Roll around kitchen

[maki2]

Be aware that if you do not have a deep fryer with a liquid tight lid lock you will have to drain the oil out of it before every time you move your vehicle. Otherwise the road trip will have oil spilling out of the fryer.

An air fryer is a better coice for less cleaning but of course it requires electrical power.

All the choices of equipment and storage of the items have to be analyzed with bumps and jarring and sideways movements from turns in mind as well as sliding from uphill climbs and downward descents. It is a tough world out there, you need rugged survivors when it comes to gear including kitchen items.

 

[WanderingRose]

TG, I have this recurring image in my head of your cart laden with kitchen things rolling away from you somewhere, and you not being able to retrieve it.

It would be funny, if it weren’t possible, so think carefully about this.

 

[Texas Gypsy]

Be aware that if you do not have a deep fryer with a liquid tight lid lock you will have to drain the oil out of it before every time you move your vehicle. Otherwise the road trip will have oil spilling out of the fryer.

An air fryer is a better coice for less cleaning but of course it requires electrical power.

All the choices of equipment and storage of the items have to be analyzed with bumps and jarring and sideways movements from turns in mind as well as sliding from uphill climbs and downward descents. It is a tough world out there, you need rugged survivors when it comes to gear including kitchen items.

Not my first rodeo

 

[Texas Gypsy]

TG, I have this recurring image in my head of your cart laden with kitchen things rolling away from you somewhere, and you not being able to retrieve it.

It would be funny, if it weren’t possible, so think carefully about this.

My wheelchair has 5 speeds. I'll catch it
My days of being anywhere except fairly level ground are probably gone. I have to have somewhere big flat and clear to utilize my wheelchair lift. Speaking of.....went and picked up my shuttle bus today. My ex gave me a ride and had my wheelchair on a carrier on the back of his truck. I was going to put my chair into the bus.
I opened both doors....hit the button and nothing happened. Uh oh....ramp didn't move. I crank the bus....still nothing. Text the guy I bought it from.....no response. So I load the wheelchair back up on the cargo carrier(which is a royal pain).
Turns out there is a master switch for auxiliary items..... because if course there is and the seller forgot to mention that. It runs the lift AND the air conditioners. It was danged hot in east Texas with no A/C the whole trip back!

 

[NctryBen]

My wheelchair has 5 speeds. I'll catch it
My days of being anywhere except fairly level ground are probably gone. I have to have somewhere big flat and clear to utilize my wheelchair lift. Speaking of.....went and picked up my shuttle bus today. My ex gave me a ride and had my wheelchair on a carrier on the back of his truck. I was going to put my chair into the bus.
I opened both doors....hit the button and nothing happened. Uh oh....ramp didn't move. I crank the bus....still nothing. Text the guy I bought it from.....no response. So I load the wheelchair back up on the cargo carrier(which is a royal pain).
Turns out there is a master switch for auxiliary items..... because if course there is and the seller forgot to mention that. It runs the lift AND the air conditioners. It was danged hot in east Texas with no A/C the whole trip back!

Always an adventure... even if it doesn’t have to be... haha.

 

[eDJ_]

If the cart that's shown in the photo is what you have, I blew up the photo. It shows a locking right rear wheel below the handle bar. I made reference to a locking wheel earlier before I enlarged the photo where I could see the lock.

 

[Texas Gypsy]

If the cart that's shown in the photo is what you have, I blew up the photo in a screen shot. It shows a locking right rear wheel. I made reference to a locking wheel, but that was earlier before I took the screen shot where I could see the lock.

Yes I think 2 of the wheels lock

 

[maki2]

Big flat spaces?
You can find some of that in Quartzsite at the LTVA areas. That would be a good option for the wintertime months as there will be people around who could help you get your outdoor kitchen setup. But there can be very strong wind gust there so you need to have your kitchen shelter well staked out. Make a practice of choosing a spot where you can park on any side of that tent and use your shuttle bus as a wind block to protect it from direct hits during the strong windstorms. That will make a big difference in keeping your outdoor kitchen tent from getting damaged by the wind.

 

[Texas Gypsy]

I would like you to go back and read all of the replies you've made to me on this. All have been hyper critical or talking down to me.
Kindly follow the Golden Rule where I'm concerned.

