Cooking in your cab requires planning, whether keeping it simple with an electric kettle or creating a four-course culinary masterpiece with your portable slow cooker. But how do you decide what you will cook on road? We've got 5 easy steps to help you determine what food items and ingredients to shop for, ways to store it, and how to turn it all into quick, delicious, healthy, and affordable meals.
1. Survey Available Storage Space
The first step is to determine how much space you have to carry food and how much of needs refrigeration. The answers to these questions will determine how you shop, what you buy, and ultimately, the kinds of meals you can prepare. And with limited options, it's a perfect opportunity to get creative. Storing food correctly will help you keep your cab clean and organized, as well as maintain the ability to easily see what you have on hand.
While your options will be specific to your cab, dedicate some cabinets to food. You may also find space under your bunk or on the floor in front of or behind the passenger seat.
2. Compile Your Shopping List
Once you know what is possible to store, you can then prepare your list of food that you want to bring with you. Here are a few tips to do just that.
With limited fridge space, new, higher-quality, non-perishable alternatives for foods that don't require refrigeration are a great substitution.
Eggs
Did you know that fresh eggs don't have to be kept cold? They last up to three weeks at room temperature. Generally, keeping them in the refrigerator extends their shelf life to around 45 days.
If you aren't comfortable leaving your eggs out and you don't have cold storage, consider these alternatives:
- Best Flavor - Ova Easy Egg Crystals
- Long-Lasting - Augason Farms Dried Whole Egg Product
- Convenient Packaging - Sonstegard Powdered Egg Mix
Milk
There's no way around the fact that fresh milk must be refrigerated. The smell, when it spoils, will drive you out of your rig for days. Fortunately, there are shelf-stable alternatives for drinking and cooking that don’t need to be kept cold until after opening the package.
Unopened boxed milk stores for up to six months at room temperature, and there are dairy-free options for those with allergies or vegan lifestyles. Some of the most popular include:
- Horizon Organic Milk Box
- Organic Valley Chocolate Milk Boxes
- Silk Unsweetened Almond Milk
If you plan to cook with milk, you don't necessarily need the larger, heavier boxed version. Cans of evaporated milk travel well, stay fresh, and work with most recipes. Note that evaporated milk is regular milk with some of the water removed. That's different from sweetened, condensed milk, which has quite a bit of added sugar.
Finally, you can choose powdered milk. Add water and drink or use in place of fresh milk when you cook. Carnation NonFat Dry Milk, Peak Full Cream Instant Milk Powder, and Z Natural Foods Coconut Milk Powder are favorites, but you may need to sample a variety of brands to find one you like.
Meats
If you enjoy standard grill fares like burgers, chicken, and hotdogs, or you want to try out stews with your slow cooker, plan to keep the meat frozen until use if at all possible. Otherwise, use raw ground beef and chicken early in your trip - within two or three days of getting on the road.
Other raw meat like beef tips, steak, and pork chops can last three and five days in the refrigerator. In most cases, you can count on hot dogs, ham, bacon, and other cured meats preserved with salt to stay fresh for up to a week.
Another option is to cook raw meats and package them in recipe-sized portions before leaving home. This method reduces prep time and optimizes the use of storage space. More importantly, pre-cooked meat stays fresh longer. For example, cooked chicken can be used up to four days after preparation if appropriately refrigerated.
Of course, you won't want to stop for groceries every couple of days, and your trips may be longer than the safe refrigeration time for most meats. Don't worry - you don't have to live on canned tuna. There are plenty of compact, versatile, and shelf-stable options for your truck pantry. Examples of non-perishable meats include:
- Boar's Head Charcuterie Salami or Pepperoni
- Hormel Corned Beef Hash or Chunk Ham
- Keystone Meats All Natural Ground Beef
- Libby's Corned Beef
- Libby's Vienna Sausages
- Old Wisconsin Summer Sausage
- SPAM
- Starkist Chicken
- Starkist Pink Salmon
- Underwood Corned Beef or Roast Beef Spread
A word of caution on preserved meats - they tend to be high in fat and salt. Chicken, tuna, and salmon are the best choices for daily fare. Use the others with a light hand for flavor or limit the number of meals that rely on shelf-stable meats.
Fruits & Veggies
Many fruits and veggies don't need to be refrigerated, but that's not the real issue when planning menus for the road. It's vital to pick produce that keeps well, and even better if it can handle rough handling. Good choices for your grocery list include:
- Clementines
- Sugar Snap Peas
- Blueberries
- Cherry/Grape Tomatoes
- Miniature Bell Peppers
- Apples
- Mangoes
- Pineapples
- Cherries
- Grapes
- Baby Carrots
- Bananas
- Celery
- Cucumbers
- Zucchini
- Spinach
- Potatoes
- Onions
- Sweet Potatoes
Canned vegetables keep well, but they are high in salt. If you have the freezer space for steam-ready vegetables, they are a better solution, and they are budget-friendly at just a dollar or two per bag. Five minutes in the microwave, and you have fresh, perfectly cooked vegetables that you can eat alone or add to other recipes.
