Cooking Meals On The Road

IBEW Sparky

IBEW Sparky

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christinaV said:
Hi Guys, I know this is a silly question but we are going on the big trip next month, I am just curious to know what do you guys like to cook while camping. I know there are a lot of people who like to eat noodles, but I need to know other than noodles. :D:D:cool::cool:
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We cook it all. Assuming you stay at places with electric hookups then anything goes,. Crock-Pot meals are always on the menu with pork loin, chicken dishes, beef roast, and anything else you can think of. We carry a small electric griddle for cooking breakfast outdoors most mornings, eggs bacon, sausage, spam, hamsteaks, and sometimes pancakes or french toast. We also have a portable grill so we can do burgers & dogs, chicken, ribs, steaks, or fish... but our favorite "grilled" meal is a nice thick London Broil with sauteed onions and mushrooms. The little oven in the RV comes in handy when you have no power to make small pizza, pot pies, or any baked items. We also carry a few different varieties of canned soup with tomato basil being our favorite... nothing like a bowl of hot tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich for a quick dinner. We have a tradition for many years now of making chicken quesadillas on our first night and always have pre grilled/seasoned chicken with us that we use. The pre-grilled chicken is also great in salads or wraps.
 
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We (or should I say I ;)) cook like we are at home. We're in the camper more than the stick/brick anyhow. Nothing really special is planned because we're out on the road other than when we are rolling keep it fast and easy. We grill quite often, if we're just hanging out for the day I like cooking over the campfire. I picked up a ninja foodi so can slow cook or pressure cook or even roast as the need fits. All fatty stuff like sausage and bacon gets cooked outside, don't like lingering grease smells or having to clean the grease up. We rarely use the stovetop

I do like heading out with easy meals in the freezer. Spaghetti sauce, chili, chicken bone broth (can't throw away bones with a pressure cooker) or even a bowl or 2 of stew to heat up. Chicken broth is versatile and can go in quite a few directions for a meal. Anything that goes in the freezer is portioned so there are limited leftovers to store.
 
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WhittleBurner said:
I see this is your 1st post , Welcome ! What GD do you have and how big is the trip you're heading out on?



I do like heading out with easy meals in the freezer. Spaghetti sauce, chili, chicken bone broth (can't throw away bones with a pressure cooker) or even a bowl or 2 of stew to heat up. Chicken broth is versatile and can go in quite a few directions for a meal. Anything that goes in the freezer is portioned so there are limited leftovers to store.
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This is what we do as well. Precooked / vacuum sealed easy meals. Then stuff to cook on the Weber grille or Blackstone griddle , we carry both. I don’t like cooked food odors inside. Sides are the same as at home - salads , fresh veggies, fruit. If we’re out looking around we’ll pack a light lunch , or eat at a diner with outside seating sometimes.
Charlie
 
The only thing we do differently from eating at home is to plan out the meals we want to eat on the trip. We do this because we need to ensure we have all the ingredients and spices with us to prepare each meal.

We also ensure that easy meals and/or lunches are available from the fridge or the hutch cabinets which are accessible without opening the kitchen slide, because, our pantry is not accessible with the slide closed.

Speaking of the slides, we can access the fridge, bathroom and bedroom without opening any of our slides. However, we will often park next to a curb, or on an end space where we can open the living/dining room slide (passenger side slide) so we have access to our recliners. With the living room slide open, we have access to the kitchen sink as well as the microwave to heat up something for lunch (we have an Inverter that can run our microwave).

On long trips we pretty much pack everything we are going to eat from the start. We supplement/extend our meals by eating out a few times along the way. Usually, we only have to add a grocery run to replenish perishables like milk, bread, fruit and vegetables.

PS: We made a list of meals and their required ingredients/spices and we use that same list as a starting point for every trip.
 
We have been wondering what people do for meals and prep while traveling to their destination. :confused:

In September 2022, we are headed to Yellowstone for a month, "LOTDOCKING" while traveling there. We are figuring 6 days on the road, 4 days Lotdocking and 2 days at a
campground to fresh'n up and recharge the rig.

