What and How do OTR cook in your truck?

Hubby is finally starting CDL school and I'm doing some research for him to find out what and how you all cook in your truck.

On one of my electric pressure cooker groups, an OTR trucker started a conversation about how he uses a pressure cooker, wok, electric skillet, microwave and heated lunch box (??) I was surprised that the truck would have room for alll this but I figured this guy must really love cooking.

I think all that is a bit overkill so I'm thinking he'll probably have a microwave, electric pressure cooker and a small induction cooktop stove. I figure we'll meal plan and shop on his home days so he doesn't have to worry about it when he's out there. I'll probably put together meals he'll just have to heat up to start with so he can focus 100% on driving and resting and not have to cook much or clean up.

How do you all eat relatively healthy while you're out there?

 

The hot logic lunch box "oven" is an option.
Amazon.com: HotLogic Mini Personal Portable Oven, Black: Kitchen & Dining

 

Small dorm fridge...microwave...toaster...toaster oven. ..hot plate....all items 1000watts or less each....run on 1500 watt inverter

 

That's a really cool device, I'm definitely adding it to my list.

 

Yep, and a George Foreman Grill and crock pot.

Tell hubby he'll be more comfortable in a truck with an APU. An APU is "Auxillary Power Unit" which provides power when the truck engine is shut down. With an APU he has power for air conditioning, heat, computer, television, cooking, refrigerator, etc.
Many trucking companies don't allow idling the engine and many cities/towns/municipalities don't allow truck idling. With an APU, idling the truck engine is a non-issue.

 

Amazon has some excellent prices on George Foreman electric grill and other accessories.

 

Maybe he needs to read this first.

####roach Infestation in Truck!

I don't allow anything like pressure cookers in my trucks, far much of a problem than they are worth. The best thing I have found is a rice cooker for small meals, someone who is driving doesn't need a kitchen full of appliances to make good food.

get a seal-a-meal and make food for him, have him buy fresh stuff on the road, get out of the bad habit of meat and potatoes all the time, you can buy already cooked chicken and beef for two days worth of meals.

This work sucks because you sit almost the entire 11 hours of your drive time, and don't need high caloric diets to maintain you.

 

We used two dutch ovens two 12 volt petro skillets (Advantage, trade em in for replacement free without charge or questions when pans burn through) and a 120 volt coffee pot which also made for what passes for hot water fed by a large inverter. Plus a cooler made for trucks fitting into one cabinet.

Cooking is done on the move. Co driver spouse should be in the sleeper either her or me but usually have the kitchen in the middle of the cab cooking this, that something else etc while main dinner cooked in the dutch ovens. Takes a hour to finish a breakfast and clean up and 20 minutes to stow it all clean. Same for dinner.

We literally removed the truckstop retail from daily eating for two of us, however we did always stop at least once a week to have a proper day off and eat a proper full course three sets of meals with everything so that the body can fight off scurvy or other losses due to malnutrition. Not having to park, wait on dinner service or get back onto the highway out several times a day saved us several hundred miles which was put against the appointment times. 1500 miles every 30 hours plus 300 gallons of fuel within that time for us back in 2001. Very intense.

With a large enough inverter that can cool itself and not burn down today's trucks you can cook whatever you want and probably do it quicker than we did in our time. Just apply 120 volts to it.

 

The reason I like the electric pressure cooker is that it is a rice cooker, slow cooker, skillet to sauté things plus a pressure cooker. I like that one device can do so many things and he has more options.