A little forethought just before the trailer cook leaves on a trip goes a long way toward making her vacation enjoyable. Decide, if possible, on the amount of cooking to be done while in the trailer. Will three meals be prepared each day? Will breakfast and lunch be trailer meals while dinner is eaten out? Or will breakfast and dinner be prepared in the trailer with a bit picked up along the way for lunch? The plan will probably be changed as you go. It should be, as a matter of fact, to give both trip and cook variety. Nevertheless, do a little planning in advance. Equipping the trailer will be a great deal easier if you take your cooking program into consideration.

Cooking Equipment

One of the first hazards to be overcome by the trailer cook is her desire to take too much cooking equipment. It is so much easier to empty out the kitchen drawer into the trailer drawer; the pan closet into the trailer closet, than to sit down and question herself about each piece, "Do I need this? Can I use this pan for a roaster as well as a frying pan?"

The most important point is to take the minimum amount of equipment with a place for every bit of it! Avoid leaving equipment around where it can be seen. For example, if you want to take your electric roaster, your pressure cooker and your waffle iron, do please find a place for them in one of the cupboards. Do not let them set out to catch dust. It is difficult enough for two or more people to live in small quarters, keeping the trailer neat and orderly, without adding incidentals to the task.

The following equipment, menus and recipes are planned for a family of four, regularly cooking three meals a day. It differs from a minimum list of equipment for the home kitchen in that the effort has been made to have one utensil serve two purposes whenever possible.

Add or discard according to the family's needs and how much cooking is to be done in the trailer. Before including any of your electrical equipment, learn about the facilities at tourist camps you will be likely to use on your trip. The American Automobile Association can give you the necessary information.

Equipment

1 seven inch frying pan.

1 nine inch frying pan with removable handle, and cover. When handle is removed, use for roaster.

1 double boiler 1 one quart saucepan 1 two quart saucepan 1 three quart saucepan with covers and self-draining, if possible.

1 tea kettle.

1 coffee maker.

1 pitcher.

1 food grinder.

1 ovenware casserole with pie plate cover.

1 set of three ovenware refrigerator dishes. One, a loaf dish for meat loaf, etc., the others square - one shallow, one deep. These dual purpose dishes are excellent either for baking or the refrigerator.

1 muffin pan.

1 nest of bowls. Purchase an attractive set, for double duty. They may be used on the table for salads, desserts, etc., to mix in, and the largest may be used for washing dishes.

1 measuring cup. Metal is preferred when only one is taken. It is convenient to use for melting small quantities of fat. It is better to have two measuring cups, if possible, one of them glass.

1 set measuring spoons.

1 square cake pan or 2 layer cake pans.

1 small cookie sheet.

1 egg beater.

1 small grater.

1 potato ricer.

1 rubber stopper for sink.

1 rubber pad for under dish drainer.

1 dish drainer.

1 biscuit cutter.

1 tea strainer.

1 fine mesh strainer on legs. May be used for colander and flour sifter 1 cup flour sifter, left in flour canister 1 juice extractor 1 paring knife 1 butcher knife. May be used for bread knife. If not desired, include only a bread knife 1 carving knife and fork 1 longhandled two tined kitchen fork 1 narrow spatula 1 broad spatula or cake turner 1 good can opener 1 good knife sharpener 1 cork screw and bottle opener 1 pair salt and pepper shakers 1 set wooden spoons or two large tablespoons 1 bread box, if not built in 1 bread board, if not built in 4 storage canisters for flour, etc.

1 dish cloth or mop.

2 pot holders.

1/2 dozen tea towels.

1 garbage can or heavy paper bags.

1 wash basin.

1 bucket for water.

1 ice pick.

1 dish scraper. Use for cleaning cake batter or cookie dough out of bowl 1 kitchen scissors 1 toaster 1 portable oven if not attached to stove.

Extras, If Desired

Tea pot.

Waffle iron.

Griddle.

Pressure cooker.

Electric cooker.

Doll's set of cookie cutters.

Ladle.

Roaster.

Strainer variety of garbage can for sink is useful, but empty paper bags do very well.

Another water bucket.

Custard cups.

Tray.

Mats for hot dishes.

Vacuum bottle and jug.

New Equipment

Look for new ideas in utensils. There are some now on the market with new ones continually being added. Many of them are ideal for the trailer, if new equipment has to be purchased.

There are pans which come two or three to a set, with individual covers. They nest together and will fit over one burner.

If an oven is needed, and a portable one not desired, there are ovenettes now available which are quite satisfactory. They fit over one of the top units on the stove, and bake in the same way as an oven. A little practice is needed, however, to learn to regulate the heat.

Recently an aluminum manufacturer of Wooster, Ohio, brought out a very useful utensil kit. The price is about nine dollars and the kit contains:

1 percolator.

3 different size saucepans with lids.

2 different size frying pans with lids.

The lid of the largest frying pan fits a large water pail.

All of the utensils pack compactly into the water pail. There are two handles which fit all pans.

The new self draining saucepans are worth the extra pennies they cost.