When it comes to cooking on the road, RV enthusiasts have developed some pretty strong opinions about their preferred culinary battleground. The age-old debate of indoor versus outdoor cooking has taken on new dimensions in the confined quarters of recreational vehicles, where every square inch matters and every cooking decision can literally make or break your camping experience.
Our recent newsletter poll dove deep into this sizzling topic, asking our readers the burning question: “What is your preferred method of cooking in your RV?” The results were as eye-opening as they were entertaining, revealing some fascinating insights into the hearts (and stomachs) of the RV community. If you missed this poll in our newsletter, make sure to keep an eye out for future surveys so you can be part of our ongoing discoveries about RV life – your voice matters in shaping our understanding of what makes the RV lifestyle so special!
Poll Results: The Numbers Don’t Lie (But They Sure Are Funny!)
| Cooking Method | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Outdoor Grill | 74% |
| Indoor Stove/Oven | 13% |
| Microwave | 9% |
| Campfire | 4% |
| Total Votes | 100% |
The Grill Masters Have Spoken (And They’re LOUD!)
With a whopping 74% of the vote, outdoor grilling has emerged as the undisputed champion of RV cooking. This landslide victory suggests that RVers have collectively decided that if you’re going to be living in a tin can on wheels, you might as well embrace the great outdoors for your culinary adventures. It’s as if three-quarters of our community looked at their compact RV kitchens and said, “You know what? I think I’ll take my chances with the wind, the bugs, and that one neighbor who always seems to show up right when the steaks are ready.”
The outdoor grill brigade has clearly mastered the art of not caring whether their burger flipping skills are being judged by fellow campers. These are the folks who’ve turned their awning area into a five-star restaurant patio, complete with folding tables that wobble just enough to add excitement to every meal. They’re the ones who pack more grilling accessories than actual clothes, because priorities, people!
The Indoor Cooking Holdouts: A Brave 13%
Meanwhile, 13% of our respondents are holding down the fort inside their RVs, bravely manning their compact stoves and ovens like culinary warriors in very small kitchens. These indoor enthusiasts have clearly mastered the delicate art of cooking a full meal while simultaneously trying not to hit their head on the microwave, elbow the refrigerator, or accidentally turn on the wrong burner (we’ve all been there).
These kitchen ninjas have figured out how to make a four-course meal in a space smaller than most people’s pantries. They’re the MacGyvers of meal prep, turning their RV kitchen into a surprisingly functional food production facility. Hat’s off to these indoor cooking champions who refuse to let a little thing like “extremely limited counter space” stop them from whipping up their favorite recipes.
The Microwave Mavens: Quick, Efficient, and Slightly Mysterious
Coming in at 9%, our microwave users represent the pragmatic faction of RV cooking. These are the people who’ve looked at the outdoor grill setup, considered the indoor kitchen gymnastics, and said, “You know what? Three minutes and a beep sounds pretty good to me.” There’s something beautifully honest about embracing the microwave as your primary RV cooking method – it’s efficient, it doesn’t require propane, and there’s zero risk of your dinner blowing away in the wind.
The microwave crowd has mastered the art of creative reheating and have probably discovered combinations of frozen foods that would make a college student weep with joy. They’re the time-savers, the efficiency experts, and the ones who always have extra time to enjoy the campground activities while everyone else is still trying to get their grill to light.
The Lone Campfire Romantic: 4% of Pure Nostalgia
And then there’s our campfire cooking traditionalist – that beautiful 4% (one brave soul) who voted for cooking over an open flame. This person clearly graduated from the “if it was good enough for cowboys, it’s good enough for me” school of outdoor cooking. They’re probably the same person who insists on using a manual can opener because “it builds character” and knows at least seventeen different ways to cook beans in a Dutch oven.
Our campfire enthusiast represents the purest form of outdoor cooking romance, where every meal comes with a side of smoke in your eyes and the constant challenge of maintaining the perfect cooking temperature. They’ve mastered the ancient art of meal timing based on ember color and can probably tell you the exact moment when the coals are ready just by the sound they make.
Why These Results Make Perfect Sense (And Why They’re Hilarious)
Looking at these poll results, it’s clear that RVers have overwhelmingly embraced the “go big or go home” philosophy – except they’ve literally brought their home with them, so they’re going big outside of it. The 74% outdoor grilling preference makes perfect sense when you consider that most people didn’t invest in an RV just to recreate their apartment kitchen experience in a slightly more cramped environment.
The outdoor grill dominance likely stems from several practical factors: it keeps cooking smells and heat outside the RV, provides more cooking space than most RV stovetops, and let’s face it, grilling just feels more “outdoorsy” and vacation-like. Plus, there’s something psychologically satisfying about cooking outside when you’re living in a relatively small indoor space – it’s like extending your living room into nature.
The low campfire percentage (4%) probably reflects the reality that many campgrounds have fire restrictions, gathering firewood can be a hassle, and cooking over an open flame requires skills that many modern campers haven’t developed. Meanwhile, the modest microwave showing (9%) suggests that while convenience is appreciated, most RVers still want some semblance of “real cooking” during their travels.
The indoor cooking minority (13%) likely represents either the weather-conscious folks who’ve experienced one too many grilling sessions in the rain, or the serious home cooks who refuse to compromise their culinary standards just because they’re living in a vehicle. These results paint a picture of an RV community that’s largely embraced the outdoor lifestyle while still appreciating the convenience and comfort that modern RV amenities provide.
