Bring out your cooks! Van/RV setups

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I would imagine that if someone were to come up with some kind of really delicious confection that could be fabricated from a few sweet (candy) items readily found about anywhere in the USA,  that they could travel
lite in a Van (food truck) and make a modest living from that stream of revenue. 

I'd give the example of "Smores".  Graham crackers,  marshmallows, Hershey chocolate bars are readily
available about anywhere.   But Smores are rather common unless a new twist on the recipe could be
developed to somehow add value to them.
 
steamjam1 said:
Just thought of this, but wouldn't it be neat to get an old British Double-Decker bus, convert the bottom floor into a giant food truck, then take the top floor and make it into a living space? Then I thought would it be neat to cook up like international/fusion finger food?

Hmmm

Yes! Do that and come park near me! Hehe
 
I enjoy my DO's and cook in them when I can.  Friends of mine are always inviting me to summer picnics and events to cook.  I also take my Ice Cream churn and get it going early so there will be ice cream for the peach cobbler. 

YardTripod5.jpg



The DO's are all cleaned up and ready to start the season.  Photo taken in early March.  I like to keep them clean for the winter months and coat them with Flax Seed oil. 

The Tripod is my favorite camp cooking method.  I often take the lid from the 12" 6 qt Lodge and invert it on the tripod grate to use it for a Griddle for cooking breakfast.   But in the van on the road the tripod and 12" DO would take care of most of my needs in nice weather. 


6612Grilling_Corn.jpg


Some corn on the cob brined in white wine and herbs.

ChickenGrillATB.jpg


Marinated Chicken and Jalapeno Poppers stuffed with cream cheese mixed with chopped green olives and garlic salt...wrapped in Genoa Salami.  

DO_Potatoes_2.jpg


Scalloped Potatoes in Horseradish Sauce.

Yeah,  I like to cook. :p
 
If you come up with a fancy name for burned water, people will buy it.
 
"If you come up with a fancy name for burned water, people will buy it."

My opine...."Starbucks"
 
There you go, folks.  you to can get rich by burning water.  

I watch my kids paying $5 for a cup of fancy foam.  A cup of coffee was  25 cents 

All together now ~~~

WHEN I WAS A KID   :p
 
eDJ_ said:
I enjoy my DO's and cook in them when I can.  Friends of mine are always inviting me to summer picnics and events to cook.  I also take my Ice Cream churn and get it going early so there will be ice cream for the peach cobbler. 

YardTripod5.jpg



The DO's are all cleaned up and ready to start the season.  Photo taken in early March.  I like to keep them clean for the winter months and coat them with Flax Seed oil. 

The Tripod is my favorite camp cooking method.  I often take the lid from the 12" 6 qt Lodge and invert it on the tripod grate to use it for a Griddle for cooking breakfast.   But in the van on the road the tripod and 12" DO would take care of most of my needs in nice weather. 


6612Grilling_Corn.jpg


Some corn on the cob brined in white wine and herbs.

ChickenGrillATB.jpg


Marinated Chicken and Jalapeno Poppers stuffed with cream cheese mixed with chopped green olives and garlic salt...wrapped in Genoa Salami.  

DO_Potatoes_2.jpg


Scalloped Potatoes in Horseradish Sauce.

Yeah,  I like to cook. :p

Yes, I like food and I love to cook.  Unfortunately, I am  physically disabled now and do not have the strength any more to cook like I use to.  

I would love it if we could for one night during RTR and do like a group dinner.  Your idea gave me another idea.  We could totally just dig a hole in the ground, wrap some whole chicken in foil, wrap whole sweet potatoes, carrots, and regular potatoes together in another foil container and cook it all underground similar to the videos.   This is similar to Hawaii, where they cook the whole pig underground. 



https://gearjunkie.com/thanksgiving-turkey-earthen-oven



What do guys think?  This will be my first time to RTR.  I look forward to seeing all of you guys there.
 
eDJ_ said:
A little over a year ago I interviewed and was hired to cook for a Tow Boat company that operated on the Ohio River hauling Coal.   Well, the Coal industry tanked and many of the Coal mining companies sold off their equipment and went into Fracking (where there were less Govt rules and regs not to mention less labor intensive)  The company that hired me has followed this course and has even been selling off their fleet of boats.
Great story. Sorry you couldn't get your chance there. Being able to cook is a fantastic skill. Being able to bake bread has always been my most important skill. Who doesn't love a fresh loaf out of the oven, right?
You're right about being able to work just about anywhere. I've often thought about cooking at tailgate parties, doing popups, picnics, cook-offs, and gatherings for workshops and dish sharing. There's so much a cook can do on the road.
Best of luck!
Mike
 
jimindenver said:
At first I consoled myself by asking just who was I cooking for that I needed the big pressure cooker, stand mixer and the like. Big pots make big meals and I won't have the freezer space to save it all. Now there is the RTR and I find that people run in groups and, and, and I could still have a lot of fun cooking.

