Thank you to Paul for pulling quick measurements off the skiddable kitchen frame for our cabinetry team.
Interior floor 7 feet 9 inches by 16 feet.
Heights:
Back wall 6 feet 9 inches
Front wall 9 feet 7 inches
General layout:
Strength: On both the open sides, we want to build in further cross-bracing / shear and diagonal support, where the diagonal support braces are now.
This thing will get seriously tweaked every time it is loaded onto a trailer or skidded; it almost needs bulkheads like a boat or gypsy wagon.
Vehicle Interactions:
This structure interacts regularly with vehicles bringing potable
water, a fire truck or pickup for wash water, and occasionally with its hauling trailer.
Short ends or corners might be the optimal place to bring these vehicles in to re-fill heavy tanks, and to locate the coffee/tea station and dish-washing areas,
solar hot water deployment, etc.
We might also want to think about weight, where the water tanks/storage are balanced side-to-side. Water tanks up high may be useful for collecting rainwater and operating a sink, but
should be drained for transport.
Rainwater collection to the corner(s) for a hand-washing sink, before entering the end-wall doors, could be cool.
A
solar shower bag for hot water could
be nice on the sunny side.
Corners are stronger, and a good place to locate tanks or other heavy elements.
Back side: Garden / Greywater
The dripline is not a great place for chow line. That's the "back" side, would tend to face a garden or downhill area when possible.
The skiddable kitchen may be used on garden sites where there is fresh produce available, or with portable planter pots for fresh herbs & ingredients. A "back door" or pass-through to the garden could be useful; however this is also the safer side to locate fryers, griddles, and other tools that could be a problem on the chow line side.
I would imagine we want the closed-off utilities on that side - dripline and greywater could both
feed a nearby garden or downslope area, or we could collect some rainwater off the dripline to feed a sink/wash tank on one corner.
We might also want a
compost receptacle on that side that could be emptied without interrupting the cooking/chow line space in front.
Planter pots of herbs, or sets of hanging pots / window pots, could be located under the drip line for longer-term deployments.
Front Side: Chow Line / Delivery and Expansion
The "front", taller open side is a logical place for delivery/access functions. This side should face the road in most locations.
This looks like a logical place for "chow line," an open counter for food service, and sometimes for deliveries.
Most of this side may have lower cabinets/counters, and upper openings for pass-through or awning-style openings. However, some areas will need stronger construction/cross-bracing, and might be good areas for cabinets, tool racks, etc.
Facilities / Kitchen Layout:
For functional group cooking, I would like a semi-protected space for a "main cook" (who doesn't need traffic bumping them while handling glass
lasagna pans),
- and a "self-serve" space for coffee/tea, snacks, and maybe some re-heating or solar
oven storage.
If we imagine chow line moving right-to-left, the handwashing sink is on the right endwall. Chow line goes about 12 feet, then there is a drop-down counter that makes things L-shaped, for additional food service. (About 2 to 3 feet wide).
On the back side of this counter, is where self-serve and beverage stations could be located, as people often take 2 trips or need these things outside of meal times. A coffee/tea/snack station, separate from the main kitchen, helps with self-serve outside of meal times without interrupting the cooks.
Left of that, beyond the end of the kitchen, is where self-serve dish washing can be set up. A second drop-down counter could be located beside this endwall door, or dish washing can happen with a separate set of tables and washtubs.
This is a fairly small kitchen, but more than most boat "galleys" that serve dozens of hearty meals per day.
For self-serve, some of the cooking or prep might be done in adjacent, tent-type spaces which access cabinets or cooking equipment from the outside.
We might think of lower cabinets opening from the outside where appropriate.
We could build fold-down counters or prep tables that mount to the outside, extending the space on the tall side and ends. (Probably not right under the drip line, however.)
We need to think about clearance areas for the rocket stoves/ovens, probably a tea stove on the front open side, and an oven somewhere.
We may want a spot for the mini-fridge / mini-chest-freezer for future, or for a Cool-Gardie alternative, that gets good air flow. Away from the stoves, with counter space between.
Glass containers for food storage may be popular, necessitating boat-style cupboards or fabric containment to reduce breakage. (Like a shoe rack, but stronger; or drawers or racks that hold jars in
wood).
Stainless cookware, mixing bowls, and containers would also be good, and
cast iron will likely be popular.
The traditional "triangle kitchen" where the stove, sink, and fridge are 3 points of a triangle is still a good model here. However, we may not have a fridge. I might suggest a substitute (cool-gardie or shade pantry) in the corner where it can be accessible to the beverage station as well as the cook.
Solar:
Since location and aspect vary, solar tools need to be deployable. We could have exterior cabinets for solar ovens, PV panels, solar
shower bag and wash station, etc. that can be deployed in the nearest sunny clearing. They may have hooks, tripods, or other frames that hold them during use. Some of their cabinets could then become available for bulk food storage, or countertop/prep spaces.
Power / RV Hookups:
We might want a power and water hookup in case we happen to be in an RV campground or near the shop.
Main uses of electric would be some low-draw
lights (
LED or similar), and possibly a USB charger for cooks who use digital recipe storage.
When more power is available, refrigeration, mixers, and slow-cookers might also be used.
Hauled Water
All water stuff needs to be fully drainable for freeze protection. (And for cleanout). If a fixed tank is used, it needs to be accessible with cleaning brushes / well drained for complete rinsing.
Buckets are popular and nearly man-friendly (lifting 45 lbs of sloshing water overhead is not a popular chore). Block and tackle or pumps can help with this. However, buckets are easily contaminated, and can be confused with dirty-jobs buckets (such as
bucket toilet systems). Labeling helps, but wears off. It's better to have unique, diffucult-to-contaminate, easy to clean containers for potable water.
Closed carboys, water-cooler jars, or jugs with lids may be easier to keep separate.
If we are going to gravity-feed potable water, we might want a
pump either for bringing it up to the sink, or for raising it to an overhead storage tank. Stick/old-fashioned well pumps can work for a tank under the sink, but something with a little more mechanical advantage might be needed for overhead. Not all delivery will be able to pump water, and the fire truck should not be used as it's all non-potable tanks and fittings
Interactions between potable water, and greywater for dishes/rough washing, will help reduce overall water usage.
The corner(s) by the doors may be good water locations, as an assistant can refill water without causing too much interruption to the cook(s).
Materials:
As always on
Wheaton labs, we are aiming for minimal or positive ecological
footprint. Where possible, natural and biodegradable materials are preferred.
The skid structure and majority of finishing will be made from natural wood. This may be unfinished, or oiled with natural oils. We may avoid nut woods and nut oils due to common allergies.
The kitchen tools are a variety of materials.
Operators will generally want
composting facilities, recycle receptacles, and predominately re-usable containers and bulk ingredients.
For plumbing, we're looking at copper, PEX, or poly plumbing, trying to find the most durable and least toxic options.
Bamboo plumbing is cute, but has limited permanent uses due to its tendency to rot unless treated with unwholesome coatings. Cedar plumbing could be cool if we have the skill and discipline to freeze-protect it.
I'll work up a rough sketch momentarily.
Those with boat, RV, camp cook, and kitchen installation
experience, please feel
free to suggest more efficient layout options.
(And of
course the site owners and staff!)
Yours,
Erica