Cooking in an escape

[Iowa Dave]

Hi Carl
We like to cook outside also. The
Weber Q and the toaster oven that’s small enough to store under the sink in the 21 are both very usable as is the Camp Chef 2 burner camp stove. Iowa Pork Chop and Banana cream pie are both possibilities, what else is there?
A few years ago we did not have an exact destination for the night. I asked Rita to find a state park near a college town. In this case southern Illinois. And the town she found was Carbondale ( Southern Illinois University). Why? 42 TV sets at the Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner and a sure bet that our favorite football on team would be on a screen we could watch. We made that standard operating practice for three weeks in a row.
Otherwise we don’t hit the restaurants too often. I don’t like to leave our dog behind in the camper. But I will patronize places over and over that allow patio dining where dogs are allowed or have a good carry out menu. Our TV works pretty good unless we’re in a canyon.
Iowa Dave

[Fox hunt]

we mostly cook outside and set up an outdoor kitchen. also i like to do dishes outside we have the outdoor shower on the passenger side and set up a dish washing center. We also cook inside and bake. Almost never use my microwave for anything but storage.

[steve dunham]

A few years back we were visiting Georgia . We decided one night to have grilled pork chops for supper , so we headed to the local grocery store . When we got to the meat counter all they had were paper thin or thinner pork chops . I asked the butcher if they had any “ Iowa Cut Pork Chops “ ,by the look on his face you could tell he was totally baffled so I explained that its a thick cut (1 1/4” ) bone in pork chop about 12 to 14 oz
He looked at me and said “ Son that ain’t no pork chop , that there is a roast “

[StillCampin]

I’m not a “camper” as most might define it. As many do, I started with tenting then 8 years with a canvas pop up followed by 8+ years in a 30’ class C, 4+ full time. We then moved up to a 40’ 5th wheel for full time living as well as getting a hard-sided Aframe for travel & camping. 3 years after cancer took my wife I got the 5.0 to replace the Aframe.

RV living is my lifestyle, just in 2 RVs. I don’t “go camping” or take a “camping” vacation since I’m retired. I just change rigs. I’ve had plenty of years camping; I’m now living - just in an RV, not a house or apartment. My big 5th wheel is “home” tho it can move and has a couple times. Prior to COVID-19 I spent more of the year away from the big rig than in it and I expect to return to that “schedule”.

What all this means is that I generally have the same cooking capabilities IN both rigs - and I don’t move much from one to the other. It also means I’m using part of the U-dinette seating as an extension of the kitchen. I have not cooked outside for years and except for the recently purchased pellet smoker/grill I have no intention to do so. But, I have 2 fully enclose-able portable shelters, either of which could be turned into an outside, but protected, kitchen.

What I’m saying is, the Escapes are small trailers with small kitchen space but you don’t have to NOT include your favorite cooking appliance since there are ways to expand on the space.

[Mrs. iamunique127]

One of the problems with indoor cooking is minimum counter space. We ordered 3 folding shelves, one to the left of the sink and one on each side of the dinette. I often use all three for extra counter space when forced by bad weather to cook indoors. Another idea we incorporated, suggested by someone in these forums, is to rotate the stove 90 degrees and tuck it as close to the dinette wall as fire codes allow. This frees up a few extra inches of counter space between the sink and stove.

[DebS]

Well, first time response on the forum so I apologize if you get this twice . I typed a lengthy response, hit submit, and into the ether went my prose.
We retired just over a year ago and are full time Escapees living the dream!! We are both from food and beverage backgrounds so a proper kitchen was important. We put a larger sink (That a Rubbermaid basin fits into) in as close to the door as possible so that the distance between the sink and range fit my commercial sized rolling pin. I was a chef in industry and taught professional cooking and apprenticeship at Vancouver Island University for over 40 years. I love the set up in this tiny home. We have no microwave but the fridge, freezer, cstove/oven and sink are good. We added the counter extension by the sink & door. I make sourdough bread in my Dutch oven every few days and crackers about once a week with the excess sourdough starter. The handle on the lid had to be removed to fit in the oven but it works just fine for the bread. The solar has no trouble cooking a 48hour sousvide shortribs or oxtail dish either during good weather or brighter days. We have a small Weber charcoal grill for smoking or BBQing. In my kitchen I cook everything from scratch. Tortillas (corn masa and wheat varieties), ricotta and bocconcini cheeses, perogies and English muffins, Asian dumplings and roesti. We use a cast iron pan in the oven for pizza and it’s as good or better than our wood oven was at our old house. When I want to bake a cale or torte I put the pan on a pizza stone to absorb and disperse the heat from the nearby flame. Stone was $4 at dollarama. We have a few small planters that have fresh thyme, basil, oregano, chives, lemongrass, scallions, nasturtiums and parsley. While we have given up the comfy couch and a permanent place to park, we haven’t missed out on the ability to cook great meals in a small space. You can look at some of our food endeavors @foodwinetravelrepeat1 on Instagram.
Hope this helps!

