Cooking On The Road Questions

So I have a stupid question for all of you out there. I have a two burner coleman stove that runs off of the small 1 pound propane bottles. Is this something that a trucker is allowed to have on a truck? If it is, does anyone use one?

I know this is an old thread, but for those still looking for ways to to cook in the truck, I have a few suggestions that maybe some of you might find helpful.

First, I have a 1500 watt inverter that my company installed (the max they allow).

Second, I have an old Burton 12 volt stove (I think that's what they call it - I call it a lunch box stove because that's what it looks like). I hardly ever use this thing anymore and just haven't taken it out of the truck yet.

Third, I used to have a crock pot, but as many people have said, the smell while driving down the road would drive me crazy and I found that I snacked constantly throughout the day! Needless to say, that thing had to go before I got to be 400 lbs. So, I replaced it with an electric skillet, which is the best thing I have ever added to my truck. I cook meals, reheat meals, boil water, make rice, oatmeal, grits, eggs (egg substitute), toast, and all sorts of things. I think I would get rid of my cell phone before I would get rid of my electric skillet.

Next, I started following a guy on Facebook (Plant Fueled Trucker) that was using an electric pressure cooker. This thing is my second favorite utensil in my cooking arsenal. I can cook, from scratch, soups, potatoes, grains, dry beans, steel cut oatmeal, and a ton of other stuff in a matter of a couple of minutes instead of hours. This thing has opened up so many opportunities for meals that I've never had before while out on the road, unless of course I ate at a restaurant, which I may do once per month now, but very unlikely.

The cleanup on this pressure cooker is only the stainless steel pot that comes with the unit, my cutting mat, and a knife. All my other utensils are plastic ware and paper bowls/plates. So, after cooking and eating, I just put a half bottle (16.9 oz) water in the stainless steel pot, drop any dirty dishes i have in there, add a few drops of Dawn dish washing liquid to it, and use my scrubby sponge to clean it all. After done, I dump my dish water outside the truck (NEVER on someone else's truck/wheels, etc. - that's just rude!) and then dry everything with a couple paper towels.

I save a lot of money eating in the truck compared to eating at the truck stops and the biggest thing for me is that I know where the food came from and how it's prepared. As for doing dishes in the shower room or a bathroom, that could never happen for me in a million years - I get too heebie-jeebied. The thought of taking the dishes/utensil that I am preparing my food with or sticking in my mouth will not be going in a public bathroom EVER. No sir, can't do it, no way, no how, ughh! People are just plain nasty! Sorry, just the way I'm wired.

If interested, the pressure cooker I bought is called Instant Pot. It is so easy to use, especially when purchased with a cook book geared towards pressure cooking/electric pressure cooking. This thing saute's, has a rice cooker button, bean & lentil button, and several other options. My only suggestion, after doing some research, is that if you do go with an electric pressure cooker, you might want to stay away from the ones that come with a non-stick pot. I have read that the temps these things can get, especially when sauteing food, and how easily susceptible non-stick is to scratch is not healthy. Also, one other suggestion might be to carry some S.O.S. soap pads in a Ziploc for those times when you have stubborn food stuff stuck to the pot.

I purchased my Instant Pot on Amazon with a cook book called Vegan Pressure Cooking by J. L. Fields. I never thought I would like vegan food, but boy was I surprised - and in a good way! I don't consider myself a vegan, but my weight and blood pressure are just getting out of hand and I felt I needed to do something - that's when I discovered Plant Fueled Trucker's Facebook page. Although I don't follow everything he does/says, I have adopted a better way for me to eat and lose weight without even trying. In the three weeks since I started eating a mostly plant based diet I have lost 12 pounds and haven't counted a single calorie, I just eat until I am full and stop. To top it off, I feel full and satisfied after eating and don't get that feeling like I'm starving after 30 mins to an hour after eating. The meals I've been preparing are very hardy and seem to hold me over very well till it's time to eat again.

