1. Sink and stove combo that forces simultaneous use
You have a “combo” unit where the sink and stove share the exact same leftover elbow room — meaning you can’t wash a dish while cooking pasta without causing a minor flood. It’s like playing a cruel game of Sims where everything interlocks live.
When you need to drain pasta, you lean over the stove, hoping nothing bubbles over or splashes into your prep area. Cooking becomes a tightrope act between sink duties and burner duties.
2. Tiny sink with no depth
You fumble with a minute sink that’s about as deep as your pinky finger — cleaning a large pot feels like trying to bathe an elephant in a teacup. There’s practically no room to scrub, rinse, and dry without water sloshing onto the floor, and you end up doing dishes in your travel mug.
All your prep spills over into the crawlspace beside the sink because there’s no counter space to the side. You keep juggling your cutting board, utensils, and ingredients like a circus act just to chop an onion.
3. Cabinet doors that open into your workspace
You reach to grab a spice jar, and your cabinet door swings open and smacks your forehead — because yes, the door opens right into your cooking area. Instead of smoothly reaching for the oregano, you’re wincing and dabbling in a headache.
You keep bumping it until you begin holding it open with your shin, just so you don’t get walloped every time you grab something. It’s a little thing, but over time it becomes the most annoying throb of your RV cooking life.
4. No ventilation hood above the stove
Without a proper hood fan, smoke from your morning bacon clings to every surface like a greasy, aromatic blanket. You toss in some bacon and six minutes later, the entire RV smells like Friday night fried fish.
The lack of airflow also means condensation builds up on every window, making the whole place feel soggy and the air heavy. You end up standing outside, waving a dish towel like a captain signaling landfall, just to clear the air.
5. Narrow countertop that’s more decorative than functional
There’s this slim sliver of counter—perfect for placing your scented candle, but not for chopping vegetables or assembling a sandwich. It’s more about giving the illusion of prep space than actually offering any.
You find yourself trimming onions over the hallway or balancing a plate on the toilet lid just to get anything done. Soon, your RV feels less like a kitchen and more like a ridiculous balancing act.
6. Tin-foil backsplash that doubles as a fingerprint magnet
Your backsplash is basically foil or unsealed metal that’s impossible to clean — every time you splash sauce or oil, it streaks and stains forever. You spend breakfast wiping dinner splatters, and somehow it always looks worse.
It’s reflective in such a jarring way that even your soup starts looking greasy before it’s even in your bowl. You spend half the cooking time scrubbing the backsplash rather than actually cooking.
7. Open shelving that shimmies every time you open the cabinet
Every time you open that overhead shelf, your plates do a lean that turns your kitchen into a plate-juggling act. The slightest bump sends everything rattling, and you’re constantly praying your bowls don’t take a dive.
You learn to hold your breath when reaching for a mug, hoping gravity won’t conspire overnight to send your dishes crashing down. Cooking time becomes disaster anticipation time.
8. Awkwardly placed outlets behind heavy appliances
Your microwave or big coffee maker sits so snugly against the wall that plugging and unplugging it is like performing surgery with oven mitts on. You almost need a crowbar just to access the outlet — which is typically behind a splash protector or your spice drawer.
Every time you need to use the blender, you have to shift the entire contraption, unplug and replug it, then return it to its spot like a game of appliance Tetris. It’s endlessly frustrating and kills any cooking momentum.
9. Too-small refrigerator door swing blocking your workspace
Your fridge door opens—clack—directly into your only piece of counter, turning it into a barrier rather than a convenience. You find yourself working around a giant door that might as well be a wall.
You can’t lay anything on the counter or even step close without bumping into it, so meal prep becomes a constant dance around metal. Your kitchen feels more like an obstacle course.
10. One-burner stove when you really need three
You pop a pan on your single burner and realize halfway through cooking that you still need to sauté, simmer, and ideally boil, but there’s only one flame. You’re either waiting impatiently or resorting to cold sides because, hey, time is limited in an RV kitchen.
Switching pans mid-cook feels like running a relay race with spaghetti — tedious and messy. You end up eating your stir-fry half cold or reheating constantly on that one agonizing burner.
11. Stove shoved into a corner
Ever tried cooking in an RV stovetop crammed into a corner where your elbows practically hit the wall when you stir? It’s like trying to cook while wearing oven mitts in a phone booth — cramped, uncomfortable, and borderline dangerous.
You can’t set a pot down beside the burners or easily access all the burners without knocking things over. The heat radiates onto that adjacent wall, making it uncomfortably warm and risky for anything flammable.
12. Awkward lighting that blinds or misses the job
You flip on the under-cabinet lights and wind up with beams brighter than a stadium floodlight in your face—or no lights on your actual counter. You’re squinting just to chop, and at the same time, the living area is lit like a rainforest should be.
Your shadow always lands on your cutting board, or worse, it casts darkness precisely where you’re stirring. It’s like cooking in a bizarre spotlight where nothing is quite visible but everything is glaring.
This post 12 RV Design Choices That Make Cooking Nearly Impossible was first published on Greenhouse Black.
