cooking in the truck

Ya, a little hot plate will go a long ways when you are hungry that's for sure.

 

If I was going back out OTR thats one of the first things I would get is another two burner Coleman stove or something similar

 

http://www.delish.com/recipes/cooking-recipes/stew-recipes

Vegetarian Slow-Cooker Recipes

Who says slow cookers are just for meat lovers? These meatless sauces, toppings, and main dishes prove the slow cooker deserves a top spot in vegetarian kitchens.


http://www.delish.com/recipes/cooking-recipes/vegetarian-slow-cooker

 

If you dont have an inverter buy oneitwill save you a lot of money. I had a griddle on the truck and a microwave. You could cook almost anything with just these two items.

 

I'm a Chef getting out of the restaraunt Bizz (Talk about a bunch of f_ck ups!) anyway thats another story, but about the crock pot thats definatley what I personaly think is the best item for a several reasons;

1. Buy any protien (pork shoulder, pork butt, whole chicken, flank steak,
Beef tips) use only one each time

2. Veggies needed: Onion, Celery, Carrots, Garlic, Potatoes and if you
want to use fresh herbs i recommend Thyme or rosemary or Sage. Use the amounts to taste

3. Get about four containers of stock (avail. at any grocery store)
Chix/Beef/Veg , using one each time with one protien

4. Throw it all in around 12:00 and it will take about 4-5 hours on low
Temp and you will have at least 4-5 large meals or more each time
and don't forget to season it well.

This will be dinner all week long for one person for around $35-40 bucks and it's totaly healthier for you with very little effort.

Man this with netflix on the laptop your good to go, call to home and nite nite

 

Gosh, this is the third slow cooker that doesn't work.... they work a few times and then nothing..... Bought them at Pilot.
The first one threw away. The second, the plug got burnt.... but I was able to return it and exchange for another one. But this one is not working now....

The eletric pot I have doesn't work in the truck either.... I think the power inverter (1000 watts) is not strong enough (this is co. truck and I can't have anything stronger than this).

So, the only thing working is the propane gas burner. YES! Propane gas. I gotta eat, so I have to cook my own food because this rubbish I find on the road is uneatable for me.
I am vegetarian, was born and raised in another country eating freshly cooked rice and beans everyday and cooked vegetables.

All I find and TA's and Flying J's, and family restaurants has some sort of meat, is fried, greasy, soaked in oil, or cheese and the vegetables are raw....

So, now I have to cook everything, the rice, the vegetables and even the soy beans on my propane gas burner inside the truck. It takes time.... I do it after 10 hr driving (when I am not too exhausted or extremely starving for a warm meal).

The problem is, I have to open the windows, otherwise the steam makes the windows and everything else wet and humid inside the truck.... but in this freezing weather, I don't always open the windows to cook...

 

A trick for those of you that didn't go to scouts as a kid: Take a used tuna can and tear off some cardboard in a strip about as wide as the can is tall, coil the cardboard and put in in the can, pour some candle wax over it and then light it and put your pan on top of the tuna can. It's good for warming canned food. It's more work than other options but it's practically free so it's a nice option for those starving truckers on a week long layover.

I keep mostly canned food and non-perishable food items. If you ever get stuck in a storm or an extended layover you don't have to worry about running low on fuel just to keep your electrical appliances running. The only thing I put in the cooler are my drinks.

Tortillas last MUCH longer than bread and it's pretty easy to make burritos / tacos / quesadillas in those lunchbox ovens. You can buy canned pre-cooked chicken or turkey in tuna can sizes which makes about 2-3 tacos.

 

Yeah, If your not in a good place (not having anything to cook with) you can always get some can food(s) and some average gage wire and tie the cans to the engine or exhaust manafold. You can also cook meat or fish in heavy sealed tin foil that way with thinly cut veggies and butter with a slice of lemon. After about 25 miles you should be good to go, crack open the non alcohol white wine and booyow, livin vita la loca baby(or whatever that spanish dude is sayin)

 

The small $10 crockpot at Walmart works fine with a 400 watt inverter. I use it all the time.My $10 crockpot is three years old. The Roadpro products at Pilot are junk. I've never had anything I bought from them last more than a few months.

 

I agree on the Roadpro, they wear out fast. Our best luck so far has been the lunchbox ovens and a simple hot pot for water. I use a french press for making the best coffee (add grounds and hot water and push the plunger down after about 5 minutes). Hot pots last about 4-6 months, the ovens about a year with twice a day use. Burton didn't last as long.



We stock potatoes, carrots, rice, apples, clementines, grape tomatoes and cucumbers as our fresh foods in the truck. They don't need refridgeration. We stock our cooler-fridge with cheese (we have cheese for breakfast on rye bread), eggs and lower fat chicken sausages from Sam's Club. Sausages that are sealed in a vacume pack last longer than fresh meat. We have a hot meal every night and often for lunch too.

The lunchbox ovens make a really nice roasted dinner in this way:

Line the bottom with tin foil. Drizzle olive oil on the bottom. Slice potatoes in half length wise and season the cut side and place down on the foil. Cut up thin sliced carrots (or any veggie) and toss in. Bake 1.5 hours. Then lift out, and place another piece of foil underneath, drizzle with oil and place the sausages. Place the foil with the potatoes and veggies on top of the sausages and cook another 45 minutes, turning the sausages mid point if you can. If you don't have the time to do anything midpoint, put the sausages on top of eveyrthing in the begining and bake about 2 hours.



With acorn sqaush:



Cooking rice (package of Knorr rice, 2 cups water, dried onion, bell pepper, garlic and spam):



You can also cook hard "boiled" eggs, as I do for husband's lunch:



I also cook up breakfast sausages and eggs, oatmeal, soups and chili. I use a glass loaf pan that comes with a glass lid (Walmart) for soups and goopy foods. When we have the time and Walmart allows truck parking, we then splurge on fresh salads and use fresh meat in the ovens. Pasta is the one that takes too many steps in the oven to come out decent, but quick cooking asian noodles work great.