 

[vanbrat]

Big flat spaces?
You can find some of that in Quartzsite at the LTVA areas. That would be a good option for the wintertime months as there will be people around who could help you get your outdoor kitchen setup. But there can be very strong wind gust there so you need to have your kitchen shelter well staked out. Make a practice of choosing a spot where you can park on any side of that tent and use your shuttle bus as a wind block to protect it from direct hits during the strong windstorms. That will make a big difference in keeping your outdoor kitchen tent from getting damaged by the wind.

We do that when we go to the beach. We angle the van so that it is a wind block. Then put the chairs and such beside it. Tie the portapotti tent to the front bumper, back doors block the wind to the kitchen area. So still able to cook outside. There are only a few beaches where you can drive out on to the beach to do this and even those you are not supposed to be on overnight. That big ol' wind block (AKA van) wall is great there. The wind is too strong to even try a tent top thing. I have watched a few those things quickly blow away.

I love all the ideas everyone is giving you. I don't think anyone means you any criticism. Just trying to tell you what they, so far, have learned. I never thought to bring a fryer though, I did try to deep fry once in my van and made a mess of things. Simply because I had not thought of what to do with the used oil.

You will need to post the kitchen set up when you get it done so we can see it.

What I like about my kitchen in the back of my van is that when we are done for the night I can just shut the door and no critters can get into anything. Are you planning to put the cart up each night? Or is there going to be a way to secure it outside from critters. Again not a criticism. I just got up one morning to find all of my food that I left out in what I thought was a secure ice chest was gone and scattered around the campground. Did not do that again! 20.00 worth of crab meat gone and my turn to cook!

If it stays out that would free up a lot of space inside!

That is a question I think maybe for another spot. How to secure food stuff.

 

[StacyK]

What about something like these for an awning? They look like they might hold up well in wind, though your shuttle bus might be too tall? (Or not have good or reachable attachment points.)
https://www.rei.com/product/191151/kelty-sideroads-car-awninghttps://www.rei.com/product/202473/kelty-backroads-shelter
Also, I second eDJ’s suggestion about the extra drop-down or pull-out shelves! NEVER TOO MANY. It would save the fuss of lugging tray tables around.

Your plan reminds me of a quilting video I watched back when I was planning my build about how to arrange a whole sewing room on a cart. I’m not a quilter, but I thought the cart was a great way to organize a complex, functional space in a tiny footprint.

 

[Happy Camper]

Unless I misread, the original idea for this cart kitchen is that it can be used inside as well as outside on nicer days.

If that's the case, when it's very windy it stays inside. When it's nice outside, roll it to the lift and bring it outside.

The main thing to consider is balance of the cart and making sure the weight is at the bottom. And with the propane tank there, that should be fine.

As a down south deep frying person, I'm sure she has strainers and containers for the cooking oil.

I was wondering if maybe having a rolling cart pantry might make sense for this situation. Then you can roll both carts out, have most of your food and spices available, and have the top shelf as a prep space or whatever.

Make wheel channels in the rig that the carts can lock into so they don't roll when driving. Simple C channel would work for that.

Just random thoughts lol.

 

[NctryBen]

We’ll all be looking for the shuttle with the roll around kitchen. When the deep fryer fires up we’ll pounce! Haha! Mmmm, deep fried sourdough French toast with good smoked flavored bacon and real maple syrup. Now THAT would put pirate camp on the map.

 

[maki2]

As a roll around cart has a number of issues such as being difficult to roll around on the dirt at unimproved campsites you might consider doing things differently. You can buy large cargo compartment doors on EBay and create a different kind of outdoor rolling kitchen that requires very little effort to setup and put away. And it could possibly be low enough to use while you are sitting in your wheel chair. This was done for a Blackstone grill and it looks wide enough to have a deep fryer on a its own pullout shelf next to it.

 

[Texas Gypsy]

We do that when we go to the beach. We angle the van so that it is a wind block. Then put the chairs and such beside it. Tie the portapotti tent to the front bumper, back doors block the wind to the kitchen area. So still able to cook outside. There are only a few beaches where you can drive out on to the beach to do this and even those you are not supposed to be on overnight. That big ol' wind block (AKA van) wall is great there. The wind is too strong to even try a tent top thing. I have watched a few those things quickly blow away.

