Cooking Chest of the Traveling Chef!

Check out this multipurpose wooden chest that facilitates the cooking desires of any traveling chef! It has a multiday cooler, places to store all you pans, cutlery, and dishware. It ALSO has a little pantry to store your herbs, spices, and other dry foods. We are going to need to go cooking soon...

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[steveleavell]

Freeze gallon milk jugs or gallon zip lock bags instead of loose cubes. Block ice lasts so much longer and the containers keep the cooler from filling with water.

[washinthewind]

As a chef who has cooked at many a reenactment event (and will be again this weekend) this video was an insta-watch.

[stuartbaxter-potter]

Hell yes. I remember a passing scene in Gettysburg where one of the characters walks past the cook and the image of the wagon stocked with utensils and ingredients has stuck with me ever since. Your finished product is everything I wanted.

[xASHBLADEx]

One thing you can do with a version 2 is have the side door swing off the bottom instead of the side, and double as a cutting board. Or alternatively swing off the top and use some dowl rods as supports to make a makeshift countertop and cutting board. I hope my ideas make sense 😅

[sirowthereaper]

I don't understand how this channel isn't as big as it should be. I've binged so many good videos that has inspired so many ideas I want to do.

[ThisSmallGnome]

Ok, I'm sure someone already suggested this, but I'd love to see a tap added to the cooler that (and this is the part I'm really excited about) can connect to a container of frozen drinking water. This would serve several purposes: when frozen, the drinking water acts as block ice, which melts slower than the bagged stuff; by draining the meltwater, you slow the melting even more; using the water for drinking/cooking means you don't have to carry extra water; and finally, LARPing can be hot, so a cold drink is often appreciated. Also, if you just make a reservoir the size of block ice that you can buy, you don't have to make your own block and you can even fill it with standard drink ice. Oh yeah, it also keeps your cold goodies dry!

[michmirich]

If you ever decide to actually use this, Id recommend replacing the wood separator at top with a serving tray setup. That way you can lift your dishes out in one go instead of piece by piece.

[lnkmoon]

Insulation tip we use at medieval markets: these silver and golden car emergency blankets. Small but noticable difference at no volume at all! Love this chest!

[Seargentmyself]

You should try and fill in the gaps around the cooler foam and the chest with some spray foam. It would lock it in a bit better so it can't move around and should provide a little more insulation. Though you're probably already at the point of diminishing returns already.

[gloryunderfoot]

How did the water removal work out? Was it cumbersome? Would you consider adding a tap? Also, I’d be interested in seeing an aesthetic but useable dolly to help maneuver these larger pieces.

[ralizek]

If this is for a long weekend you should factor in the use of dry ice. Maybe a thin, hole'y box to put the dry ice in or... use the bottom of the storage side somehow to store the dry ice so it vents the cold from the dry ice to the normal ice and keeps the normal ice from melting.
I remember a hundred years ago when I used to go camping all the time, we had two boxes like this. One was set up as a prep and cook, and the other was set for a sink.
This would have been a great third box given that coolers can set you back a grand these days, luckily they used to not cost more than a hundred bucks for the best ones.

[toddwoods]

Ex chef and current carpenter this is a super awesome build. Also block ice might last longer

[clayweaver]

That's a really neat idea. It reminds me of the kitchen boxes we had in Scouts. Ours were bigger (and oh boy were they heavier!), and they didn't have a cooler section. But what they did have is legs. Four stool legs strapped to the bottom while carrying it, and you could have it sit a couple feet up off the ground in camp so you don't have to bend down to get at what's inside. It is certainly a great set-up as-is. Very good use of space. Very well done indeed!

[filipahlers]

Super cool chest! I'd love a vid of you actually cooking with this. Like, add as much food as you'd want, and just do a quick cook-up over a campfire or something. I know you've already done a campfire cooking vid, but it would still be different to see you limited to the tools in the chast, I think.

[TheErickWolff]

Incredible. I don't know how you don't have at least a million subs by now!

[stephenadams]

This combined with the coffee alchemy case you have breakfast sorted

[TheMichaellathrop]

I've also seen a tutorial where someone took on of the normal chap coolers that are basically just two walls of plastic with an air gap cut holes in them filled the internal space with gap filler spray insulation then patched the holes with plastic, still not as good as like a Yeti but still a big step up from your typical camp cooler.

[guncrazy]

I love this. This could also be used for other trades besides cooking. Picturing a traveling blacksmith or cobbler, though with that much weight, probably have to add wheels.

[blackhagalaz]

This is exactly what we need for our medival camp! Most events take a whole weekend, so when its really hot outside it would be awesome to have a cooler, even if this only last like 1-2 days. Even then we could simply switch out the Ice if a store is nearby for a quick pick-up. My friend and fellow camp-member just gifted me this awesome big chest for my birthday, which we used as a storage for Drinks like beerbottles and schnaps. But its so big that we could equip half of it with one of these self-build cooler-units! So even if some of the cool air leaks out, maybe this would passive-cool our drinks too!? How awesome would that be!? Ok now I need to go and find some Foam Boards...

[domesticatedmoss]

Im going on my first larp tomorrow and ive got to say and thanks to you dude! this channel has been a real comfort for me in preparing :)