How to cook in a hotel room with food allergies

In this post, we will show you how to cook in hotel room with food allergies which is actually not that hard. This is for you if you’re packing light and don’t have the luxury of bringing a kettle, pot, pan, hot plate, etc when traveling with food allergies. So how do you go about it with what you can find in a hotel room?

Kitchen basics of how to cook in a hotel room

For our purposes, the kitchen basics of how to cook in a hotel room include a plate, bowl or coffee cup, fork, spoon, butter knife, and maybe a kettle. The meals that you will end up cooking in your hotel room are not fancy and could be maybe considered a glorified picnic or cheese platter.

Knowing even the very basics of how to cook in a hotel room, you can whip up something to eat, your confidence to travel with food allergies to more foreign lands may start to grow.

Here are Kortney’s tips on how she goes about cooking in a hotel room across the globe!

Cooking in a hotel room starts with a trip to the grocery store

The first thing you should know about me is that I don’t pack a lot of food. We are light travelers, taking only a big backpack and a small bag for my plane food. When packing safe plane/train food, I will pack twice as much as I think I will need in case of delays and to ensure I have something to eat for the first day we arrive.

Pro Tip: Research grocery stores near where you are staying, including hours of operation. For instance, in some countries shops are closed on Sundays – Germany is a good example.

Before we go, I look up what grocery stores are near the hotel. Cooking in a hotel room will almost always start with a trip to the grocery store on the first day we arrive. This way I can stock up on food and also get a small glimpse into the country’s eating habits. It’s always fascinating to see another country’s grocery stores.

For instance, in Doha, there were tons of bulk nuts and dried fruits. In Paris, the dairy section will blow your mind – you could eat a new type of yogurt for a year.

Another tip is to look for ex-pat grocery stores or chains. Singapore, Dubai, and Doha, I went to either a chain I knew or a specialty ex-pat store where I was able to find products I have tried and where the labeling was in English. The only downside is these stores tend to be on the expensive side.

The tools you need to cook in a hotel room

When hotel room cooking, I always ask room service for a few plates and utensils. All you really need is a plate, bowl or big mug, knife, fork and spoon. When shopping for food, I won’t buy anything that requires a lot of prep or that can’t be cut with a butter knife.

If you have a microwave in your room, you are in luck and can cook almost anything! A kettle also expands cooking options. For instance, you can make things like couscous, oatmeal and steam veggies by pouring hot water over them and covering the bowl (think broccoli).

Cooking in a hotel room without a kitchen

The next thing you need to figure out, and the most essential piece of the puzzle, is how will you keep your food cold? Many hotel rooms now come with small fridges, however more times than not they are stocked with overpriced beverages.

Fridges are often equipped with motion detectors that sense if you have moved an item and then charge you. I have never been to a hotel that would empty the fridge for me. It is possible to work around what’s in the refrigerator, but generally, that means you can only lie a few things on top of cans. 

This is when glamping comes into play! If the fridge is a no-go zone, then we will go and buy a small cooler. Of course, you can always be more prepared and call ahead of time and ask for a fridge or a cooler. I have been provided with a cooler when they would not empty the minibar. It never hurts to ask what the hotel can offer.

Once you have your fridge/cooler sorted out and purchased simple cooking tools, it is time to make your shopping list. Here are my go-to foods when cooking in a hotel room.

The ultimate hotel room cooking shopping list

Proteins & Dairy

*make sure the cans you buy cans that open without a can opener.

• canned fish*
• smoked salmon
• cold meats
• pre-boiled eggs
• can of beans
• yoghurt
• cheese (mini portioned cheese sizes are my favorite for a great on the go snack)

Produce
• pre-washed salads
• pre-cut vegetables
*nothing that has a short shelf life
*nothing that needs a lot of prep work like peeling

Condiments

• salsa (also works as a salad dressing)
• salad dressing
• dips

Things that cook with boiling water

• couscous
• oatmeal
• noodle cups

Other foods

• cereal
• bread (vacuum packed breads are great for longer stays and if you don’t want to go to the grocery store more than once)
• pretzels, crackers, chips
• soup or gazpacho

Extras
• ziplock bags for storing leftovers

3 meals to cook in a hotel room

I – Couscous with salsa and feta

Ingredients: couscous, salsa, feta, pre-washed mixed greens

1. Cook your couscous using boiling water (generally instructions on the package)
2. Afterword the couscous is cooked, mix in salsa, this is where all the flavors come from.
3. Serve over mixed greens and garnish with crumbled feta.

II – Beans and tuna with avocado

Ingredients: can of white beans or chickpeas, can of tuna in olive oil, avocado
Optional: salad dressing, vinegar, parsley. If you get canned tuna in olive oil, you will have enough moisture and can skip buying salad dressing.

1. Using the back of a fork mash beans. Mix the beans with the canned tuna and the oil from the tuna.
2. Slice avocado in two. Peel the skin off the avocado and thinly slice it.
3. Fan out avocado on a plate. Place protein mix on top. Optional: sprinkle with salad dressing or vinegar.
4. Garnish with torn parsley.

III – Smoked Salmon Caprese Salad Recipe