cooking in the truck

Inverter needed?

 

Yeah...I think so (UNLESS YOU HAVE A PROPANE GRILL)....the most power you can get out of a cigarette lighter is a couple hundred watts...not enough heat to cook stuff very fast...so unless you have a 1500 watt inverter (most small appliance with heating elements need 1500-1800, some with a low setting MIGHT be OK on 800 or so)...I think the Burton lunchbox cookers+slow cookers is what you are stuck with.
Think of bosth as a gloeified EASY BAKE OVEN....but with a bigger light bulb (OK a small element, but close) and some insulation to improve efficiency!!

 

What about for newbie on a trainer truck will they let you use there fridge to put some water/ soda's in?

 

Depends. If your trainer is a stand-up guy, you'll have some room in the fridge. If your trainer is a #######... nope!

 

Had my Coleman cooler hooked up,plus one of the small warmers which plug into the cigar lighter.My wife would cook up dinner size meals in foil. About an hour or so before mealtime I would place one of these in the warmer and by the time I got to my stopping place it was nice and warm. Not really cooking in the truck,but it worked out great for me.

 

Most trainers are OK with that and understand that you have to live in the truck too. My trainer was a great guy and had a Koolatron cooler, but not a fridge. We kept our drinks in it and some mayo and mustard and lunch meat. I pitched in with him and we bought bread, ham, bologna, cheese and such. We would keep rolling and make each other sandwiches, and kept the cooler between the seats. That way when one was driving, you could reach in and grab a drink. We'd stop for a hot meal every other day or so and grab a shower. He was a great guy and still drives for KLLM. He's on the lease, but quit training. I talk to him a couple of times a month.

 

ok guys if you can boil water in your truck get a box of spaggetti noddles and butter and parmesan chesse .amounts are up to you . very good and easy to make

 

Boiling water in perhaps the hardest thing to do...it REQUIRES the use of lots of power....and does not slow cook well....
You can STEAM rice...but boiling needs a propane stove or a 1500 watt electric burner!!
That is why slow cookers+Lunchbox cookers are so popular...they use a low wattage element that CAN run off the trucks 12V power..limited to about 150 watts give or take...and with longer cooking times, and some insulation, can achieve pretty high temps and cook many things...key is TIME...Pasta, which is SOAKED in hot water is pretty nasty...turn gummy, and does not really cook....

 

OK I know this may sound stupid, but why not just pull into a rest area, get your propane stove out and boil some water at one of the many picnic tables available. Jump back into you truck and move on..

Yep I know that if the wheels are rolling ... but how much time will you lose boiling water on a Coleman Propane stove..

Especially true if you are sitting there waiting for the rest of your 10 to be up..

Hint.. Use Spiral noodle instead of spaghetti noodles. They can be cooked and chilled better. Sauce from a jar, meatballs from a cooler into a lunchbox cooker. Decent meal.. or Ranch Dressing some canned chicken breast, another tasty cheap meal and you don't need to heat it up..

You are only limited to what resources you have (cooler space, etc) and what you are willing to do.

Yep think I will write that cookbook..

 

I'll get one of those el-cheapo WallyWorld $6 charcoal grills, and have a little BBQ on the picnic table in the rest area. Last time I did it it was just after dark on a warm summer evening - steak, corn on the cob, salad. You could just see all those other drivers drooling!