cooking in the truck

The Vac sealer is a great idea... never thought of that.
Thought about using those vac seal zip-lock bags... has anyone ever used those? Vac bags are great for marinading, it alows the marinade to penetrate the muscle fibers. Good post.

 

menu ideas....

Grilled chicken breast... used for chic strips in Caesar salad- fingure food- king ranch chic.- caciatori- spaghetti
Grilled Steak... good with just about anything that needs meat... stroganoff- steak salad- st w/ mushroom & onion- w/ eggs for bfast
fajitas- steak hash- homemade chili-
Sausage... w/ peppers & onoins- w/saurkraut- in pasta sauce- in bbq sauce- red beans & rice

This is just a start of some ideas.... feel free to add more main items and list the many things that can be made with it.

 

^^^^^

Hi, coues hunter -- nice to meetcha!

I don't know anything about vacuum sealing ... how long will pre-cooked meats keep in the fridge?

Can I cook and seal meats during his 2-day home time, keep them in the fridge until he leaves, then pack them into his truck fridge and expect them to be OK for the entire 5-day work week?

 

I cook meat and vac seal before I head out on the road. Sometimes I even vac seal raw steaks to grill while I'm out. I've found that raw meat stays good for a week to a week and a half in the fridge and cooked meat will last for up to a month or so.

 

Meat Balls... pre made (frozen) used in bbq sauce- sweet n sour- spaghetti sauce- strohganoff- or by themselves

Pork Loin... on the grill- mustard rubbed & roasted- slow cooked with just about any veg blend- pork stew-

 

I did a test to compare a zip lock with air squeezed out versus a vacuum sealed bag. I put three slices of sharp cheddar in a zip lock and 3 vaccuum sealed. I did not touch either one in my fridge at home. At 27 days the zip locked cheese started to show mold. The vaccum sealed cheese showed no mold until 94 days. Its like restarting the life of the clock when sealing it.

A chicken breast cooked in a zip lock I'd give 10-14 days before I'm getting scared to eat it or something funny smells. In a vaccum sealed bag... A month later I'll still eat it.

I'll take some pics tomorrow. My cheese I divide up into about a weeks worth at a time. That way I'm not opening all of it every time. So 12-14 slices sealed together at a time. Meats I will seal in one or two servings to not open all of it at once.

I also jar my own food because fridge space is a premium. I made 3 gallons of chili, chicken tortilla soup and jam and bean soup. I'll jar them up and seal them. Last forever and no fridge needed. I'll use the smaller pint jars so they are single serving.

I cut up watermelon and fruit and vaccumm seal a few pieces at a time. Single serving size. Because the Air is out they will last 7-10 days already cut up. The vacuum sealer is the best thing ever for trucking.

 

I also do pastas in a vaccum seal bag. Chicken Alfredo, spaghetti, chili Mac etc. I'll do single serve sizes and best in micro in the vacumm seal bag... Open in bowl and ready to eat.

 

Hey coueshunter and all....im new to otr and im a healthy guy....I always buy 20 lbs of ckn breast at the butcher its like $35...I cut it up and just ziplock it in home freezer....could last a yr...never goes over two months but could, obviously big freezer and all......my question is.....I am going to have a 1500watt inverter....can I buy a fridge// freezer to fit in a KW T660.....and ill have a small 700 watt micro wave..[[ill unplug the fridge when I use the microwave or nuwave oven]] the mini one..... I also have that nuwave cooktop.....to get funky!!!.....but my concern is will my chicken stay ice hard in the freezer? with a 1500w... will the freezer Fit and Function KW T 660.....1500 watt?

 

So Truck stops rip you off? Well,cant you just stop at Wal-Mart and stock up on cheap groceries? I'm such a newbie,though,I'm forgetting I'll be driving a tractor trailer and not my car! So....ummmmm.....when you drive a big rig,what,you cant stop at 7-11 for a coffee? Well,how about if you wanna stop at Hardee's for a biscuit? Ya know,I used to drive a straight truck and man,I could pull in anywhere,so easy to park cause the truck was little with no trailer! Heck,as long as I got all my deliveries done,I could stop where I wanted.But that was an old jalopy straight truck and did'nt have none of these modern fancy electronic tracking devices! Yep,those were the good ol days,cause my company didn't know where I was unless I called 'em on the phone! Just me,my truck and the radio! Yep,they gave me the jalopy of the fleet cause i was the new guy! Do modern trucking companies keep junk trucks around for the new guys? You know,like a 35 year old cabover? Can you stop anywhere when you drive a rig,or do you just stop when it's time to sleep and then you have to walk and catch the bus if you wanna go somewhere else? Or what? I wonder.I wa wa wa wa wonder.....LOL!

 

The "megas" will normally have trucks no more than three years old. New drivers will get the 3 y.o.'s and rarely get the newer trucks.

Regarding the strategy of shopping for food on the road, Google Satellite View is your friend. I'll use it to plan the easiest entry, exit, parking space, etc. for a Walmart or other grocery store. Remember to ALWAYS park in a position where you can't get blocked in by cars if you are parking in the front, and never block docks or maneuvering areas if you park behind the store.

I've got my food shopping down pretty well, so I can usually be in and out and get the wheels turning within 30-40 minutes if I plan on using a 30 minute break for shopping. Sometimes Walmart or other shopping centers are the best option for taking a 10 hour break, sometimes the only option. Tonight I'm delivering a load in Fremont, CA and there aren't any truck stops within an hour or two and by the time we could make it there they will be packed anyway. I've already used Google Satellite View to find a grocery store for parking overnight within a few miles of our customer. Then we won't have the hassle of driving hours round trip to pick up our load tomorrow in Oakland.