remember one of my first staff RV outings when I was overseeing the editorial content of MotorHome magazine many years back. Those of us who could go — as well as a few friends and family members — spent a long weekend at Pismo Coast Village, one of a number of campgrounds along the California coast just south of San Luis Obispo. I don’t recall the RV I used for the weekend, other than it was a hybrid travel trailer that I shared with my son and two of his friends.

What I do recollect, however, was how my publisher laughed when he entered the trailer and saw me cooking breakfast in an electric skillet. This, apparently, wasn’t “roughing it,” although I had the last laugh: when we weren’t barbequing, I cooked everything in that skillet, to no complaints. As a bachelor, I’d developed a decent repertoire of one-pot (or one-skillet) meals — and one-pot cleanups.

Long story short, I since discovered I wasn’t alone. A lot of people today have redefined the comfortable aspects of RVing by toting an array of different kitchen accouterments in their travels; it all depends upon what they enjoy cooking with and what they can fit in the RV. I’ve seen and read of plenty of RVers carrying electric skillets on their travels, along with such “must-haves” as cast-iron skillets, icemakers, blenders, toaster ovens and Keurig coffeemakers. As RVers know, you just find a way to fit things you can’t do without.

That goes for an Instant Pot, as well. Though quite a bit bigger than the sous vide — another recent kitchen innovation that’s come on strong of late which Jim Mac wrote about last issue (see “Oui. Oui. Let’s Go French”) — the Instant Pot is popular with RVers for the same reason it’s a mainstay in many brick-and-mortar homes: It replaces a number of single-application pots and appliances. While the company continues to make refinements to the unit, even the original Instant Pot is a 6-in-1 multicooker, combining the functions of a slow cooker, rice cooker, pressure cooker, saute/searing pan, steamer and food warmer. Newer versions do all this plus have added the ability to be a sous vide and sterilizer. And, while they now are available in 3-, 6- and 8-quart sizes, many RVers prefer to pack the version they are most familiar with.

Granted, the smaller microprocessor-controlled multicooker requires less power — 700 watts, versus the 1,000 watts for the 6-quart and 1,200-watts for the 8-quart — but all can be readily used with a reliable power source. In fact, the folks at the website loveyourrv.com tested a 3-quart Instant Pot DUO Mini while boondocking on batteries and found that the 5-minute steamer cycle used 9.59 amp-hours, while a 30-minute pressure-cooking cycle used just 16.9 amp-hours. However, because it’s not a constant draw — Instant Pot uses more power during its heating and pressurizing stages — it shouldn’t be used on the same circuit at the same time as other high-draw components.

Whichever size you opt for, many culinary campers recommend putting together a meal plan before you head out for that long weekend. The reason is obvious: Unless you travel in a Class A motorhome or a big fifth-wheel, many RVs are limited to 6- or 8-cubic-foot refrigerators. With space at a premium, it’s easier to refrigerate diced meat and chopped vegetables in resealable bags. Plus, preplanning removes a lot of the typical meal-prep counter mess. Also, like the sous vide highlighted last issue, you may want to “finish” your foodstuffs by tossing them on a grille for a few minutes. A full rack of ribs, for example, can be cooked in an Instant Pot in just about 20 minutes, but they lack that carmelized flavor that’s easily added by the grille.

Perhaps the best part of including an Instant Pot in your travels is the wealth of recipes available online. Not only does Instant Pot itself offer up a few but the Internet is also full of instructions that fellow pot owners have developed — including many created by travelers with an eye towards simplicity. We found a number of savory dishes at mamacheaps.com, where recipes are even grouped by diets (Weight Watchers, Paleo), tailgating, desserts and more.

There are a few caveats, as well. Recommendations include cutting larger pieces of food into smaller sizes to ensure even and thorough cooking and allowing larger cuts of meat to “rest” at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before pressurization so it cooks thoroughly.

And, while the Instant Pot is light years removed from the old pressure cookers that had a reputation for, well, “releasing” their contents prematurely, you should always ensure that the steam release handle/valve, steam release pipe, anti-block shield, float valve and heating element are clean and free of food particles and debris before using the device.

“Fast food” can be both the salvation and the bane of traveling — but the Instant Pot takes the phrase in another direction entirely. When you can cook a whole large potato in 5-8 minutes or a pound of chicken breasts in the same time period, there’s really no reason why you need to head off to the local burger joint.