Cooking inside a Cargo Conversion

Converting Cargo Trailers into TTTs

Cooking inside a Cargo Conversion

Postby MTPockets » Sat Apr 25, 2015 10:08 am

I haven't moved forward much with my build as I'm still in the planning/drawing stage. I plan to do 99% of my cooking outside since we are camping and the idea is to well, enjoy the outdoors. The question I have about cooking pertains to those times where the weather is nasty or other situations where I may prefer to cook inside. As we all know, space is a premium in these trailers, so I'm debating as to whether or not I should "build-in" cooking facilities inside the trailer. This also brings up a couple of other questions..

- How many people here actually cook inside their trailer? If you do, do you find that the grease and/or cooking "smells" build up inside and on the surfaces?

- If you do cook inside, do you have an exhaust fan installed over the cooking area?

I might just build in a small microwave for those rare occasions...decisions, decisions... :thinking:
Our 7x16 vee nose cargo trailer camper/toy hauler conversion... http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=62716#p1120416
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Re: Cooking inside a Cargo Conversion

Postby lrrowe » Sat Apr 25, 2015 10:30 am

You don't say what size your CT is. But even if 7' wide, I think you are correct and believing that space will be tight. I do not plan on having any stove cooking appliances in the CT ( 6 x 14 in my case) for the space and odor reasons you mentioned. I plan on building a "chuckwagon" setup in the back of the trailer (I have barn doors) and that is where most of my cooking will be done. That or on a table under a canopy. But I do plan on having counter space for those really rainy or otherwise miserable days outside where I can place a Coleman or similar stove just to get through the bad weather.
Bob

First Post on Purchase of Trailer: http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=60722
Hot water infloor and radiator heating project:[url]http://www.tnttt.com/posting.php?mode=reply&f=54&t=62327[/

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Re: Cooking inside a Cargo Conversion

Postby 39Ratrod » Sat Apr 25, 2015 10:32 am

Like you said, space is at a premium to all of us. Knowing that I don't think I would build in a dedicated cook area. I would make sure I had counter space large enough to set up my basic cooking needs. If you do cook much, the grease can be a real problem. I would only cook or reheat the types of meals that didn't splatter. What I like to do these days is go to Taco Bell a day before I leave on my camp trip, and get a few of their burritos or loaded grillers and put them in the fridge overnite. Then I just heat them up in a non-stick pan. Man they are delicious! But then again I more of a corn beef hash and eggs kinda guy, not much of a gourmet chef :lol:
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Re: Cooking inside a Cargo Conversion

Postby MTPockets » Sat Apr 25, 2015 11:49 am

I have a 7x16. I think the responses so far align with my feelings and suspicions, so either I'm on the right track or we're all running amok together :lol:

I think I will build in some counter space for those times, but I might also build a chuck box like lrrowe mentioned. Being in scouting, I'm familiar with this method all too well.

Thanks
Our 7x16 vee nose cargo trailer camper/toy hauler conversion... http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=62716#p1120416
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Re: Cooking inside a Cargo Conversion

Postby lrrowe » Sat Apr 25, 2015 12:17 pm

The other kitchen thing to think about is a sink. Again, I have no plans to add one right away, but I will allow space should I want to add one later. It will also have room under the potential location for a 5 gal jug to catch the gray water. Or I may have it drain right out the bottom to a 5 gal jug outside as with the shower water. I plan for my "dish" washing to be done outside also.
Bob

First Post on Purchase of Trailer: http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=60722
Hot water infloor and radiator heating project:[url]http://www.tnttt.com/posting.php?mode=reply&f=54&t=62327[/

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Re: Cooking inside a Cargo Conversion

Postby Rainier70 » Sat Apr 25, 2015 2:14 pm

It may depend on what kind of camp cooking you do. A CT is a very small area, but with good ventilation and care you could do some. I would stay away from doing a lot of greasy and smelly stuff inside.

I do a lot of my "cooking" inside, but mine usually entails boiling a little water or warming something up. I don't "cook" a lot while camping. Most of my food supplies are either precooked or dried. So no frying of bacon or sausage etc.

I did put a portable fan in the window right above my table, where I cook. I also have a roof vent in that general area. It has a fan in it too. My fans are more about removing the small amount of propane exhaust gasses from the stove than just odors.

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Re: Cooking inside a Cargo Conversion

Postby jwhite » Sat Apr 25, 2015 3:33 pm

I don't normally cook anything or even grill out, I do plenty of that at home, most of the time I prepare what I am going to eat and put it in meal size containers and microwave them.
I also take things like sandwiches and salads and snack type food so I don't have to heat them up, last weekend I was in Florida and it was hot and I didn't want to shut off the AC to run the microwave at the same time with the generator and that made me realize next time I am going to take less food that needs to be heated up.
I guess I am lucky because I go to sporting clays events that have good food vendors I can buy good meals and they normally provide food and beer at nights, I normally take to much food and eat it later in the week when I am at home.
I have a 7x16 and like to keep things simple and stream lined as possible cooking and cleaning is one less thing I want to deal with = I also boondock most of the time. If I had power and water that is a whole different story.
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Re: Cooking inside a Cargo Conversion

Postby desertrat222 » Sat Apr 25, 2015 4:58 pm

This is my 6x12. I cook and bake in here. I do need to add a fan!

