Cooking in the TT

[tenhorsun]

Okay... forgive me if this has been addressed. I did a search and couldn't find anything.
Do you cook in your TT? Besides pooping, I want to be able to cook in our TT. (We haven't bought one yet. Still researching.) But when I mentioned this to friends, nearly all of them said I DON'T want to do that. If I cook, I'm told, my entire TT will smell like that food forever. !?! What?
They all say they use the microwave... or a grill outside. They MIGHT use the stovetop but never anything greasy or pungent. And NEVER the oven. Really? Is smell REALLY an issue??
My husband agrees with them, not wanting the TT to smell like pizza or whatever forever. He said we'll just bring pre-prepared meals and heat them up in the microwave or cook on the grill.
What do YOU guys do?

[dahkota]

Just an FYI, microwaving is cooking. It doesn't keep food from smelling or somehow trap the odors in the box. Unless you never open the door. But then you would never eat.

We full time and cook in our rig every day. If we didn't and only ate out, we probably couldn't afford fulltiming. Or we would be REALLY sick of sandwiches by now. As it is, we make all the same foods we made in our s&b in our rig.

[samhain7]

I pay for it, I use it.
I cook outside mostly because I enjoy being outside. Not because I avoid cooking in the trailer...

[rbpru]

We bought our TT to have all the convenience of home; bath, bedroom and kitchen, etc. Our house does not smell of cooking why should our TT.

[cyntdon2010]

Out door kitchen for frying, and cooking on the grill.

we bake chicken in the oven. but NO smelly dishes

[tbred]

Prefer to cook bacon and fried foods outside.

[Chuck_and_Di]

If you camp off the beaten track in bear country, it's best to keep the food odors out of your sleeping accommodations, be they tent or trailer. If you are in a more densely populated area like most campgrounds it doesn't really matter. Odors last a long time after humans can no longer notice them, so if you think you might occasionally go off grid, bear that in mind 🙂
Cooking also produces lots of waste heat - hard to get rid of unless you have full hookups and an AC. YMMV.

[michigansandzil]

Honestly, at first I thought you were joking.
Yes, we cook in our camper. How do you prepare a meal for a family of five when it's raining if you can't cook inside?
I have never used the oven just because I don't want to and I prefer to cook bacon outside, but my stove top gets used every single trip. We have no lingering smells.
Cook with confidence.;)

[Community Alumni]

We do not different than we do at home. If it's nice out and we're having 'grilling' food, we cook outside; if we're having 'stove top' type food, we cook inside on the stove or in our toaster oven.

Never had a cooking odor issue in any rv we've owned. :C

Just on a side note, we don't poop in the kitchen! :B

[scbwr]

Smoke from nearby campfires is more likely to linger than cooking smells. Why have a galley in the TT if you're not going to use it? We use our outdoor kitchen along with grill as much as possible, but stove and microwave get used as needed. As already stated, ventilate as needed.

I so agree with the statement that it's your camper....use it the way you wish! I've never understood folks that don't use the bathroom facilities for what they're designed i.e. trying to keep the black tank clean!!

But...to each his own!

[Quahog]

We cook both indoors and out and I've never had any issues with lingering smells. I don't get these folks that buy a rig with a kitchen and bath but never use them because of the fear of something not smelling right.

[Atlee]

We don't cook much in our TT, but it's not because we're afraid of "stinking" up the place. It's just we do not "camp" much in our TT.

For the fall, and many other occasions, we are tailgating/"camping" with our friends. One of our friends always brings a complete setup for outdoors, including an "industrial" sized 3 burner grill, an infra-red turkey cooker, and a smoker. So we prepare communal meals there.

When we went on our cross country trip last year, rather than cook meals, which are time consuming, we'd either heat up something in the micro, or just buy something. We never wanted to waste a lot of time, planning, cooking, eating, and cleaning up a big meal while on the road.

[colliehauler]

I use my trailer just like I use my house. Why on earth would you pay for all the amenities and not use them? Your camper use it as you wish.

[newman_fulltime]

This is a real simple answer for you just go buy a teardrop all these friends will love you.No shower no toilet and you cook outside

[kzutter]

I love to cook in my TT. The fire/CO alarm will go off if I don't turn on the vent fan, so I always run it. No lingering odor smell here. At least not noticeable. Of course we BBQ outside too

[gazingm42]

OK I will chime in here. We had had folder trailer for 12 years with the kidos and got use to cooking most outside. While using the stove for simple stuff and the microwave.

Now with the TT for now the 3rd summer some traditions have carried forward. We enjoying a good old fashion campfire which I cook the chicken or steaks on. While DW will cook the pasta and veggies in the
TT.

I think the one thing we don't want some of the long term smells in the trailer. But the other we enjoying cooking outside. But on a raining day we will shift all cooking to the TT.

But as one said, it your trailer, do what YOU feel most comfortable doing and don't worry what others do.

I know when we have been in 30/50 amp sites I have gotten many comments on the line "WOW someone who still builds a fire and cooks on it."... To me and my family it is part of the camping experience we look forward of doing.