Although there's starting to be more information on the internet about cooking and eating healthy while out on the road, there still isn't as much as there should be. And with DOT , the trucking companies, and their insurance companies starting to find out that a healthy driver is not only more productive, but also a safer driver (their words, not mine), I think in the future we are going to start seeing more and tougher regulations coming down the pipe concerning our health as truck drivers, which could very well mean that quite a few of us could have our livelihoods in jeopardy.

Well, I hope this helps someone out there and hope more of you start posting what and how you are cooking/preparing your meals and how you deal with the cleanup afterwards while out on the road.

Be good and stay safe out there!

I don't see why not unless whatever company you choose to work for days other wise. I found a little gem in a truck stop called a RoadPro portable stove and I use the thing nearly everyday. I also have a crock pot. But the portable stove is awesome it heats up soup in about 10 minutes. Doesn't take long to cook anything out of it and it plugs into your cigarette outlet.

Okay, first off, Mongo, the only stupid questions are the ones you don't ask.. Second, I'm not sure about the stove thing..I don't think most companies are going to be okay with you having a source of combustion in your cab, as in an open flame..not to mention the ventilation issue..carbon monoxide and all that..I know some of the drivers have candles to make their truck smell purty, but I think that it's a bit of a risk to have an open flame in your cab..most of the drivers that cook have some type of slow cooker/crock pot thing..those are pretty popular..you can find them in the truckstops, but look on amazon or one of those other websites..they have plenty and good choices as well as better prices..I think that would be a better option..

Roadkill brings up a valid point....and besides...ya can't cook while your goin' down the road thats just wrong !!! by the time you park, your already hungry !!!! We used a Burton cooker (looks like a lunch box),I'd freeze seasoned roasts, with some veggies.put it in a alum. loaf pan, in the burton cooker, and turn it on...head down the road...5 hours or so, and I'd have a nice roast, and veggies ready when I parked !! eat out of the alum pan, bag up leftovers, and toss the pan... We also used a burton soup heater thingy( looks like a thermos). I'd fill it with water, use either folger coffee singles, or put ground coffee in a tea bobber..plug it in, and have coffee in 10 minutes. It would fill a thermos, or 2 large mugs...never used it for soup...I heated that in the burton cooker...lol

As far as I know my company doesn't have anything against the little propane cookers. I would advise only to use it when you are stopped and not inside the truck.

My dh and I have a few cooking things (I'm am a trained chef and we are a little spoiled when it comes to what we eat). I have found that an electric wok works for just about any type of cooking you may want to do. Just don't try making something with more than a cup of liquid while moving.

We use an inverter that the company installed to power our various cooking implements. We just make sure we keep the wattage below what the inverter says.

Ok thanks for all the replies. I wasn't planning on cooking while driving. But you can use cruise control for that right? LoL. And I didn't plan on using it inside the truck. Was thinking more of using it at say roadside rest areas and such. Maybe whip up a quick breakfast or dinner. It has come in great during a couple of major ice storms we have had on the past.

I was just looking at it since I already own it and it is small and portable.

Some of the best times we've had in truckstops on layover weekends was with grills, steaks, and truckers !!! and of course a good radio for tunes !! With a flatbed, its like a HUGE table !!! we played bowling for baggies ( don't ask...just remember we had no water balloons),had a guitar or two out, tried bobing for apples until a KLLM driver nearly drowned in the bucket ( again don't ask)..good times, good company, and a good way to unwind. Anytime you are gonna fire up the grill and want some company, get on the cb, ans ask who want to bobtail for steaks !!! you'd be suprised how many truckers end up grillin' and chillin'....

Http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002D6K86/ref=pd_aw_sbs_2?pi=SL500_SS115

Just one of the many "on the go" cooking utensils I found on amazon

I know this is an old thread, but for those still looking for ways to to cook in the truck, I have a few suggestions that maybe some of you might find helpful.

First, I have a 1500 watt inverter that my company installed (the max they allow).

Second, I have an old Burton 12 volt stove (I think that's what they call it - I call it a lunch box stove because that's what it looks like). I hardly ever use this thing anymore and just haven't taken it out of the truck yet.

