faster to to cook foods

[maki2]

Thinking about the changes one makes for Van life type of food preparation then because of the cost of fuel then foods that are quick to cook have a real advantage much of the year.  But in the wintertime if you have a larger sized propane tank and need to warm the place up then it is certainly nice to put on something that needs a long, slow simmer. The old saying of food that warms you twice is an accurate one for this type of cooking.

Of course warming up the water for a hot water bottle warms you while you heat the water and for several hours after that and it won't be icy cold in the morning so good for a quick wash up in the morning. Three times the benefit to be gained from the same volume of water!

 

[nature lover]

I use pre cooked canned meats so you really just have to warm them not cook, you can get chicken breast meat or beef cubes. I found that Dintymore beef stew is pretty good (not as good as slow cooked homemade but good enough) I often take a can of stew and add several cans of veggies like string beans, corn, or my favorite limas. The mixture makes 4 healthy(size) servings at a cost about $1.25 each. One serving and a piece of bread is a filling meal for me. and very little fuel used because you aren't cooking just warming. Speaking of warming those limas can warm you under the covers later in the night. My recipe for happy camping is Burn wood - Cook beans - Laugh loudly - Fart proudly (might want to amend that if other camps are close.)

 

[vanbrat]

I have two hot rice packs that we zap in microwave that act as hot water bottle for those really cold days (if we remember to use it.) Since we have power for the microwave anytime it works really well. Heats up the bed and our feet. (It has a cover so we are NOT putting it in to the space we cook in along with feet stuff YUK). I have heard of heating rocks on fire pit and/or in the oven. I know water bottle things are great. I would just in vision it leaking on me in the middle of the night. That alone would keep me awake.

I am thinking about a small hot pot /crockpot too. But being just 2 people, I hate the idea of left overs unless I know I can store things right. I love homemade soups on cold days so maybe I will have to work on that.

 

[maki2]

Crock pot cooking means lots of power use that is accumulative over a long time which is why I am focusing on things that cook quickly such as a stir fry which is fast to cook but also healthy. A stir fry uses far less fuel.

 

[eDJ_]

When I saw this thread I instantly though  WOK.  

Van dwelling and the circumstances in China long ago have some similarities.  In China it led to the development of the WOK and the special technique of prepping the foods for stir fry cooking in it. (cutting the individual items so that they will cook faster, where almost as much inside is exposed as outside)  and placing them in small containers to add in sequence where those taking the longest time are first in the sequence to be cooked and the others follow respectively.   It also tries to maximize the efficiency of fuel usage.  

I'm sure that with a cover it could double as a stock pot of sorts,  and once cleaned out even as a wash basin.  I'm sure anyone who learns to cook in a WOK could learn a lot from those techniques that they could carry over to their other cooking applications.  

While specially processed food items may cook faster,  normal food items that are prepped in that Asian style may cook much faster too.

 

[maki2]

one of my quick cooking standbys when I have little bits of meat or veggies or both and/or a small amount of cheese is to scramble an egg in with them. I remember reading fairly recently that eggs have one of the best ratings for long length of hunger satisfaction after the meal is consumed. It does seem to be true and it is one of the reasons it makes a great choice for breakfast when you want to get a lot of work accomplished before lunch.

Hard boiling takes a while longer than a scramble but if I am going to do that then I put a half dozen in the pot since they keep well in the fridge and make good sandwich material as well as just eating them with some salt. The left over water can be used as a first rinse if you need to do dishes. I have not yet tried hard steam cooking them in a pressure cooker but I know it can be done. A I will get around to experimenting with that one of these days situations.

 

[Dingfelder]

Re Wok cooking, wok ranges in restaurants are industrial-strength and not the same as you''d find at home. They can be 10x the power of a home stovetop. The ones for home stovetops function pretty poorly, per the Cook's Country and related program series as well as my experience. That's why they recommend simply using a sautee or frying pan instead. It's just a better fit for western stovetops.

I'd love to wok cook, but it isn't supported in the average western home and even less so in a home on wheels.

 

[Zork]

There are high BTU (30,000 to 200,000) outdoor propane burners available that work great for authentic wok cooking. Mine will turn my wok and my cast iron griddle cherry red. I think mine is "only" 65,000 BTU, but that has been enough in my experience. Bought it years ago and had to upgrade the regulator, but otherwise it's been great. Looks similar to the Eastman Portable Kahuna that is still available. Would definitely *not* use it inside any vehicle.

 

[VanFan]

one of my quick cooking standbys when I have little bits of meat or veggies or both...

Hard boiling takes a while longer...

Quesadillas are a quick and easy way to use those bits, too!

maki2:  Have you tried "boiling" eggs in a wide-mouthed thermos?  I think 30 minutes or so should do it.  (Love the ways you conserve both water and BTU's, BTW.)

 

[Dingfelder]

Crock pot cooking means lots of power use that is accumulative over a long time which is why I am focusing on things that cook quickly such as a stir fry which is fast to cook but also healthy. A stir fry uses far less fuel.

