Need Advice on Outdoor Kitchen

[Mr. Kelley]

My wife and I plan to RV fulltime in 2024. We have been looking at RVs for the last 6-8 months, and based on what we have seen, my wife wants an outdoor kitchen to reduce grease and food splatter in the RV. However, this significantly limits our options for rigs. Plus, I have read that outdoor kitchens are not very effective. As a result, I would love to get feedback (positive and/or negative) from RV'ers who have an outdoor kitchen on their RV.

I would also like suggestions for alternative easy-to-use/set-up outdoor grills, stoves. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

[Kirk W]

Our son owned a travel trailer with an outdoor kitchen but found that most of it was not used much as he preferred to cook on his portable propane grill. When he upgraded his RV he didn't get another outside kitchen. 

[RV_]

Work on better stove and kitchen ventilation. We traveled and cooked in the rain, snow, wind and dark. Wind comes up you need to take in the awning not save the things on the grill which would get blown out in many places. Get a camping grill and use it outside some first. MIght save the money and expense, or confirm you/she really wants one.

[Solo18]

Negative to the outdoor kitchens is that they take up a lot of closet space inside. Most of us who travel full-time do a lot of cooking inside because of weather and because it is just easier. 

[jenandjon]

2 of my neighbors have outdoor kitchens. The only thing they use it for the fridge for beer. Most times it doesn't work right because there is not enough ventilation in that cubby and it's too small to hold a days worth of beer. 

[lappir]

There was a person active on the forum when I first started here. Met him at the HDT Rally in Hutchinson, KS. 

He had an AWSOME slide out Kitchen in his trailer. I think most of the equipment was restaurant quality and I'm sure he was involved in a restaurant or bar before he retired. I have always wanted to try to mimic what I remember from it, but as a single guy it's just not cost effective. 

The biggest issue for me is preparation and clean up still needs to be done inside so you are carting things in and out often. It's not like the "Summer Kitchen" you could have on your deck or built for your "Sticks and Bricks" home. 

Rod

[trailertraveler]

Not all outdoor kitchens have the same features. Some have a grill, some do not. Some have a sink, some do not. Refrigerator size varies as does cabinet/pantry space. Ours does not have a built in grill. There is a gas hookup so that a grill can be used that taps into the trailers propane system. I have a 10' propane hose that allows flexibility in where I place the grill. This eliminates the need to carry a separate propane tank for the grill. Our outdoor kitchen has a sink so that cleanup can be done outside. The sink has its own gray tank and sewer hose connection which I am not particularly fond of. The 3 cubic foot refrigerator will hold about 30 12oz cans and small water bottles. Ours has one cabinet that will hold a couple of table clothes, dish towels, the gas hose and some rolls of paper towels. We use the outdoor kitchen fairly often in good weather.

[rickeieio]

Our "outdoor kitchen" is a folding table that's height adjustable, a Coleman stove, and a small Weber Kettle grill.  Our indoor kitchen is right inside the door, so it's easy to grab things, and put them back, take in dishes, etc. 

My thought is that an outdoor kitchen would lead to a lot of duplication, taking up valuable space.  Outdoor kitchens would be great for weekenders though.

[Chalkie]

Our floor plan included an outdoor kitchen. It does take a lot of space in the front bay as it has two fridges, a 2-burner gas cooktop and a drawer for pan storage. The space it takes is a con although we have large storage at the rear of the trailer. The pro is the two fridges. We keep beer and soda in one and bottled water in the other. However, they are rarely used in the winter as cold drinks are more a summer thing for us. Oh, and I have never used the stove as we have a GMG pellet grill and a Blackstone for outdoor cooking.

[fpmtngal]

As was mentioned above, outdoor kitchens vary a lot.  I know people who love them, and others that used them when they had them but didn’t miss them when they changed to a different rig without them.

A disadvantage that wasn’t brought up - if the kitchen has a sink, you have additional water lines to pay attention to in freezing weather.  Some outdoor kitchens can have fiddly propane connections or sink issues or slide mechanisms that can be difficult to operate (I know someone who had all of the above with their outdoor kitchen and wished they had not ordered their trailer with it).

Another disadvantage that’s been mentioned is the duplication of things (depending on the outdoor kitchen).  The duplication could be an issue if you are looking at an RV with more limited cargo capacity.  I happen to full-time in a travel trailer.  That outside kitchen adds weight that you might need for something else.

Several years ago when I was thinking of getting a different trailer, I looked at one with an outdoor kitchen.  Having it might have made it easier to use my grill and cook veggies at the same time (I’m solo) but decided I’d rather use the weight for something else and I didn’t want the extra hassle of setting it up and tearing it down.

 

[sandsys]

Many years ago, when we were in a tent trailer, friends showed us we could have an outdoor kitchen anywhere we had electricity. A crockpot, electric skillet, induction burner--whatever. But we always cooked inside once we moved into a motorhome--no bugs flying into your food.

Linda Sand

[2gypsies]

For full-timing I feel you should concentrate on the RV and then work around it.  The attached outdoor kitchen takes away from storage space with a small RV which full-timers need.  They are 'cute' but not practical.  Instead, get a nice covered propane grill.   Grilled food is also healthier than fried food.  If you need fried then go out occasionally to satisfy your taste for it.  You'll have less cleanup with a grill.  Some have multiple uses.  We carried a Weber Q and that was the first thing that came out once parked.  We used it daily.  It's not too large to store.  One of us was in charge of grilling and the other the inside veggie/salad.  Keep it simple.

[Mr. Kelley]

Thanks to everyone who commented and offered their insight and feedback; it was very helpful.