[Dave Walter]

Originally Posted by DebS

Well, first time response on the forum so I apologize if you get this twice . I typed a lengthy response, hit submit, and into the ether went my prose.
We retired just over a year ago and are full time Escapees living the dream!! We are both from food and beverage backgrounds so a proper kitchen was important. We put a larger sink (That a Rubbermaid basin fits into) in as close to the door as possible so that the distance between the sink and range fit my commercial sized rolling pin. I was a chef in industry and taught professional cooking and apprenticeship at Vancouver Island University for over 40 years. I love the set up in this tiny home. We have no microwave but the fridge, freezer, cstove/oven and sink are good. We added the counter extension by the sink & door. I make sourdough bread in my Dutch oven every few days and crackers about once a week with the excess sourdough starter. The handle on the lid had to be removed to fit in the oven but it works just fine for the bread. The solar has no trouble cooking a 48hour sousvide shortribs or oxtail dish either during good weather or brighter days. We have a small Weber charcoal grill for smoking or BBQing. In my kitchen I cook everything from scratch. Tortillas (corn masa and wheat varieties), ricotta and bocconcini cheeses, perogies and English muffins, Asian dumplings and roesti. We use a cast iron pan in the oven for pizza and it’s as good or better than our wood oven was at our old house. When I want to bake a cale or torte I put the pan on a pizza stone to absorb and disperse the heat from the nearby flame. Stone was $4 at dollarama. We have a few small planters that have fresh thyme, basil, oregano, chives, lemongrass, scallions, nasturtiums and parsley. While we have given up the comfy couch and a permanent place to park, we haven’t missed out on the ability to cook great meals in a small space. You can look at some of our food endeavors @foodwinetravelrepeat1 on Instagram.
Hope this helps!

I think that I am coming over to your place for supper!

[Dcboyd]

I put a deposit on 21C. Anyone. Know the size of 5he furnished sink? They can go out a16 x 21”.

[rja52]

Originally Posted by Bea

If you choose a 21NE however, that unit will have a shorter kitchen counter area (similar to the 5.0) so a single sink might be preferable, but your dinette and bed would be bigger, so it's all a good and fair trade off! If I were going with a single sink, I think I would opt for a deeper sink than the stock one, to make washing pots and pans easier. Lots of threads here on beautiful sinks that others have installed. Fun reading! Hope this helps, -Bea

We are trying to choose between a 21C and a 21NC. Do you know how much shorter the kitchen counter in the NE is?

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by rja52

We are trying to choose between a 21C and a 21NC. Do you know how much shorter the kitchen counter in the NE is?

65" kitchen counter in a 21C
53" kitchen counter in a 21NE


Then subtract cooking appliance and sink.

[Ron in BC]

And having had the shorter counter in our 19 and the longer counter in our 21C the difference is significant to my wife. But it might also depend on how much you anticipate meal prep in the trailer. It seems like some folks drag out the BBQ for just about meal and never cook inside. Then there's us, maybe a minority, who never cook outside the trailer. Probably why my wife likes the longer counter so much. It was one of the factors that helped us decide to upgrade.

Ron

[rja52]

Appreciate the quick responses! It doesn't look that much different in the floor plan drawings. We would prefer the longer counter as well but we also prefer the full size queen bed.

[Ron in BC]

We're average sized folks but we don't notice any difference. If we did we'd kick the dog out.

Ron

[Bea]

Originally Posted by rja52

We are trying to choose between a 21C and a 21NC. Do you know how much shorter the kitchen counter in the NE is?