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Re: Cooking inside a Cargo Conversion

Postby Gonefishin » Sun Apr 26, 2015 11:48 am

131047
When its rainy, windy, or just cold (or I really need my bacon fix!), I cook inside my 6X12 all the time! For breakfasts I fry bacon, sausage, eggs, pancakes/french toast, and make omelets. I heat/make soups, and grill hot sandwiches. I boil rice, noodles, and pastas to be mixed with other ingredients. (there's 101 ways to enjoy a pasta salad, and it keeps in the cooler!) Then of course, there's heating of canned veggies, soups, sauces, etc.

I open a window or two, roof vent or two (when not raining/snowing), and sometimes even the front door with the screen door closed. I pull out my Coleman propane stove and set it on top of my chuck box. It doesn't take much heat/flame for simple cooking/frying, and my co detectors have never gone off with adequate ventilation. I use a lid on pans when cooking greasy or splatter stuff like bacon, and cook it on a lower heat than normal to minimize any mess. Same with heating water for hot drinks. I don't have residual odors from any of the simple cooking I do.

I wash all the dishes/pans outside, regardless of weather. I heat the soapy water in them on the stove first, after wiping them out as a pre-clean. Water/drain/soap stays outside. In bear country, I wash/rinse everything over a bucket so as not to leave odors outside.

No deep frying. No heavy sauces/gravy. The key is to cook everything a bit slower, keep it covered as much as possible, wipe up any splatter immediately, and ventilate! Be sure you stove is on a good stable platform with no flammables near it. Don't leave the trailer with the stove on! The stove gives out some heat, so properly ventilating even on a cold morning, it stays toasty inside, and the hot meal is a great start (or finish) to a cold wet day.
Last edited by Gonefishin on Sun Apr 26, 2015 12:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Cooking inside a Cargo Conversion

Postby Padilen » Sun Apr 26, 2015 12:02 pm

When I was little our first trailer wasn't even 6x12 for 4-6 of us. And my mom cooked a lot outside and inside on a Colman stove.
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Re: Cooking inside a Cargo Conversion

Postby Gonefishin » Sun Apr 26, 2015 12:35 pm

desertrat222 wrote:This is my 6x12. I cook and bake in here. I do need to add a fan!

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I really like your front "kitchen" desertrat.
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Re: Cooking inside a Cargo Conversion

Postby MtnDon » Sun Apr 26, 2015 3:48 pm

We do not actually cook inside ours. We may warm food in the m-wave, boil water and that is about it. Inside gets too hot too quick with cooking inside. We have a side wall counter for the camp stove. We normally carry a few precooked home cooked meals that only need warming. Also we have a couple of canned meals for rainy days when we are caught w/o anything else.

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We do have a sink in a counter inside. That does duty for dish wash up and for personal face washing. We used a bar sink to keep things smallish.

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Our 6x12 deep vee nose cargo trailer camper conversion... viewtopic.php?f=42&t=58336

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Re: Cooking inside a Cargo Conversion

Postby dustboy » Sun Apr 26, 2015 10:13 pm

I've been on the fence about this very same question for a while. We cook outside for all the reasons of odors, mess; I'm just an inch too tall to stand straight in our CT, and we don't go camping to hang around inside. That said, I really want the option to cook inside when the weather gets nasty. Having that ability makes the camping season that much longer.

The best I can figure out is to build primarily for outdoor cooking, then have a single burner or portable campstove that can work on an indoor countertop. Once our youngest is out of the porta crib we will have space to build such a countertop.
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Re: Cooking inside a Cargo Conversion

Postby Hiflyer » Mon Apr 27, 2015 12:20 am

Outside and 99% of cooking with a crew is a 3 burner camp chef stove

But for inside or if it's just me and the wife we use a butane stove or two

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Camp-Chef-But ... e/20468060

Handy for warming water for the morning coffee and super adjustable so fries eggs nicely
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Re: Cooking inside a Cargo Conversion

Postby lrrowe » Mon Apr 27, 2015 10:16 am

That Butane cooker would work nicely inside the CT. And for those sites where AC is there, this would work also.

http://www.amazon.com/IMUSA-GAU-80305-E ... 744&sr=1-7
Bob

First Post on Purchase of Trailer: http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=60722
Hot water infloor and radiator heating project:[url]http://www.tnttt.com/posting.php?mode=reply&f=54&t=62327[/

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