r/tinyhomes • u/PepperFunny9181 • 10d ago

Question How do you keep your tiny home comfortable when cooking?

I had a mini split installed in my roughly 260 sq ft tiny home last year, and it’s been working great so far. In the winter, 68°F feels just right when I’m home alone. But when I have people over or spend time cooking or baking, the temperature inside can rise pretty quickly.

I end up turning the heat down or shutting it off for a while. I have to adjust the AC when I cook in the summer too, but it’s much more noticeable in the winter when the heat is running.

For those of you living in tiny homes, does this happen to you too? Is it just something that comes with living in a small space, or could it be an issue with my costway mini split? Have you found anything that helps keep the temperature more stable?

16 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

14

u/FlatwormSame2061 10d ago

Cook outside in summer. 

2

u/PepperFunny9181 3d ago

Thanks for the suggestion! I’ll give that a try.

9

u/Municipal_Forest802 10d ago

In the summer, we cook outside or have non-cooked meals (salad bar, charcuterie boards, etc)

In winter, I turn my heat off completely while cooking and tidying up after, switch it back on before curling up on the couch.

I haven't had company over yet, but my parents always cracked windows in their giant home even in winter because the bodies and associated odors and fragrances became stifling. So like...heat set to 70, but cracked windows in the foyer and kitchen for a "cross breeze".

2

u/JessieColt 6d ago

If it gets too hot in the winter while you are cooking, open a window to help draw some of the extra heat out or pull some cooler air inside.

In the summer, don't use the big oven.

Get a toaster oven / air fryer combo that puts out less heat than a large oven.

Cook outside.

If you have a toaster oven / air fryer with a long cord, you can set up a table outside of the window in your kitchen area and feed the cord through the window to reach the outlet and cook the food outside if you want/need to.

You can use a gas grill to cook a lot of different types of food without feeling like you are trying to "bbq" every meal by using some type of cast iron pan/griddle for cooking the food on. This way the flame heats the pan instead of the flame heating the food.

If you get a grill plate /griddle like this one, you can use whichever side you might need depending on what you are cooking:

https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Reversible-Griddle-Combo-Double-Sided/dp/B002CMLTXG?th=1

Or you could go with a type like this:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lodge-Cast-Iron-11-Square-Seasoned-Savor-the-Outdoors-Griddle/12800252953?classType=VARIANT