People say this so often that I imagine there is every chance of it being true, but ... I've also read that a crock pot takes about the power of a light bulb.  Which sounds so minimal, right?  Not many things take less power.  

So which is it?  Is the promo material etc. that I've read about slow cookers taking virtually no energy just flat-out wrong, or lies?

 

[Dingfelder]

one of my quick cooking standbys when I have little bits of meat or veggies or both and/or a small amount of cheese is to scramble an egg in with them. I remember reading fairly recently that eggs have one of the best ratings for long length of hunger satisfaction after the meal is consumed. It does seem to be true and it is one of the reasons it makes a great choice for breakfast when you want to get a lot of work accomplished before lunch.

Hard boiling takes a while longer than a scramble but if I am going to do that then I put a half dozen in the pot since they keep well in the fridge and make good sandwich material as well as just eating them with some salt. The left over water can be used as a first rinse if you need to do dishes. I have not yet tried hard steam cooking them in a pressure cooker but I know it can be done. A I will get around to experimenting with that one of these days situations.

Pickled eggs last forever, and are known as a traditional bar food left out in their jar more or less forever or until they are eaten.  That is a great way to have eggs on hand for a high-protein hunger-beater anytime.  Pickling eggs changes the texture of the white so that it is less soft; I have heard people describe it as rubbery, but I think of it more as a change from soft to firmer.  Not at all hard to eat or weird to chew, IMO, but YMMV.

Thing is, it's such a great way to preserve eggs and keep a high-value snack handy not just because pickled eggs last forever, but also because it's the perfect thing to do with old eggs.  Eggs peel more easily when they have been around for a while and had a chance to lose some moisture and shrink a tiny bit away from the shell.  I always leave them out of the fridge for at least a few days when I want to peel them.  Unless the weather is really hot, eggs can last quite a while without fridging.

And the extra flavor in the white works just fine in egg salad too.  Pickle them in the juice from pickled beets and they look pretty great sliced in half on the plate, too.  

By the way, I steam mine.  13 minutes usually works, at high steam.  If you're barely steaming, it will take longer.  Uses much less water, too.

Eggs are a super-cheap, easy to keep around, high-nutrition food.  I eat a lot of them.

 

[WanderingRose]

I got a Wonder Bag for Christmas some years back, and it works very well tho I have not used it a lot.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonderbag

Created for developing countries where cooking fuel is at a premium, you simply need to bring your food to a good rolling boil, wrap it in the bag and return up to hours later to a hot, cooked meal.

Kind of the same principle as burying a Dutch oven in coals to cook a meal.

 

[maki2]

Thanks for posting but the intent of this thread is to focus on fast to cook meals rather than using slow cooking methods. It is true that there are fuel saving options for slow cooking and there are threads on those methods. I have even posted one of those threads myself.

 

[WanderingRose]

Requiring little fuel and time actually “cooking”, was my thought.

 

[Zork]

Requiring little fuel and time actually “cooking”, was my thought.

Time x Fuel = Cooked!  So, it's all a wash, I guess.   I appreciate efficiency (e.g., nuka-burrito), but there is nothing like slow-cooked, smoked brisket for me.  Off-topic, but something I'll work on!

 

[maki2]

I do often make my own flour tortillas in my skillet. Fast way to make some bread for a meal and not at all difficult to do. They taste better than the store bought ones. If you have never tried it give it a go. If you don't have a rolling pin you can flatten them with your hands.

 

[outermostsoul]

Speatzle mix egg, flour, water, salt, baking soda and a pinch of nutmeg if you are going traditional in a zip lock baggie. Knead the mixture until it is a very wet dough. Snip a corner of the bag and squeeze out little noodles into boiling salted water. They sink to bottom but float to the top when done in just a minute or two. Serve with margarine or gravy leftovers for a cheap quick meal. My dad loved to make this for us.

 

[maki2]

I like the zip lock bag idea.

 

[jacqueg]

People say this so often that I imagine there is every chance of it being true, but ... I've also read that a crock pot takes about the power of a light bulb.  Which sounds so minimal, right?  Not many things take less power.  

So which is it?  Is the promo material etc. that I've read about slow cookers taking virtually no energy just flat-out wrong, or lies?

Foresty forest on youtube got a cheap slow cooker and keeps threatening to return it, but keeps finding new stuff to cook in it instead. He leaves it on for hours, and his system can obviously handle it.

 

[maki2]

Fast cooking to reduce fuel use, the example you are referring to that is NOT a good example of how to reduce fuel use with fast cooking.....He said he used 45 amp hours to slow cook what he made in his last video. His battery capacity is 80 amp hours. He arrived home late in the day with no solar input left for recharging as it got dark early. Plus it is winter and the angle of the sun on his 200 watt system is not that great and there are not a lot of hours of daylight with maximum solar input. 

So now lets return to food that can cook quickly without using up a lot of fuel. That is what this thread is intended for.