Three ways To Fit A Kitchen Into Your Vehicle
The Three Ways To Fit A Kitchen Into Your Vehicle
My grandmother used to have this old saying, “the kitchen is the heart of the home.” It’s that comfort spot where everyone gravitates to and tends to hang out. But what about when home recedes into a faint speck in the rear view mirror as you embark on a journey to the middle of nowhere? Now the vehicle essentially becomes your residence, if only for a day or two and the arrangement of whatever gear you have brought to cook with, instantly becomes your kitchen.
So what is the best way to fit it all in? Fortunately, there are a few different directions to go in to solve this challenge. Read on for three different options.
1) Camp Kitchen Box or “Chuck Box”
A chuck box is compact and portable solution to camp cooking needs.
The first solution is to use a camp kitchen box or chuck box as it’s sometimes called. These can be pre-made or homemade, DIY. Chuck boxes typically have their own legs or are set onto a folding table.
Our family has used this type of system and appreciated how portable it is. It’s self contained and can lift easily in and out of the vehicle. You choose where to position it outside. Want to cook facing that mountain vista? Or in the shade? Chuck boxes make that possible.
Chuck boxes are also one of the more budget-friendly options out there. It does become less ideal when you are on a long duration journey with a lot of miles ahead of you. Stopping along the trail for quick meals can turn into a bit more than you bargained for if you have stowed a lot of other gear around your kitchen and it becomes difficult to remove without getting other items out.
2) Built-in interior vehicle kitchen
A built in kitchen makes for cozy interior cooking if space in your rig allows.
The second solution is a built-in interior vehicle kitchen. This option is usually custom to your vehicle. Maybe you roll with a stealth minivan or a converted Land Rover 110. You have the interior space to add cabinets and pre-surfaces along the interior sides of the vehicle.
Built-in kitchen systems can be great when it comes to foul weather situations where cooking outside means exposure to frigid or wet conditions, but less appealing if you prefer fresh air and open spaces while cooking. Cooking aromas do tend to linger in small spaces and propane is not recommended or intended for enclosed spaces.
3) Modular slide-outs and drawer systems
Vehicle kitchen drawer systems like this are useful solutions to overland cooking.
Another option that has been popping up in the world of overlanding equipment are modular slide-outs and cabinet drawers. There are slide-outs specially designed to hold an electric cooler or top-loading portable fridge/freezer. Another slide functions as a meal pre-prep surface and others house drawers for storage. A cabinet and drawer system like this allows the user to quickly set up for a meal without unpacking other gear. And the structure of a cabinet provides a flat shelf to store things like clothing and gear on top.
Either way you choose, we can almost guarantee that you and your companions will gravitate towards this space, just like a traditional kitchen in the heart of the home.
