Outside Kitchen alternative

[tim1970]

Having an outside kitchen has been one thing I have been looking for in an RV. However, today the wife and I found a floorplan that we really liked in our price range. However, it does not have an outside kitchen. Can I get opinions on who have this option on how much it gets used, and also from people who do not have this and maybe wish they did? I don't really care about having the sink,storage or TV hookups that come with the outside kitchen, but I am afraid I would really miss the outside dual burner cooktop, and especially miss the outside mini-fridge for my adult beverages.

[Ron_Schulz]

We bought our latest TT about a year ago. It is a used Cruiser Viewfinder and it came with an outside kitchen which included a two burner cooktop and a sink. I already had a well built LP stove that I used for years and worked perfectly. The sink was really cheap and drained into the compartment floor. The sink drain hose was never hooked up and made a mess in there. I really did not want any of it. Ten minutes of work pulling the stuff out left me with a much more useable storage space. I put in a small 110v refrigerator and store my Big Buddy heater in it. Very happy with the results...

[BizmarksMom]

I primarily boondock, so everything has to run off of propane or 12 volt for it to be useful to me. (I think I've used the microwave 1 time since I bought the trailer)

I cook over the campfire, the grill, or the camp stove if the weather is half way decent. Drinks go into a cooler with old fashioned ice.

Here's the other thing... Given some of the questionable roads I roll down to get to the camp site, that outdoor kitchen is just another expensive thing that will break. If you stay on pavement, this probably isn't as much of an issue.

[tim1970]

Thanks for all of your opinions. (And yes, I realize that it will ultimately be my family's decision, I didn't realize I was asking for anybody to make the decision for me)

We are still looking at floor plans, but have dropped the outside kitchen as a deciding factor. If the floorplan we like has one then great, if not, then we can bring our own outdoor stove.

[Lantley]

I prefer my own portable kitchen. I can set it up to be quite elaborate or verey basic depending on my needs.
Some trips we are just hoteling and don't use outside kitchen at all.
RV's are too small to have both an indoor and outdoor dedicated kitchens.
The dedicated outdoor kitchen space can be used more effectively.
The duplication is a waste of space without being a lot more convenient.

[garmp]

Got a Volcano Grill, my dutch oven and a Yeti cooler. Outside cooking at it's best!!!

[SoundGuy]

bid_time wrote:
You have to decide for yourself what are deal breakers and what aren't. No one else on this forum can decide that for you. It is "YOU" that matters, not what I think.

The reason we have 3 pages of responses is because in his opening post the OP specifically asked for opinions on the value of an outside kitchen - "Can I get opinions on who have this option on how much it gets used, and also from people who do not have this and maybe wish they did?" . It seems self evident to me the OP doesn't need to be told that ultimately the final decision is up to him. :R

[bid_time]

You have to decide for yourself what are deal breakers and what aren't. No one else on this forum can decide that for you. It is "YOU" that matters, not what I think.

[sparechange]

We have one and don't use it for anything other than coffee in the morning. I don't really see it being much more practical than throwing a coleman stove on a table. I think they're a waste of space in a way as the outside fridge is only useful when your plugged in and we always dry camp. Fortunately ours doesn't have the fridge and is fairly slim. Our cook top is pretty high off the ground also which makes it odd to cook on...great for some morning coffee though without waking everyone up

[JoeH]

I have a small refer in one of the bays for my drinks. Since we now have an all electric coach, I ditched the propane grill and have an electric grill. Along with that, I have an electric griddle, and induction plate as well as a rice steamer. I have an aluminum table that I set up on and also utilize the picnic table most site have. It all fits under the awning and we never cook inside, other than some microwave/convection stuff.

[LOFAT36]

We just bought a Rockwood TT with the outside kitchen and we love it. Fridge, stove, sink, microwave & a 24" TV. Perfect and we use it. Some have said it's a waste of space. To each their own. We have plenty of storage inside the large bathroom as well as the side basements and two storage cupboards on the rear od the TT.

[ktmrfs]

we occasionally use the gas cooktop when we are cooking things that splatter, or need another burner, but that's about it. For us, if we didn't have it I'd just dig out the coleman stove on a table. It wasn't high on our list to start with and personally, it would go down further on the list of requirements.

[dodge_guy]

My next RV will have an outside kitchen. Right now I bring along a small dorm fridge I set up on a table and then I bring out my griddle or cook top to cook on. I would much rather have an outside kitchen!

[dewey02]

wowens79 wrote:
Here is a pic of my Storage/outdoor kitchen, and them table I found at SAMs club.

I bet that set-up is great for making pineapple UPSIDE-DOWN cake! 🙂

[korbe]

Not for us. If we had an outside kitchen as part of the rig, then we would have 3 kitchens in all. We always set up a kitchen, so to speak, over at the picnic table.