigerator/freezers, which allow you to set the temperature, start around $170 and go up from there. They can have dual zones. The ones with dual compartments can be set to be refrigerator/refrigerator, refrigerator/freezer, or freezer/freezer. This type of portable refrigerator/freezer can even be used after the vacation to keep the ice cream from melting on the way home from the grocery store.
For power, the portable refrigerator/freezer will come with two cords, one for 12V DC and one for 120V AC. It can be plugged directly into the car’s 12V outlet. The portable refrigerator/freezer typically use only 40W-60W. If you are concerned about draining your battery or if the outlet has no power when the vehicle is not running, then you can use a portable, power station or a jump starter like the one mentioned above.
These models both use 45 watts.
Packing Up
Other than the refrigerator, all of the items selected will travel well in your luggage. They will take little space. The HOTLOGIC® in particular is okay to take on a plane. Many flight crew take it themselves into the cabin. Usually though, they do not operate them while in flight.
There are many reasons why you would want to prepare your own food when away from home such as following a diet plan, food allergies, eating gluten free, having Celiac disease, adhering to a budget or for the sake of convenience. These items listed give you a good foundation for a portable, compact kitchen that will assist you to meet your nutritional needs.
For your next trip, I wish you…
Bon Voyage and Bon Appétit
Portable Kitchen
Hot Logic Portable Compact Kitchen