I'm sure I will be posting many more questions as my wife and I work through the process of buying an RV and after we hit the road. Hopefully, a few years from now, I will be able to pay it forward to others.

[Kirk W]

11 hours ago, Mr. Kelley said:

Hopefully, a few years from now, I will be able to pay it forward to others.

I am sure that you will. Just keep in mid that no matter what any of us think, there is no one right way and so whatever works for you and makes both of you happy is your right way.

[JimK]

Sorry I have no recommendations, but I am curious.  When living at home do you also cook outdoors to avoid food splatters and smells in the house?

[durangodon]

10 hours ago, JimK said:

Sorry I have no recommendations, but I am curious.  When living at home do you also cook outdoors to avoid food splatters and smells in the house?

Some things, absolutely.

[Mr. Kelley]

On 2/24/2023 at 9:30 PM, JimK said:

Sorry I have no recommendations, but I am curious.  When living at home do you also cook outdoors to avoid food splatters and smells in the house?

We do cook outside on our BBQ as often as possible, usually several days a week. Our current apartment kitchen is larger than an RV kitchen and food odours tend to linger so we're concerned that it will be worse when we RV. It's also possible we are overthinking this.

[Mr. Kelley]

On 2/24/2023 at 7:42 AM, Kirk W said:

I am sure that you will. Just keep in mid that no matter what any of us think, there is no one right way and so whatever works for you and makes both of you happy is your right way.

Thanks Kirk,

I appreciate your comment. Because we're jumping into the unknown we're trying to figure out the "right way" for us as much as possible beforehand but I also know that some of that will come with experience and time on the road.

[Solo18]

If food odors are a concern, look for an RV that has a fan in the kitchen.  I have one over my stove, but it is useless because it does not vent outside.  However, I DO have a vent with a fan in the ceiling almost directly over my stove.  If I were to cook something smelly, i would open that vent and turn on the fan.  Much easier than cooking outdoors in the rain and bugs.  

The outdoor kitchens seldom have more than a grill and maybe an electric hotplate.  Cooking hot dogs and hamburgers, and occasionally a steak or some chicken gets old quickly when you are full-timing, and you will want to bake stuff and cook things like casseroles that have to be cooked in an oven.  In fact, a lot of us like to cook ahead and freeze extra portions so we can just reheat stuff at the end of a tiring day or driving or sightseeing.  Gives you a lot more variety to your diet.  

[lappir]

Ignore the mess if possible. I'm getting ready to move and trying to organize things better. Wish me luck. 

Smoked some pork chops for about an hour while I prepared and fried potatoes in the cast Chicken fryer skillet. Finished the chops off with a reverse sear before cooking eggs for my breakfast. Things truly do taste better when cooked outside, even using the same utensils as you do inside. It's also nice to know my induction cooktop works just fine with the Generator. It didn't do well with my modified sine wave inverter and I don't think I've tried it again with the current pure sine one. 

Rod

[jamtracy]

My previous 5th wheel had an outdoor kitchen equipped with a sink, fridge, stove and a second microwave. To me the issue with the outdoor stove is that it was still connected to the rig and it made a big as mess as cooking indoors. Our current rigs outdoor kitchen has a sink, TV, and good size fridge. No stove and no microwave. We set up a table with the bbqer and a single burner stove for cooking outdoors. Other than that we cook inside just like at home.

I like having a fridge and tv outside but I could live without it as well. I've seen some people renovate their outdoor kitchen into more storage or even a laundry. Atleast you can have options if you don't like it.

[Kirk W]

11 hours ago, Mr. Kelley said:

the "right way" for us as much as possible beforehand

A lot depends upon how much you cook outside now. When fulltime, most of us continue to enjoy the same things as we did before going on the road for the most part. For the cook-out meals I use a small Webber much like this one. My son likes his Pit Boss grill, but he also uses it far more than we do. 

We your RV is your only home, storage space and weight capacity become very important and are not to be squandered. We lived well in an RV that had only 2200 pounds for 12 years but we did that by choosing what to take with us very carefully. Cargo capacity is a very important item. 

[sandsys]

16 hours ago, Mr. Kelley said:

We do cook outside on our BBQ as often as possible, usually several days a week. Our current apartment kitchen is larger than an RV kitchen and food odours tend to linger so we're concerned that it will be worse when we RV. It's also possible we are overthinking this.

Oust removes odors not just covers them with a flowery scent.

Linda

[Mr. Kelley]

I'm inclined to go with a portable BBQ and stove but may end up getting the outdoor kitchen for the extra fridge space since my wife and I both enjoy a few beers in the evening.

Our tendency is to cook outside whenever we can. We BBQ outside several times a week in the summer and once or twice weekly in our Ontario winter. I know prep will still be done inside and we will traipsing in and out with stuff but we have also done that at my wife's family cottage so that doesn't bother me.

Rod, thanks for sharing your set-up. It is impressive although a bit noisy for me. I DO plan on buying a generator but only to use when absolutely necessary.

Kirk, your point on cargo capacity is well taken. When you say "We lived well in an RV that had only 2200 pounds" does that mean you only had 2200 lbs of cargo capacity? If so, how did you calculate that?

[trailertraveler]

13 minutes ago, Mr. Kelley said:

I'm inclined to go with a portable BBQ and stove but may end up getting the outdoor kitchen for the extra fridge space since my wife and I both enjoy a few beers in the evening.

Not all outdoor kitchens include a grill or BBQ. Ours does not, but it did come with a bumper mounted BBQ that can be swung out for use or removed from the bumper mount for placement elsewhere. The propane quick disconnect for the BBQ is not mounted in the slide so does not move. If the RV does not have a propane connection one can usually be easily added by the dealer. Not having to carry another propane bottle for the BBQ saves space and weight.