cooking in the truck

Until we get an APU, we use two 12 volt appliances, the lunch box ovens and a hot water pot. We gave up on the 12 volt coffee pots, a waste of money, they don't last long and never make good coffee. We heat water in the hot pot and use a french press. Best coffee in my book.

The lunch box ovens (used everyday) have lasted a year so far. Real basic meals my husband likes (to show the different methods):

Line oven bottom with foil. Add 4 potatoes, peeled and sliced about an inch thick with two carrots, drizzle wiith olive oil and cook for 1 and 1/2 hours, add polish sausage on top and cook another hour.

or

Insert a glass loaf pan. Add 1 package Knorr rice, 2 cups water, a can of veggies, a can of sliced spam, or chicken or beef, (I add dried garlic and onion bits) and cook 1 and 1/2 hours.

I find the glass loaf pan (they come with a lid to help with sloshing of soups and stews) much easier to deal with than metal ones. The disposable pans often get pin hole in them and leak. After I scoop out the dinner, I drop a bit of water in the glass pan and after dinner, wipe it out with a paper towel. The smooth surface is wonderful.

In our truck we have a "closet" that I made into a pantry. Clothes are kept in a tin suitcase at the end of the bed. We keep canned stews, soups, beans, meats and veggies as pantry stock. I have two drawers with potatoes, carrots, apples, banana's and yams. There is rice, bagels, rye crackers in the cupboard. Where most drivers put a TV, I have a 5 gal water dispenser and my spices. In the cooler is eggs (cooked in the hot water pot (4 eggs, cover with water and cook 40 minutes) grape tomatoes (no cutting needed) cucumbers and cheese.

With our two appliances, we eat health and well and save money. On a 5 week run, we eat out maybe twice.

I am a big fan of the lunch box ovens until we get our APU. They have given us some decent hot meals.

Tips: use newspaper for peelings, coffee grounds. String a roll of paper towels on a bungee cord and string up on one of the cubbies. Use wipes for cleaning. Table mate TV table fits perfectly in the passenger seat area and table top drops down when no in use. Buy knives that have sheaths to protect them. A few pictures that I took for family are here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/elisaannheinisch/BreakfastInTheTruck#

 

i have trouble with not enough storage.....was glancing at small wine coolers and trying to get an idea if we decide to put a studio sleeper on here this might help out to gain neded fridge space....

 

I've seen fellow ****** drivers with little propane stoves cooking steaks and mashed potatoes while waiting to unload.

The Coleman coolers are good for drinks, milk, coldcuts, condiments, fruits, etc....will be buying one next week.

I've read alot of positive things about crockpots and rice cookers...will look into those.

Feeding yourself is ALOT cheaper when you don't have to rely on the truck stops...now it they'd mark the Motor Carrier Atlas with truck accesible Walmarts, that would make my day.

 

go to 3w's walmart.com and click the store finder button!

The only thing wrong with this statement is "truck accessible" Wal-Marts. This is becoming an issue because of the looser truckers who throw trash, pee in the lots, leave gallon jugs of urine in lots, knock over poles, park just anywhere they can in the lots, leave the buggies next to the truck because it was so far to walk through the store and they were to tired to walk the buggie back to a corral and all the other things a "bad" driver does to shoot the rest of us in the foot making Walmarts start to close the lots off to us!

 

Here is a guide someone in the RV community threw together using google maps:

http://www.allstays.com/c/wal-mart-locations.htm

It's even color coded to show which ones will accommodate large vehicles and which ones won't.

 

The best thing about the rice cooker isn't that it cooks rice
It should have a steamer tray for vegetables
You have to watch and get a feel for how long it takes depending on the vegetable
I use cheap frozen, or fresh depending on the season
Then a little Molly Butter
Mmm good

 

I could have swore it was illegal to carry propane bottles on a BIG Truck?

 

how about a 2000W honda generator with an electric skillet?

 

No to the propane stove, DOT will nail you for it if they find fuel tanks in truck cab or side boxes. I use the Burton 12v stove "thingy". Use aluminum loaf pans in the stove, heats a can of soup in about 20-30 minutes. And I love Stouffer's lasagna cooked in it (use 2 aluminum pans, put a little water in bottom pan, lasagna in top. Steams and heats lasagna so the bottom noodles don't burn).

 

This is the lunchbox stove shown at manufacturer's website. You can buy them for a more reasonable price at all truck stops. I've had one "knock off" brand that claimed to do as well as the Burton. It lasted almost a week. The Burton I'm using now, I've had almost 4 years. They're tough and dependable if you treat them right and keep it clean. http://www.athenabrands.com/ProductCart/PC/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=3&idproduct=25