Cooking inside minivan

[missgardenbee]

I plan on mostly eating raw, but heating water for coffee, tea, instant soups etc. and maybe cooking scrambled eggs or simple stirfrys. Try a sterno stove first, graduate to a dual fuel stove. Below is a photo of the current space I would have for this, potentially using the cooler (with a piece of sheet metal or some such as a heat barrier) as a cooktop. There's 12" between the bed & the wheel well. I would have the windows cracked, a battery operated portable fan, crack the sliding doors too. Only cooking inside due to weather. Thoughts? Thank you !

 

[lenny flank]

One option you may wanna try that works for me (at least it works for me in the summer): get a one-quart black plastic or metal bottle, fill it with water, and nestle it up on your dash in the sun for a few hours. Voila--water that is usually hot enough to make ramen or instant oatmeal or tea or whatever (also works for getting hot water for washing up).

As for your setup, I'd be very very leery of having an open flame in that confined a space. If your bed accidentally goes up in flames, the rest of your van will quickly follow.

 

[TrainChaser]

It looks do-able if you're careful and pay attention.  Personally, I would pull the cooler away from the mesh hamper, and fold/roll up the edge of the bedding.

BUT... it looks in the photo that the plastic cover over the wheel well and the bed are really close to the same height.  What about putting some kind of panel (even a piece of 1/2" plywood about 20x16"w) as a bridge above the cooler, and using that? (Remove the cup of pens for max support.)  If you have to adjust for level, a 2 or 3" wide strip of foam insulation should work fine.)

I cooked in my Ford shorty van most of one wet spring with no problems.  But I never walked away from it.  The fire is your priority, so you can't let anyone or anything distract you.

 

[missgardenbee]

One option you may wanna try that works for me (at least it works for me in the summer): get a one-quart black plastic or metal bottle, fill it with water, and nestle it up on your dash in the sun for a few hours. Voila--water that is usually hot enough to make ramen or instant oatmeal or tea or whatever (also works for getting hot water for washing up).

As for your setup, I'd be very very leery of having an open flame in that confined a space. If your bed accidentally goes up in flames, the rest of your van will quickly follow.

Yes, I was thinking of fire hazard as well. I like the thermos idea. Probably best to make an outside shelter that would fit over the van door.

 

[missgardenbee]

It looks do-able if you're careful and pay attention.  Personally, I would pull the cooler away from the mesh hamper, and fold/roll up the edge of the bedding.

BUT... it looks in the photo that the plastic cover over the wheel well and the bed are really close to the same height.  What about putting some kind of panel (even a piece of 1/2" plywood about 20x16"w) as a bridge above the cooler, and using that? (Remove the cup of pens for max support.)  If you have to adjust for level, a 2 or 3" wide strip of foam insulation should work fine.)

I cooked in my Ford shorty van most of one wet spring with no problems.  But I never walked away from it.  The fire is your priority, so you can't let anyone or anything distract you.

I was thinking of a fold down table over that area, but the piece of plywood would be a lot simpler. And definitely move the hamper. And, yes, not walk away! If I cooked at all, it would be super quick meals. But it seems like a protected outdoor set up is best.

 

[missgardenbee]

Yes, I was thinking of fire hazard as well. I like the thermos idea. Probably best to make an outside shelter that would fit over the van door.

And looking into thermos cooking in general.

 

[lenny flank]

 I like the thermos idea.

No--not a thermos, that would just insulate your water. You want a plain ole ordinary single-wall black plastic or metal bottle.

 

[akrvbob]

I've cooked literally thousands of meals in a van and wouldn't hesitate to cook in your van.

I use this splatter guard to contain the heat and mess:
http://amzn.to/2uMYDK8

I also got some heavy duty aluminum foil, and went back forth over the splatter guard to cover it so nothing can fall on the flame. I have enough room I only use it in the winter to keep the heat from flying up to the roof, but you could use it anytime to protect the stove.

 

[TrainChaser]

We've been trained to be afraid of everything, but when you're careful and use your head, nothing bad happens. People who will drive at 120 in the rain are afraid of cooking on a board in a van. I did it twice a day for seven months with no issues.

 

[RVTravel]

I'm sure it can be done safely-ish, but fire must be respected.

 

[missgardenbee]

Thank you all for your replies/advice. This morning I discovered I CAN fit crosswise over the wheel wells. I'm 5'5", so my head & feet touch either side, but I sleep curled up so that's not an issue. This frees up a lot of valuable space for cooking, portable toilet, cat litter box, etc. Woot, woot- I'm excited!

 

[missgardenbee]

I've cooked literally thousands of meals in a van and wouldn't hesitate to cook in your van.

I use this splatter guard to contain the heat and mess:
http://amzn.to/2uMYDK8

I also got some heavy duty aluminum foil, and went back forth over the splatter guard to cover it so nothing can fall on the flame. I have enough room I only use it in the winter to keep the heat from flying up to the roof, but you could use it anytime to protect the stove

Do you have a photo of this set up? I'm having trouble visualizing exactly what you describe. Thank you!

 

[CityWoman]

. . . I discovered I CAN fit crosswise over the wheel wells. I'm 5'5", so my head & feet touch either side, but I sleep curled up so that's not an issue. This frees up a lot of valuable space for cooking, portable toilet, cat litter box, etc. Woot, woot- I'm excited!

Pictures??
(of the set-up, not of you sleeping)

 

[missgardenbee]

Pictures??  
(of the set-up, not of you sleeping)  

As soon as I can modify the bed! I'm 5 1/2 hours away from my dad ( who built it) so need to find a local friend with a skill or table saw.

 

[TrainChaser]

Sterno is just denatured alcohol in a gel form.

 

[Gideon33w]

Changing the layout will help. The biggest thing is to use something like what Bob suggested. Keeping radiant heat off of nearby items is a bigger concern than the open flame itself. We are all careful of the flame but easily forget that nearby items (and items above) are absorbing more and more radiant heat with every passing second.

 

[Weight]

Sterno cans are not the best choice. I find the small butane stoves like the Coleman sold in Walmart work well in a small space. I buy the butane cartridge in the Asian super market at less than 1/2 walmart prices. Propane is a good choice but not as easy to setup and use, and some are unstable perched on top of the cylinder.

 

[mr_elijah_gardner]

I agree with the butane stove idea. You can get them for about $20 at walmart. The butane bottles are just a couple of dollars and for most any type of cooking you will do in a van will last for a couple of weeks atleast.

The stove can be turned off and safely stored once it cools down. The stove will also be much hotter than sterno and will cook the food much quicker.

Id be afraid of not seeing the flame on the sterno can and causing a fire thinking it was put out. Also if it got knocked over you'd have a nice little fire going.

 

[sometimesido]

RE: butane

If you have an Asian market like Super H Mart nearby, they are cheaper than Walmart.

 

[highdesertranger]

I know many use butane and if it works for you that's great. however I would like to point out that out in the boonies it is non existent as are Asian markets. highdesertranger