I love all the ideas everyone is giving you. I don't think anyone means you any criticism. Just trying to tell you what they, so far, have learned. I never thought to bring a fryer though, I did try to deep fry once in my van and made a mess of things. Simply because I had not thought of what to do with the used oil.

You will need to post the kitchen set up when you get it done so we can see it.

What I like about my kitchen in the back of my van is that when we are done for the night I can just shut the door and no critters can get into anything. Are you planning to put the cart up each night? Or is there going to be a way to secure it outside from critters. Again not a criticism. I just got up one morning to find all of my food that I left out in what I thought was a secure ice chest was gone and scattered around the campground. Did not do that again! 20.00 worth of crab meat gone and my turn to cook!

If it stays out that would free up a lot of space inside!

That is a question I think maybe for another spot. How to secure food stuff.

I thought I had quoted maki2 on that post. It wasn't aimed at anyone else. I've tried to be nice and deflect or not respond but they weren't getting the message.

You bring up a good point on a deep fryer. I hadn't thought about it attracting critters but of course it will. My grill has a cover so I can probably leave it outside as long as I don't have to worry about 2 legged critters!

I'll definitely post pictures once I get it set up. My bus is currently in the shop being gone over thoroughly before I make any trips.

 

[Texas Gypsy]

We’ll all be looking for the shuttle with the roll around kitchen. When the deep fryer fires up we’ll pounce! Haha! Mmmm, deep fried sourdough French toast with good smoked flavored bacon and real maple syrup. Now THAT would put pirate camp on the map.

I'm always happy to cook for folks. We'll have to skip the bacon as I eat kosher. I do make my own egg rolls, corn nuggets, hush puppies, fried fish, fried squash and of course fresh cut french fries and fried chicken. I tend to do pan fried chicken like Granny taught me.
Daddy always said.... Never trust a skinny cook!

 

[Texas Gypsy]

Unless I misread, the original idea for this cart kitchen is that it can be used inside as well as outside on nicer days.

If that's the case, when it's very windy it stays inside. When it's nice outside, roll it to the lift and bring it outside.

The main thing to consider is balance of the cart and making sure the weight is at the bottom. And with the propane tank there, that should be fine.

As a down south deep frying person, I'm sure she has strainers and containers for the cooking oil.

I was wondering if maybe having a rolling cart pantry might make sense for this situation. Then you can roll both carts out, have most of your food and spices available, and have the top shelf as a prep space or whatever.

Make wheel channels in the rig that the carts can lock into so they don't roll when driving. Simple C channel would work for that.

Just random thoughts lol.

Excellent suggestion! My first thought is I have several of the industrial stainless steel roll around shelving units. I could borrow a few shelves from one and make about a 10 shelf unit for a pantry. The issue may then become weight. I can only jockey something just so heavy in and out of the bus.
So then I'm back to the smaller, lighter carts. I hate not to utilize the vertical space of the taller shelving unit but it would actually be a problem off of pavement.
I've been cooking for quite a while so not really likely to forget many ingredients. So I don't think I need a full pantry outside with me. Also vanbrat brought up a great point about animals. So I don't want to leave edible stuff outside.
The carts come with 3 shelves. The cart with the propane tank on the bottom shelf will only have 2 shelves but maybe I can make a cloth spice rack that goes across a long side of that cart. Also should be room beside the propane bottle for a trash can.
With 2 carts I should be able to bring out everything I need.
There are tracks in the floor of my bus I can use to secure things during travel. If there isn't a track, there will be a D-ring installed.

 

[Happy Camper]

You'll probably want something like this for off road use, so to speak.
https://www.harborfreight.com/mater...ers/8-inch-pneumatic-swivel-caster-42485.html

 

[vanbrat]

So how goes your kitchen build? I am curious how it turns out. let us know

 

[Texas Gypsy]

So how goes your kitchen build? I am curious how it turns out. let us know

My shuttle bus is still at the mechanics. Parts came in today. I'm next in line so hopefully he will finish with it this weekend.
I've had him go through it with a fine tooth comb and anything that is suspect is getting replaced. It's pretty cool when your mechanic tells you you did a good job on buying a used vehicle
I should have everything in the bus, set up and rolling within 2 weeks. I'll post pictures.