cooking simple food in car

[vanvanvanvan123]

what device or maybe coleman or whatever do i need to heat up soup?
it’s been a year in a car. and it’s costing more or equal money to live in my car than paying the outrageous rents in sam diego eg eating to go food

 

[bullfrog !]

You are gonna have to eat no matter where you live. There are cheaper options of to go foods you just have to find them. Plenty of suggestions for cooking here just depends on you local situation, even solar ovens may work. Many truck stops sell 12 volt appliances that would work to heat water just use them while driving as not to run down your battery. Many corner stores have hot water and microwaves available to use just look around. I would think you wouldn’t have to spend near what rent in town is nowadays as average rent is probably well over $1,000 a month I bet and that’s over $33 a day. I can live on Subway sandwiches and meals for about half that if I drink water I flavor myself. If there is a picnic area close by with fire pits or grills all you need is a cast iron skillet or pot. A simple camp stove can work.

 

[Happy Camper]

Do you have an inverter? Solar? Battery bank? There are a lot of options. It just depends on what you have available in your situation.

I just recently went down this road on behalf of a family member taking a 2 month road trip. Since they didn't have the electrical set up to cook, the recommendation was a small butane stove. $20-$30 for the stove. And $2-$5 for a can of butane that can cook many meals.

If you're in the San Diego area there are a lot of parks and areas you could cook. You don't have to eat take out at all. And if you have a fridge or freezer, even better.

 

[jacqueg]

what device or maybe coleman or whatever do i need to heat up soup?
it’s been a year in a car. and it’s costing more or equal money to live in my car than paying the outrageous rents in sam diego eg eating to go food

Depends a lot on what you want to cook. But if all you want to cook is hot water or hot soup, you might like this - https://www.amazon.com/balbali-Travel-Kettle-Electric-Preset/dp/B0BFPBRQLL/ref=sr_1_1? It's a little spendy, but I like being able to set the temperature. You can get similar gadgets for cheaper that just heat the water to boiling.

I plug it into my Jackery.

 

[vanbrat]

I use my jackery to power my stuff. But a simple can stove thing would work to heat stuff up. It's the other end of cooking that can be an issue. The keeping things safely cold. I have a fridge thing about the size of an ice chest that plugs into my jackery and or my car for power.

 

[WanderingRose]

I have carried a Hot Logic the past couple of years, which works great for heating prepared meals or leftovers to piping hot.

https://www.amazon.com/HotLogic-Mini-Personal-Portable-Black/dp/B00EC7XJ00/ref=asc_df_B00EC7XJ00/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167155690034&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1792862718188603378&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9022128&hvtargid=pla-305919862029&psc=1

There are also 12volt items that will boil water for instant mealls, tea, coffee, etc.

Amazon.com : 12 volt water kettle

 

[eDJ_]

Are you just talking about soup & semi liquids ? Much can be done with foil to wrap foods and heat them on the engine of your rig. People have been doing this since T model Fords. You can improvise cooking utensils that will fit on the engine where there is much unused heat. You may want to buy a small food temperature gauge to check the food for doneness and safety.

I've seen recipes which suggest how many miles of travel it will take to cook the recipe. (if you are traveling)

Manifold Destiny: The one the only guide to cooking on your car engine

 

[Texas Gypsy]

Look up cooking truckers! It seems to be a trend and there are Facebook groups and YouTube videos.

 

[LargeMarge]

... rent in town is nowadays as average rent is probably well over $1,000 a month I bet...all you need is a cast iron skillet or pot. A simple camp stove can work.

.
re -- rent for city-folk
Our chums' apartment rent is us$2,300 each month.
.
An aside:
They are in a massive complex of over three hundred units.
Doing the numbers, that is a whole lot of fedbux the first of every month.
.
An aside:
Our chums also order boxes of meals... about us$50 each.
We discovered one of their meal boxes at an abandoned porch-pirate camp.
Presenting them with the remains, they told us they order four or five meal boxes daily, so they never realized one was missing.
Cripes!
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Now, before you go getting any wild ideas, I am neither suggesting anybody order meal boxes at a couple hundred fedbux each day, nor am I recommending joining a porch-pirate crew.
But if the skillet fits...

 

[maki2]

At this time of year I am fine eating sandwiches or wraps for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I do have a Gas One mini butane stove I heat water on for coffee and sometimes pour boiling water over a bowl with quick cooking minute oats. Then cover the bowl and let stand for 3 to 5 minutes before eating. I also cook minute rice and instant mashed potatoes that way. No need to put them into a cooking pot, just let the boiling water in the covered bowl do its thing for a few minutes. Ramen noodles also work for that method as well. It really saves on stove fuel to do it that way and it saves on washing up time too!

A basic fact to remember is cutting food into smaller pieces saves on cooking time which also means savings on fuel cost.

So that means acfast food to cook is a stir fry. Also thin pork chops and eggs. Egg scrambles are very quick to make and you can add all kinds of stuff into the pan, sauté those pieces before cracking the egg into the pan; good to eat at any meal. You can make grilled cheese sandwiches in a skillet. Hamburgers, meatballs, chicken strips etc. Thin sliced potatoes too. Those are all small sized things that cook relatively quickly.

If you want foods like stew that needs a long cooking time then go out and buy it premade as the fuel cost and long cooking time is included in the cost of someone else making it for you.

 

[quilting22]

Are you just talking about soup & semi liquids ? Much can be done with foil to wrap foods and heat them on the engine of your rig. People have been doing this since T model Fords. You can improvise cooking utensils that will fit on the engine where there is much unused heat. You may want to buy a small food temperature gauge to check the food for doneness and safety.

I've seen recipes which suggest how many miles of travel it will take to cook the recipe. (if you are traveling)

Manifold Destiny: The one the only guide to cooking on your car engine

LOL...love the how many miles of travelto cook a recipe !

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

For years I have cooked while traveling using a pressure cooker:

prepare food in pressure cooker in am.​

use stove to bring up to pressure.​

put into an insulated bag (made for that purpose).​

store in front footwell while traveling.​

Food is cooked and still warm at 8 hours.

 

[LargeMarge]

...or coffee and sometimes pour boiling water over a bowl with quick cooking minute oats. Then cover the bowl and let stand for 3 to 5 minutes...

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re -- coffee
Years ago, I acquired a small jug of freeze-dried coffee.
On those rare occasions coffee sounds good, I place a couple crystals under my tongue and let them dissolve.
.
At the rate I use it, I am good on coffee for the next several lifetimes.
.
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re -- oatmeal
I make a killer version of haggis using cooked ground meat (elk, bison, etcetera) mixed with seasoned oatmeal.
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I start my oatmeal the evening before.
I stir in the standard required amount of cooking fluid -- I prefer bone broth, but water is fine -- with a splash of vinegar.
If you are doing haggis, add your seasonings.
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Why vinegar?
Vinegar helps dispell the naturally occurring pesticides -- phytic acid and phytates.
Most plants have those, and most folks are sensitive to them.
Reducing them is claimed to help digestion and gut health.
Gut health is claimed to help mental health through their vagus nerve connection.
.
Next day, my oatmeal concoction is ready to cook... at a tiny fraction of the usual amount of cooking and waiting.
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I brown my ground meat, add the hot oatmeal, and dig in.