Third, I used to have a crock pot, but as many people have said, the smell while driving down the road would drive me crazy and I found that I snacked constantly throughout the day! Needless to say, that thing had to go before I got to be 400 lbs. So, I replaced it with an electric skillet, which is the best thing I have ever added to my truck. I cook meals, reheat meals, boil water, make rice, oatmeal, grits, eggs (egg substitute), toast, and all sorts of things. I think I would get rid of my cell phone before I would get rid of my electric skillet.

Next, I started following a guy on Facebook (Plant Fueled Trucker) that was using an electric pressure cooker. This thing is my second favorite utensil in my cooking arsenal. I can cook, from scratch, soups, potatoes, grains, dry beans, steel cut oatmeal, and a ton of other stuff in a matter of a couple of minutes instead of hours. This thing has opened up so many opportunities for meals that I've never had before while out on the road, unless of course I ate at a restaurant, which I may do once per month now, but very unlikely.

The cleanup on this pressure cooker is only the stainless steel pot that comes with the unit, my cutting mat, and a knife. All my other utensils are plastic ware and paper bowls/plates. So, after cooking and eating, I just put a half bottle (16.9 oz) water in the stainless steel pot, drop any dirty dishes i have in there, add a few drops of Dawn dish washing liquid to it, and use my scrubby sponge to clean it all. After done, I dump my dish water outside the truck (NEVER on someone else's truck/wheels, etc. - that's just rude!) and then dry everything with a couple paper towels.

I save a lot of money eating in the truck compared to eating at the truck stops and the biggest thing for me is that I know where the food came from and how it's prepared. As for doing dishes in the shower room or a bathroom, that could never happen for me in a million years - I get too heebie-jeebied. The thought of taking the dishes/utensil that I am preparing my food with or sticking in my mouth will not be going in a public bathroom EVER. No sir, can't do it, no way, no how, ughh! People are just plain nasty! Sorry, just the way I'm wired.

If interested, the pressure cooker I bought is called Instant Pot. It is so easy to use, especially when purchased with a cook book geared towards pressure cooking/electric pressure cooking. This thing saute's, has a rice cooker button, bean & lentil button, and several other options. My only suggestion, after doing some research, is that if you do go with an electric pressure cooker, you might want to stay away from the ones that come with a non-stick pot. I have read that the temps these things can get, especially when sauteing food, and how easily susceptible non-stick is to scratch is not healthy. Also, one other suggestion might be to carry some S.O.S. soap pads in a Ziploc for those times when you have stubborn food stuff stuck to the pot.

I purchased my Instant Pot on Amazon with a cook book called Vegan Pressure Cooking by J. L. Fields. I never thought I would like vegan food, but boy was I surprised - and in a good way! I don't consider myself a vegan, but my weight and blood pressure are just getting out of hand and I felt I needed to do something - that's when I discovered Plant Fueled Trucker's Facebook page. Although I don't follow everything he does/says, I have adopted a better way for me to eat and lose weight without even trying. In the three weeks since I started eating a mostly plant based diet I have lost 12 pounds and haven't counted a single calorie, I just eat until I am full and stop. To top it off, I feel full and satisfied after eating and don't get that feeling like I'm starving after 30 mins to an hour after eating. The meals I've been preparing are very hardy and seem to hold me over very well till it's time to eat again.

Although there's starting to be more information on the internet about cooking and eating healthy while out on the road, there still isn't as much as there should be. And with DOT , the trucking companies, and their insurance companies starting to find out that a healthy driver is not only more productive, but also a safer driver (their words, not mine), I think in the future we are going to start seeing more and tougher regulations coming down the pipe concerning our health as truck drivers, which could very well mean that quite a few of us could have our livelihoods in jeopardy.

Well, I hope this helps someone out there and hope more of you start posting what and how you are cooking/preparing your meals and how you deal with the cleanup afterwards while out on the road.

Be good and stay safe out there!

Rayzer, what does the inside of the Instant Pot lid look like? I have a Cuisinart electric pressure cooker and can't imagine trying to clean that thing out on the road. Too many fiddly bits in the lid!