Exterior Kitchens

jim65wagon

Well-known member
I like teardrops of course. Our kitchen takes no interior space from the bed room. It has plenty of storage for food, drinks, pots and pans and dinnerware. The oven and stove are killer. Our sink is two large plastic tubs. We set a roll up table nearby to do food prep and cleanup. If it rains we have a Kelty tarp to hang over the kitchen area.

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Iain_U1250

Explorer
We could not make a slide out kitchen work for us, truck floor is just too high. We have a stainless steel table which attaches to the side of the truck, and a LPG stove. I can set-up for cooking in 5 minutes, and pack away in 10 minutes as I got to clean everything and make sure it is cool, and the chairs take longer to put away than unpack. Both table and stove are stored in racks in the boot, and the gas bottles are now in holders on the rear of the truck with a longer gas hose so we don't have to take them off any more.

We had a large, high capacity stove, but swapped it for a much lower capacity one, so we had better control. I don't like burnt steak :)



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KSL22

Adventurer
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Cooking some Gumbo in the dutch oven pot and Carne Asada in the BBQ box.

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Breakfast setup.

I love my Camp Chef stove. I bought this before we had the toy hauler but I still use it as my primary kitchen. I would pack it in the Excursion and strap the big Igloo above it so the space it took up was negligible. I recently got the BBQ box for it (picture 1, left side) so I can keep the bigger BBQ at home. It works well unless it is windy. The box has a lid as well.

That being said, my last two truck camping trips were done with the Coleman stove and a skillet along with a over fire fold up grill. This was mainly due to the fact that it was just me and my son. If I was cooking for more I probably packed the big stove.

I have always liked the idea of a chuck box. I might have to look harder into one either to build or buy.
 

Coachgeo

Explorer
these days there are other things to consider. Cooking outside produces carbon dioxide from the burners.. especially if you use propane. That attracts mosquitos. These days mosquitos are something to be concerned with more than in the past. Just something to go hmmm about.
 

Ozarker

Pontoon Admiral
I'd say plan for both, outside and inside. The heat and smell objection I don't get really, I've been doing it for 50+ years. Inside open a window, use a fan open the vents, if ya got air, turn it on. As to smells, I don't cook fish or liver and onions inside, but coffee smells good, turkey bacon is pretty good, hard boiled eggs for a sandwich or salad, don't smell, neither does warming up corn or veggies, seems you'd plan the meal around the environment. So, if it's cussing rain, blowing blizzards outside, you still get a hot meal.

Other meals, steaks, chops, fish, burgers.....all the poppy smelly stuff goes outside on the grill.

If I'm on high ground, not in the mud, I'll cook outside with a tarp or awning, that's great in a light rain.

And, the idea of space taken up.......hmmmm? "Space" is what you're hauling between the wheels, inside, outside, under or over it doesn't matter, you're still hauling the kitchen(s) and all the infrastructure and equipment to use it.

The trip dictates the kitchen needed, might try to think of being more flexible. Yes, it might mean that you end up with 3 or 4 camp stoves, but my little backpacker isn't going to cut if for 4 people with a truck and trailer. Might be fine for float trips, but I'll probably take the 2 burner. My 3 burner is best for longer stays with more folks and the grill can go too.

The "infrastructure" that's the chuck box, the material used to make the doors, table, shelves, compartments, drawers, heavy duty slides, racks and containers......how much does all that stuff weigh? Is it really needed? A shoe bag hanging on a door doesn't weigh much nor does it take up much space. A large canvas bag makes a fine sink. An oven rack makes a shelf, small table or a grill on a fire. Stacking food containers after use don't really take up more space, the left over beans are in one container and that container is in 3 other empty containers, still in the fridge or cooler.

I'f I want a class A motor home, I'll take the stainless fridge/freezer and granite tops with rosewood cabinets. Otherwise, the kitchen needed for the trip is selected, space available, weather, cooking what menu where and when. Inside and outside.

Versatility is key, IMO. ;)
 

B85

Adventurer
Here is a outside grill I made for another truck. The pull out shelf is stander table height. Like the fold up tables at Home Depot. Just on a arm and gas is from the truck system.
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Here with the outside work lights.
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Just some ideas for you.
 

TwinStick

Explorer
Everybody's idea of camping, camp cooking & camp eating is different. Everyones comfort zone is different while doing those things as well. I am 53 now & have been camping most of my life. From tents as a kid, to US Army pup tents while serving, to tents again once married w/children, to a Coleman Bayside popup, to a 30' Toy Hauler, to our current 2016 Starcraft AR One Extreme 18QB. I have an 82 qt & 50 qt ARB fridge/freezers on a home made bed slide in the back of our Power Wagon, in addition to the tiny camper fridge. We use the 50 qt as a dedicated freezer. I/we prefer to cook the meat before we go camping, but don't always have time. It works out awesome when weather turns bad, or you do a spur of the moment thing & get back late. Burgers/sausage/chicken/steak, whatever, throw it on a plate w/some sides, in the microwave for a minute & instant hot meal. We usually camp where there is electric. We have 2 Honda eu2000i's but have not taken either of them with us yet. Maybe when we travel for a month or more after wife retires too. The ARB's have run off 120v so far & truck is not set up yet for 12v operation w/dedicated batteries yet. No serious off-road w/this camper, just off the beaten path. I figure if both fridges & the 50qt freezer are full, we should be able to stay gone for a while. As usual, fuel/water will be our limiting factors. I am a foodie. I love to cook, but not under horrible weather conditions when i don't have to. I did get 1 of these https://www.madeinamericastore.com/the-all-american-grill-8693.html to take with us when we go for a while. I figure I can use it to cook in some states when there is a ground fire ban. I just put a patio block on the picnic table & set the grill on it. I use charcoal. When we run out of pre-cooked meat, use it when we can & grill a bunch up at the same time. Throw it back in the freezer or fridge. We also have a table for under the awning & I do cook on the Coleman stove a bit.
Everybody is different.

I really wanted an X-Venture trailer loaded up. But wives seem to have a way of putting things in a perspective that us men sometimes can't see right away. I think mines exact words were " $20,000+ & i would STILL be sleeping in a tent ? " LOL Oh, and then I got "the look" !!! LOL

In the end, I can live with it & she loves it & the older I get, the more creature comforts I like. Well played wifey, well played ! LOL
 

javajoe79

Fabricator
Been looking at stoves and I'm pretty set on a 22" dual burner propane from Partner Steel. It has dual 10k btu burners I'm going to mount it with quick pins and a quick release gas hose to the outside compartment door of my camper and also to my interior counter top for cooking in bad weather. I am thinking that mostly it will stay on the outside compartment door. It will be ready to cook just by opening the door. The door hinges at the bottom and will have cable stays to stop it at 90*.
 

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