Where there are groups, there are hungry mouths to feed.

Mike
 
Bonanza Jellybean said:
Hi Mike,

I love that my sink is big and deep I also like the two burner stove. The biggest thing I can recommend is getting a sink and stove with a fold down glass cover. Having the flexibility to have extra counter space makes all the difference.

That's some good eats. Thanks for the advice. I agree. A deep sink and a cover would really help. I'm trying to figure out how to add an island and granite top somewhere in my van.  :p
 
steamjam1 said:
Just thought of this, but wouldn't it be neat to get an old British Double-Decker bus, convert the bottom floor into a giant food truck, then take the top floor and make it into a living space? Then I thought would it be neat to cook up like international/fusion finger food?

Hmmm

At 14ft+ tall, I think it might be a bit of a problem. Adding solar might get expensive. And the A/C bill... Geesh.  ;)
 
1960HikerDude said:
I have a Dutch oven cooking channel and website with over 100 recipes if you're interested.

1960HikerDude.com
1960HikerDude YouTube Channel

I'm still living in sticks & bricks.  But, when I do get out on the road, I'll be taking Dutch ovens with me.

Thanks a lot. I'm a new subscriber. You've got some very informative videos I'll have to check out. Nice looking website also. 

Best of luck. Hope to try some of your food in the future.

Mike
 
tiff2talk said:
Yes, I like food and I love to cook.  Unfortunately, I am  physically disabled now and do not have the strength any more to cook like I use to.  

I would love it if we could for one night during RTR and do like a group dinner.  Your idea gave me another idea.  We could totally just dig a hole in the ground, wrap some whole chicken in foil, wrap whole sweet potatoes, carrots, and regular potatoes together in another foil container and cook it all underground similar to the videos.   This is similar to Hawaii, where they cook the whole pig underground. 



https://gearjunkie.com/thanksgiving-turkey-earthen-oven



What do guys think?  This will be my first time to RTR.  I look forward to seeing all of you guys there.


I won't be able to make it to RTR until 2019. :-( Life takes a long time. It's like waiting for a wine to be juuuuust right. And yes, I prefer good tasting wine rather than the %$#& that's hurried and capped. :)

I think your idea is nice. I hope you'll be able to enjoy some good meals with everyone. 

Enjoy RTR. I envy you.
Mike
 
mikEXpat said:
I won't be able to make it to RTR until 2019. :-( Life takes a long time. It's like waiting for a wine to be juuuuust right. And yes, I prefer good tasting wine rather than the %$#& that's hurried and capped. :)

I think your idea is nice. I hope you'll be able to enjoy some good meals with everyone. 

Enjoy RTR. I envy you.
Mike

Mike, it looks like we are going to be launching around the same time. RTR 2019, hope to meet you there.
"Life takes a long time." That's a good attitude to have.
 
Glad I found this conversation; thanks for all the hints and the enticements.

I love to cook and the first thing I did after I bought my new home (aka minivan; don't laugh, there is built in ventilation with the moon roof) was to work on a spice kit for the traveling kitchen. Once that was together, I knew I could cook anything I wanted anywhere.

The minivan will be based on a kitchen that I can use either from the inside or transfer outside. I only have a single burner stove yet want to work with that for a while before I go to two burners.

This idea of bringing along cast iron is very appealing and I can even see how a dutch oven could transform everything. I'm glad for these ideas and more.

Maybe there should be an FTR (Food/ie Tramp Roundup)?

Best,

AD
 
Inspired by this thread, I went to look at the cast iron dutch ovens today; oh so many choices!

I wasn't sure what size I'd like though so only came home with a mini cast iron frying pan; perfect for toasting spices or a single egg.
 

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