We don't want to be in a Walmart lot cooking on a grill/flat top. We were thinking cooking in a crock pot, plugging the crock pot into the cab of our truck. Not sure if the truck
can handle the wattage, something I need to look into.

Maybe soup and sandwiches, or precook at home and then reheat in the rig.

We hope you all get what we are after. Interested in hearing what people do and how they handle meals on the road.
 
RoJoSo said:
We have been wondering what people do for meals and prep while traveling to their destination. :confused:

In September 2022, we are headed to Yellowstone for a month, "LOTDOCKING" while traveling there. We are figuring 6 days on the road, 4 days Lotdocking and 2 days at a
campground to fresh'n up and recharge the rig.

We don't want to be in a Walmart lot cooking on a grill/flat top. We were thinking cooking in a crock pot, plugging the crock pot into the cab of our truck. Not sure if the truck
can handle the wattage, something I need to look into.

Maybe soup and sandwiches, or precook at home and then reheat in the rig.

We hope you all get what we are after. Interested in hearing what people do and how they handle meals on the road.
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That’s a great idea. I think most truck inverters are limited to like 400 watts? Pretty sure a good sized crock pot is probably closer to 1000 or 1200 watts. Check your crock pot though. We do simple meals and cook inside the rig on the stove when traveling like that, or eat out.
 
When planning a trip, the first priority is the itinerary, the second is the menu. I have spreadsheets for both. We keep the pantry fully stocked at all times. There are always a few prepared dishes (vacuum sealed leftovers from home cooked meals) in the freezer. The menu is really driven by the type of trip we're taking. We recently got back from a trip visiting four national parks. We were on the go all day, everyday. Breakfast was hard boiled eggs, cereal and the like. Lunch was made up of trail food; beef jerky, crackers, cheese, apples, nuts, etc. For dinner, it was the meals from the freezer on especially busy nights. Time permitting, we grilled or prepared more elaborate dinners in the trailer. If we are doing a local weekend trip or visiting family, food becomes the primary focus. I set up a camp kitchen that includes the Blackstone and Weber grill. I might even pack a smoker (electric or charcoal depending on the hookups) and barbeque a pork shoulder, brisket, ribs, or a turkey. This summer while visiting my mom, I splurged and bought $300 of king crab legs and created a feast for 8 family and friends...crab omelets with the leftovers the following morning...best thing ever.

So, cook however it suits you and your schedule. If you enjoy cooking and have the time, there is nothing stopping you from eating like you do at home or in my case, better.
 
We sometimes place our first meals in tin foil (seasoned meat and vegies) secured to the manifold of our truck. As we sometimes get a late day start to our next campsite several hours away, then register, and finish setting up, we got a hot meal already cooked and ready to eat.

In (our other endeavor) the offroad world, its a great way to cook while having fun wheeling for 3 or so hours. Not to mention some darn good food to boot!
 
If you have a convection microwave, plenty of terrific meals can be made with minimal time. Prepare the dish beforehand and then cook as soon as you stop. Electric skillets are great too. My wife and I enjoy stir-fry and so many options for quick, healthy meals or even breakfast for dinner or gourmet grilled cheese. Of course this assumes you have inverter or generator power while in the lot. If not, a nice selection of meats and cheese for a charcuterie with some fruit and veggies and a hummus or dip require nothing but a fridge. A nice egg salad, chicken salad, or seafood salad makes for good options too.
 
RoJoSo said:
Great idea. My luck, I'd start a grease fire in my trucks engine compartment.
I've heard of this but never seen it done. Something to consider for burgers maybe.
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Yea... I too was skeptical the first time I heard about it on the trail while offroading. But if you can imagine being in a Jeep all day driving over high degree off camber obstacles on 4+ (out of 5 rated) trails for 3 to 4 hours, and then being able to see and taste the results... it certainly made us believers.

The key is to ensure you fold the tin foil wrap edges unto to itself (on all open sides) to form a tight seal and secure it in a location on top of the engine on or near the intake manifold. We use this method even more so now that we pull a 30+' trailer and have to sometimes stop at highway rest stops along the way with no power.

