Vacation rental kitchens are often bare bones. Here's what to bring to cook a stellar meal

Does this sound familiar? You’re staying at the vacation rental of your dreams, and you’re all set to show off your culinary greatness to friends and loved ones when you realize that the kitchen is seriously lacking in essentials.

What could have been a delicious three-course meal turns into a heated-up frozen burrito and lackluster veggies.

One option is to bring key items and equipment with you. But how do you choose wisely so you don't pile up the car?

I asked my social media followers (aka some of the best home cooks and professional chefs I know) for their suggestions.

(Alternatively, you could take the approach of Stephanie Gutierrez-Rivas, of What’s That You’re Cookin? who bucks the trend by taking precisely “nothing!!!! We go out to eat! It’s called vacation, Gab. LOL.")

And if you’re already too frazzled with planning and packing to read the recommendations closely — well, we’ve turned them all into a nicely organized checklist for you.

File it under "we've thought of everything".

To make your life easier, we've compiled a few responses to create this downloadable PDF form you can use as your checklist for your next vacation stay.

Kitchen tools:

• “I recently brought pizza dough and the pizza stone! It weighs a ton, but it’s always fun to do and super comfy to have nice pizza.”
  - Alyssa Loera, Pasadena
  
• “Salt, pepper, knife roll, towels.”
  - Carlos Jaquez, chef/owner of Birria Para La Cruda and teotl.la, El Sereno
  
• “A chef’s knife and a paring knife. A silicone spatula, salt! EVOO. Two skillets, a nonstick for eggs, and a cast iron for searing. And always: a lemon. I can fix anything with a lemon.”
  - Paola Briseño~González, author of Fresca: A Recipe Newsletter, Long Beach
  
• “Bread lame [to score bread], oyster shucker, my knives, sometimes a Dutch oven.”
  - Olivia Leadbetter, food writer,  Los Feliz/ Thai Town
  
• “ Serrated knife, paring knife, and meat thermometer.”
  -Tasha Castellanos, Whittier
  
• “Good knives, lemon squeezer, garlic press, seasonings, and my cast iron skillet. I always bring those things with me.”
  -Sufia Peace, Palms
  
• “Chef knife and food processor; If you’re flying, an emulsion blender.”
  - Tiffany Luong, owner of Vegan Bánh Mì Thảo, Long Beach 
  
• “A speaker — needs them jams when you are cooking. But also my knives, thermometer, diamond kosher salt.” (Here's Chef Melendrez's playlist).
  - Aaron Melendrez, chef and co-owner Uptown Provisions, Whittier
  
• “Paper towels. Airbnbs never have paper towels. Also, I plan meals around not needing good pans. If I’m braising something, even a crappy pot works for that. I do love bringing a big paella pan when camping. Good for groups, breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”
  - Neal Hirtzel, Torrance

Good knives are essential

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Danilo Rios/Unsplash

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Food and drink

• “Eggs. Perfect for breakfast and to add to instant ramen 😉”
  - Yossaphinie Seng Mejia, Long Beach 
  
• “Always tinned fish and crackers. Easy for a shelf life/spontaneous fish board. Plus, it is not a waste if you dine out and DO NOT use it.”
  - Jessie Evans, food blogger, Jessie Eats, Toluca Lake 
  
• “Stuff to make bomb cold cut sandwiches bc I HATE cooking in Airbnb kitchens; including good cold cuts and even lettuce, onion, oil, and vinegar.
  -Asia White, thefoodiebitch and founder of Suppa Club
  
• “Bacon. I use bacon for everything, combining it with other things. Like bacon and eggs, bacon and avocado, bacon and mashed potatoes, bacon and Brussels sprouts, bacon grease to cook beans, to fried eggs. Bacon and octopus is my favorite right now.”
  -Alex Garcia, co-owner and chef, Evil Cooks, El Sereno
  
• “The coffee I like. Butter, eggs, bacon, cheese & bread. This way you have breakfast and grilled cheese."
  -Shanna Lynn Milazzo, co-owner of Super Rad Sub Shop, West Hollywood
  
• “I have a very small travel electric kettle, a silicone pour-over thing with a stainless steel filter.”
  - Kathy Mirescu, Los Feliz 
  
• “Wine and chips lol. ”
  - Jonathan Garcia, chef, La Novia and Coqueto LA
  

Seasonings

• “Definitely salt. Usually, we have some blended stuff. I got some really good berbere from our Ethiopian friend."
  - Brandon Conway, co-owner of Quarantine Pizza Co., El Sereno 
  
• “Diamond kosher salt, canola oil.”
  - Patrick Claytor, Chef de Cuisine, Olive & Rose, Long Beach 
  
• “Good olive oil, sea salt, saranda [wire rack for fish/shrimp], limes.”
  - Manuel Bañuelos, chef, Long Beach
  
• “Good mustard and Knorr chicken bouillon.”
  - James Setiz, chef, Pasadena 
  
• “Lawry’s green lid garlic salt, Tony Chachere’s bold, and a wine opener!”
  -Kristin Sepulveda, Valley High School’s Culinary Academy, Santa Ana
  
• “Everything but the bagel seasoning!”
  -Angela Kim, Hollywood
  
• “Hot sauces for sure, and any type of preferred marinades.”
  - Gustavo Chavez, owner of Carnitas El Artista, Inglewood 
  

• Stock up on soda, water, yogurt, salt, pepper, ancho chili and garlic.”

  - Brian Hidalgo, Whittier

The kitchen sink approach

• “My Dude can’t stand it, but I bring practically everything: knives, spices, oils, pots, pans, graters… I’m ridiculous though. KNIVES MOST IMPORTANT.”
  - Brian Addison, Longbeachize, food writer, Long Beach 
  
• “In the past year, I've stayed at four Airbnbs. All had what I call kids cookware, lol. I started building a kit for my vacation rental stays. It includes rubber spats that withstand heat, a cast iron 12" ideal, my knives and my cutting board, kitchen towels. However, I started to plan exactly what we would be eating and what is needed for it. I ranted to my wife about this after the 2nd rental. It's annoying that some places have very little equipment. I can go on [about] this for hours!!!!”
  -Juan Garcia, Goat Mafia, Saucy Chick Goat Mafia, Compton
  
• “Vacation rental kitchen packing list: at least one good knife, one big prep/serving bowl, appropriate dried herbs/spices if the menu is planned (or can't buy fresh near rental due to location /season), and a little olive oil so as not to buy a big one and leave it. The rest depends on reviews: if people say it's not a stocked kitchen…”
  - Shana Aelony, Westchester/LAX