Living in a Tiny House or Shouse Frequently Asked Questions About the Kitchen

My tiny house build. 

So many folks ask me to explain to them how I converted a shed building into a home. There are two specific areas that most are really interested in: The bathroom and the kitchen. Today I thought I would show you a bit of my kitchen and answer some frequently asked questions.




Q. What do you do for a kitchen?

A. I have a regular kitchen with regular things such as a sink, stove, and refrigerator. I have shelves with dishes and lots of food storage. I even have a table that can seat six for a holiday meal. If you have it, most likely I have it too.

My kitchen is cozy and functional.

Q. How do you cook? 

A. I cook in a couple of ways. First, I have a propane cooktop. It is great for frying, boiling, etc. Just like your cooktop, only I have just two burners instead of four. Secondly, if it requires baking or barbecuing, I use the barbecue. I can bake using a dutch oven either on the cooktop or the barbecue. I just preheat the barbecue and use it like an oven. I even cook bacon on the barbecue as well as any foods that have strong odors that may linger such as seafood. Additionally, I have common appliances like a toaster, coffee maker, and crockpot. I can cook just about anything you can cook in a standard kitchen.

Cook Smelly or Messy Foods as well as bake on the Barbecue. 

Q. Where does all your stuff go?

A. I collect the pattern of dishes I have, so I have a ton! Rather than go with standard kitchen cabinets, which upon investigation would only store 2/3 of what I store now, I chose to go with open shelving for both the dishes and the pantry. I have found the shelves look really great, were economical, and are versatile. I can rearrange them as needed without too much hassle.

Just a small portion of the pantry.

Q. How do you store food so bugs don't get to it? 

A. I keep all my perishable items either in the fridge, freezer, or sealed in Mason jars. I also have a vacuum sealer that I swear by. Bugs can't get in to the glass containers and by vacuum sealing food prior to freezing it or storing it, the food stays fresher much longer.

Mason jars and airtight plastic storage.

Q. How big is the refrigerator in your tiny house?

A. The refrigerator I chose is a 10 cubic foot model. The fact is I will freeze far more than I refrigerate, so I chose a smaller than average refrigerator. However, I do have a chest freezer I keep on the porch for putting by food.

10 cubic foot refrigerator.

Q. How do you store pet food in a tiny house?

A. I chose to store cat food in a container I found at a big box store. I added a galvanized trash can with a locking lid for the dog food. Both seal the food in to keep critters out and both fit the rustic theme I am going for with my decor.

Pet Food Container from World Market

There are lots more questions folks ask me every day, but these are the ones I could think of off the top of my head. What questions do you have a about living in a tiny house?