BTW, this same method is great for firepit or campfire cooking as well. Because of the direct flame and greater heat of a firepit or campfire, cook times are greatly reduced. We do this too and just pay more attention to the process to ensure not over cooking.
 
christinaV said:
Hi Guys, I know this is a silly question but we are going on the big trip next month, I am just curious to know what do you guys like to cook while camping. I know there are a lot of people who like to eat noodles, but I need to know other than noodles. :D:D:cool::cool:
Click to expand...

My basic menus always contain hamburgers, pulled chicken (crockpot prepared), hamburger casserole, hot dogs & beans. Also use Hamburger/Tuna Helper boxed prepared meals. Salads are quick and easy. Mac & Cheese works well.
 
So now we have a name for camping out at Walmart (or some other parking lot intended for shoppers)...... "lotdocking"...... I always thought of it as "moochdocking"......

I know... I know..... lot's of people do it......

Anyway...... Why not just purchase some food at commercial location(s) at/near the "lotdocking" 'campground' you use? If nothing else it will help support the good folks who allowed you to stay there.
 
geotex1 said:
If you have a convection microwave, plenty of terrific meals can be made with minimal time. Prepare the dish beforehand and then cook as soon as you stop. Electric skillets are great too. My wife and I enjoy stir-fry and so many options for quick, healthy meals or even breakfast for dinner or gourmet grilled cheese. Of course this assumes you have inverter or generator power while in the lot. If not, a nice selection of meats and cheese for a charcuterie with some fruit and veggies and a hummus or dip require nothing but a fridge. A nice egg salad, chicken salad, or seafood salad makes for good options too.
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We will have a generator that we can use for the microwave. This was an idea, We were looking at any other ideas.

Breakfast is easy. Cerals both hot and cold, bagels etc.

We do have places we would like to eat at while traveling, such as Black Hills Burger and Bun in Custer SD.

I am looking into a lithium battery 200ah, charger, and an inverter. I am currently doing my research. The goal is to start out on a lithium battery 200ah and a charger, and maybe an inverter. I want to be able to grow the system with additional components, like solar. Eventually power both legs of the 50amp rig.
 
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traveldawg said:
So now we have a name for camping out at Walmart (or some other parking lot intended for shoppers)...... "lotdocking"...... I always thought of it as "moochdocking"......

I know... I know..... lot's of people do it......

Anyway...... Why not just purchase some food at commercial location(s) at/near the "lotdocking" 'campground' you use? If nothing else it will help support the good folks who allowed you to stay there.
Click to expand...

I think moochdocking is staying at a family or friends place and mooching off their electric and water.
No idea where I got the term lotdocking. I just figured calling it that bc we are in a parking lot. LOL!

We have stayed at Cracker Barrels and ate there and others of the like. I was curious as to what peple do at parking lots or Truck / Rest Stops.

If we get to Custer SD, we do want to try Black Hills Burger and Bun in Custer SD. If the timing is right. They have odd hours.
 
RoJoSo said:
I think moochdocking is staying at a family or friends place and mooching off their electric and water.
No idea where I got the term lotdocking. I just figured calling it that bc we are in a parking lot. LOL!

We have stayed at Cracker Barrels and ate there and others of the like. I was curious as to what peple do at parking lots or Truck / Rest Stops.

If we get to Custer SD, we do want to try Black Hills Burger and Bun in Custer SD. If the timing is right. They have odd hours.
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If that is what moochdocking is than we're guilty for sure! We have a few friends who have utilities set up at their homes (usually ranches or farms) who we visit and stay on their property.

I'm not much help for overnight stops as we always stop at campgrounds (or reasonable facsimiles for one night stop overs). So the meals vary from the ever ready standby - grilled cheese and tomato soup, to cooked meals.

fwiw.... we usually make sandwiches ahead of time to eat lunch along the way to our next location.
 
We do get some premade food at Costco for some nights (love their Asian Orange Chicken and the deli made meat loaf with mashed potatoes!) but our Weber grill get a lot of work for hamburgers, steaks, pork chops, lamb chops and chicken. Alway nice to do a Papa Murphy’s in our oven! The Furion residential oven in our Solitude is so great!
 
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