Thank you Donna, for answering this! Rja52, since you are debating between 21C and 21NE, have you seen this thread?

https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...tml#post346905

Centex did a wonderful job of posting the differences between all the models and various measurements and thought this might be helpful for you.

Like Ron in BC we are also probably in the minority that cooks primarily indoors, except for the occasional BBQ steak. So the long kitchen counter of the 21C is very helpful for me, especially when juggling more than one dish at a time. On the other hand, the 21NE would no doubt, be just as good if other factors (like bed size) were more important to you. For us though, our bed feels bigger than a doubleXL since you can sleep closer to each side of the mattress next to the wall - we never wake each other up and sleep great (and we have a king size at home). In the end, however, whichever one you choose....I hope you'll love it as much as we love ours! -Bea

[rja52]

Thanks Bea - this diagram is very helpful! We also have a king at home. And an excellent point about being close to the wall so you don't have to worry about falling off!

[Bobbito]

My wife frequently states how she wishes our 21 had more counter space. Because we boondock a lot, a larger sink would only waste more water. And cooking outside isn’t an option much of the time, as due to frequent high winds where we camp and fish, we rarely have the awning out. Plus it’s often too cold outside in the high country of British Columbia.

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by Bobbito

My wife frequently states how she wishes our 21 had more counter space. Because we boondock a lot, a larger sink would only waste more water. And cooking outside isn’t an option much of the time, as due to frequent high winds where we camp and fish, we rarely have the awning out. Plus it’s often too cold outside in the high country of British Columbia.

I don't know if it fits the stock cook top, but if you have the oven, this Camco cover provides quite a bit of additional counter space. It is also available in bamboo.

[Yakanaka]

Your original post asked if people travel with kids. We have 2 with us. On most long road trips it's just the kids and I and my husband flies out once we reach the destination.

We have the quick connect which is great for camp chef stove and BBQ. We also use a single burner induction
Element from Costco. The way we cook depends on if we have electricity or not at the site. We have the microwave, Erich we use to heat leftovers for lunch while on the road. We have 2 solar panels

We also have the outdoor shower which is used as an outdoor sink. We have 2 small collapsible metal tables we use for dishes and outdoor cooking.

We rarely cook indoors.

[kavm]

Useful link, Emma! Thank you for sharing...

[stahake]

Originally Posted by DebS

Well, first time response on the forum so I apologize if you get this twice . I typed a lengthy response, hit submit, and into the ether went my prose.
We retired just over a year ago and are full time Escapees living the dream!! We are both from food and beverage backgrounds so a proper kitchen was important. We put a larger sink (That a Rubbermaid basin fits into) in as close to the door as possible so that the distance between the sink and range fit my commercial sized rolling pin. I was a chef in industry and taught professional cooking and apprenticeship at Vancouver Island University for over 40 years. I love the set up in this tiny home. We have no microwave but the fridge, freezer, cstove/oven and sink are good. We added the counter extension by the sink & door. I make sourdough bread in my Dutch oven every few days and crackers about once a week with the excess sourdough starter. The handle on the lid had to be removed to fit in the oven but it works just fine for the bread. The solar has no trouble cooking a 48hour sousvide shortribs or oxtail dish either during good weather or brighter days. We have a small Weber charcoal grill for smoking or BBQing. In my kitchen I cook everything from scratch. Tortillas (corn masa and wheat varieties), ricotta and bocconcini cheeses, perogies and English muffins, Asian dumplings and roesti. We use a cast iron pan in the oven for pizza and it’s as good or better than our wood oven was at our old house. When I want to bake a cale or torte I put the pan on a pizza stone to absorb and disperse the heat from the nearby flame. Stone was $4 at dollarama. We have a few small planters that have fresh thyme, basil, oregano, chives, lemongrass, scallions, nasturtiums and parsley. While we have given up the comfy couch and a permanent place to park, we haven’t missed out on the ability to cook great meals in a small space. You can look at some of our food endeavors @foodwinetravelrepeat1 on Instagram.
Hope this helps!

This is what I aspire to. We will be living for 3 or 4 months at a time and it would be hard to go without cooking because it is such a big part of our life. Thank you for this post.