5 Days. 2 adults. 4 kids. 15 meals. No kitchen. Seriously?
Yes, seriously. Hotel cooking is doable, all you need is a bit of planning and a sink. Also a sandwich maker. Maybe an electric burner. Preferably a hot water kettle.
And, of course, a Betty Crocker. But there’s a whole separate post devoted to that. For a roundup of recipes you can make using the appliances below, see this post.
Ok, let’s slow down.
Going away to some hotel in Yehupitzville? Here’s what you do.
There are a few ways to cook in a hotel room. You dont need to pack all of these electric appliances, simply take your pick. One or two can get you through (especially if one is a Betty). Decide what suits your style best.
Betty Crocker: Like we said, it’s the best hotel room appliance and not only for traveling–we use it year round!
It’s even worth investing in a second one for meat.
- For Dairy: Prepare grilled cheese sandwiches and paninis; warm up frozen blintzes. Bake fish or prepare pancakes for a crowd. You can even cook pasta in the Betty, which makes things really much easier.
- For Meat: Warm up grilled chicken and burgers; grill veggies and hot dogs.
Electric Burner: Having an electric burner is literally like having a kitchen. All you need is one pot and one frying pan and your options are endless.
- For breakfast: Prepare eggs and omelets. Pancakes. French toast.
- For dairy dinners: Make a stovetop mac and cheese or seared salmon.
- For meat dinners: Fry chicken, prepare rice, prepare minestrone and other soups.
Crock-Pot: This is very useful in apartments where there is no daily maid service. (It can get a bit tricky in a typical hotel room; I wouldn’t leave a Crock-Pot alone all day knowing the staff will be coming and going.)
- For complete dinners, set up a few ingredients in the morning and come back to a delicious ready-to-eat meal (see recipe idea below).
- Warm up prepared soups.
Sandwich Maker: Great if you do not have a Betty Crocker. See 9 ways to use a sandwich maker.
Electric Water Kettle: A small kettle is always a great thing to bring along, even when most hotel rooms now have Keurig or other coffee machines. Why? Think ramen soups, or any instant meal. And obviously, tea and coffee. This one from Bodum is really small and works great. I own it and have bought it again twice (after forgetting it behind at a hotel!)
What to Pack and Prepare Ahead: Be organized and plan a menu that works.
Non-food items to pack:
- Can opener
- Plasticware
- Plastic cutlery
- Hot cups
- Regular cups
- Paper towels
- Garbage bags
- Disposable tablecloths
- Windex
- Gloves
- 2 mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Frying pan
- Pot
- A few regular forks
- A few good knives
- Cutting board
- Dishwashing liquid and sponge
- Straws
Food items to pack: (Depending where you are going. Ideally, shop once you arrive for items that you can find in any Walmart, for example. If you subscribe to a delivery service like Shipt, Walmart Plus, or Instacart, you can have these items delivered to your hotel so as not to waste vacation time.)
- Bread your kids enjoy (buy in advance, freeze)
- Small baguettes (freeze)
- Cheeses
- Small ketchup
- Small mayonnaise
- Salt and pepper
- Spices (put a bit in small Ziploc containers)
- Oil, if planning on frying
- Maple syrup for pancakes
- Coffee, tea, Splenda, sugar
- Snacks, snack bags
- Juice boxes
- Instant Ramen noodle soups (such as Tradition Soups)
- Cream cheese
- Peanut butter
- Canned tuna, hearts of palm, olives, pickles
- Cereals
- Milk (freeze) or alternative milk
- Yitzy’s Pancake Mix (OR prepare your favorite pancake mix minus the eggs and milk in a resealable bag and label what liquids are to be added. Pack along a bowl and whisk to prep on site)
- Frozen blintzes
- Frozen hot dogs/burgers and buns
- Frozen meats for Crock-Pot dinners and/or beans
- Vacuum-packed salmon
- Eggs (or buy locally)
Prepare in advance:
- Prepared soups: Freeze in a 9- x 13-inch baking pan. Once frozen, vacuum pack (with a vacuum sealer) and return to freezer. Once in the hotel, let thaw while you are out and rewarm once you get back to the hotel. You can prepare hearty and filling soups with pasta or meatballs in them so they comprise a meal on their own.
- Prepared and frozen chicken cutlets (either fully cooked or ready to fry)
- Prepared and refrigerated grilled chicken
- Marinated roast that’s ready to place in the Crock-Pot to cook all day
Updated for 2023
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Love these ideas!!!!! Ty!!!
Sounds like a blast. I think one of the hotels were Jews go a lot banned crock pots..
Been there. Done that. Those “vacations” are what made me say, “Let’s go where there are restaurants!”
Great ideas! As someone whos health conscious and travels often…I would like to add- whole wheat wraps, ive made delicious chicken (pastrami) wraps, prepared salad dressings, i cook quinoa and bring a containers worth i either eat as side or add to a salad, bodek salad dressigs, and i steam green beans and bring in a ziploc in a marinade that can be eaten room temp. Happy travels all!
One can see you were brought up in places where you had to”geb sich a eitze”as the iidish saying goes,planning ahead is half the work done….
Someone from Lugano
Oh you ate soo right! My mom also from Lugano allways says how they used to “geb sich an eitze” BUT it’s all a matter how you were brought up!
This is excellent!! I have done this many times- and would have loved to have this easy peasy list ready made for me!! I’m sure it will save many a vacationing mom! Kol hakavod!!
include an electric hot water kettle! total game changer. Love these ideas.
Your post really helped me! We just spent a few days in a hotel with a sandwich maker and a kettle and I felt super cool to pull off these great meals in a hotel :-). Thank you!
I made sunny side up eggs in the sandwich maker then put bread on top when they were almost done so it all got toasted together and it was so good I’m planning on continuing to make it that way at home! It worked much better than frying eggs and toasting bread separately like I usually make toast and eggs.
I would skip the sandwich maker, burner and frying pan and just bring a Betty crocker, the dairy options are endless. If your not makpid on pas Yisroel, the local grocery will probably have bread and buns with a hechsher. You can get a travel grill for $30, dinner in a park
Be careful what you leave behind in a hotel room with staff coming in to clean, I had my crockpot and betty crocker confiscated by the hotel staff. Also it may be a halchic problem to leave meat in your hotel room while your gone with the hotel staff coming in to the room.
This is AMAZING!!!!!
https://amzn.to/3vsTlqB
What is the best way to pCk salmon for a trip? Frozen? Vacuum sealed?
I’m always worried about setting of the hotel smoke alarm because they are so sensitive. Is it definitely OK to use all these things? Also I’m assuming you’d need a kitchenette for some seem quite elaborate no?.
I dont know any hotels that allow these plug in cooking appliances. Be prepared that hotel staff may smell food cooking from outside your room and make you get rid of it.
Staying in a residence inn or Homewood suites is the best option as they are meant to cook in and have full kitchens. Any hotel with a kitchen has no issues with cooking. I travel all the time and cook in my hotel room. Also, if you are going just for two days or less, I bring frozen meals that I precook and warm them in the microwave or cold cuts and bread with condiments, and for breakfast I give cereal, yogurts or I make grilled cheese sandwiches with the hotel iron. (Wrap the sandwich in aluminum foil, and cook on both sides with heated iron. This is my kids highlight. ) I find for short vacations, it’s not worth schlepping appliances and raw ingredients. I almost always bring my own food because it’s cost effective and let’s be honest, my kids will eat my food rather than what I buy, so why spend more money for your vacation?