Pantry Staples
Your rig doesn't have the cupboard space for a full pantry like the one you have at home, but there are some staples that you can't live without when cooking in your cab. These are recommended pantry items to keep in stock all the time:
- Salt & Pepper
- Preferred Herbs & Spices
- Sugar
- Powdered Milk
- Powdered Eggs
- Whole-Grain Crackers
- Dried Fruit (apricots, raisins, cranberries, cherries)
- Nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachios, cashews, peanuts)
- Coffee, Tea, Hot Cocoa
- Peanut Butter
- Jam
- Nutella
- Oatmeal
- Pancake Mix (complete - just add water)
- Syrup
- Canned Soup, Stew, Chili
- Ramen noodles
- Rice
- Condiments (ketchup, mustard, relish, barbeque sauce, salad dressing, mayonnaise)
- Granola
- Minced Garlic
- Bullion Cubes
Don't forget to put bread and other baked goods on your shopping list. Start with sandwich bread or rolls, and then decide what else you need based on your planned menus. Popular selections are English muffins, bagels, hot dog rolls, and hamburger rolls.
With these items on hand, you will never be hungry, no matter the circumstances. More importantly, you will be fully equipped and prepared to cook in your cab.
3. Go Shopping
You've got your list, so now it's time to do the actual shopping! Head to your store of choice or place an order online. It's always a good idea to stick to your grocery list while shopping to ensure that you don't purchase more items than you have available storage or spend above your budget.
4. Organize the Food in Your Cab
Organizing the food in your cab is a key step to successful cooking. Go back to all of the available areas you surveyed and set everything up in a way where you can securely store it, see what you have, and take out what you need.
Food that is perishable, fresh, or prepared in advance will likely need refrigeration. Refer to this list for tips on how to make your fruits and veggies last longer, such as wrapping them around paper towels to reduce moisture. Anything non-perishable can be put in your cabinets or other similar spaces. Seasoned drivers recommend transferring goods such as dry grains from cardboard boxes into sealed, plastic bags or similar containers. Using a vacuum-sealed food storage system is a double win because it not only helps keep things fresh for longer, but cuts down on space.
5. cook your meal and enjoy!
The last and final step is to cook. What you make depends upon the equipment you have. Most truckers already have a refrigerator, coffee maker, and microwave, but your menu options grow exponentially with the addition of an electric kettle, an electric skillet, a lunchbox oven, and/or a slow cooker.
Here are some ideas of what to cook with each piece of equipment:
Electric Kettle
These kettles boil water quickly, so they are great for instant meals when you are short on time. Delicious ideas to get you started include:
- Instant Cereal - oatmeal, cream of wheat, polenta, or grits with add-ins like butter, milk, nuts, sugar, dried fruit, or syrup to liven things up
- Dried Eggs - add hot water to make scrambled eggs, and consider flavorful additions like shredded cheese, cream cheese, and crumbled bacon or bacon bits
- Ramen Noodles - eat them alone or add anything to make a hearty meal, such as veggies, chopped meats, canned chicken, and parmesan cheese
- Instant Meals - Good to Go, Backpacker's Pantry, and Mountain House offer a wide selection of just-add-hot-water meals that range from mac and cheese and meat lasagna to vegetarian and vegan dishes
Electric Skillet
An electric skillet gives you all the flexibility of a stovetop though you aren't in a kitchen. That opens up all sorts of possibilities. Make fresh eggs or scramble dried eggs, then add a bit of sausage, bacon, or fried ham for taste. Pancakes are great any time of day, and you can create a dessert version when you want something sweet. Toss in some banana, or chocolate chips, or spread Nutella on top for a chocolaty treat.
Hot sandwiches are super-satisfying, especially on cold days. Make gourmet grilled cheese by adding in tomato, bacon, ham, or sliced turkey. You can also try sliced onions, avocados, mushrooms, apples, or pears if you are feeling adventurous. Then spread your favorite condiment on before frying - spicy mustard, chutney, bacon jam, pesto, and pepper jelly transform a basic sandwich.
Fry up burgers, kielbasa, or chicken breasts with a bit of vegetable oil to form the foundation of your meal. Then cook frozen or fresh sliced veggies with a bit of butter, or use a bottled stir fry sauce to add flavor. Examples include Minor's General Tso's Sauce, Panda Sauce for Mandarin Orange Chicken, and Mr. Yoshida's Original Gourmet Sauce.
Lunchbox Oven
The beauty of a lunchbox oven is that you can cook the same things you make at home if you wish - just on a smaller scale. These mini-appliances are great for comfort food like steak and baked potatoes or chicken and rice, and they also work well for reheating. When you are home, pack leftovers from family meals into tins or put new portion-sized meals together, then heat them in your lunchbox oven while you are on the road.
Slow Cooker
Slow cookers are best known for soups and stews, but you can cook almost anything using the low-and-slow method. They are especially good for tough, inexpensive cuts of meat because slow cooking makes anything tender. If you prep your ingredients in advance - chopping, dicing, etc. - all you have to do is dump everything in, turn it on, and wait.
There are three parts to any slow cooker recipe (two if you are vegetarian or vegan): The meat, the vegetables, and the liquid. Begin by tossing in any cut of meat, along with an assortment of cubed vegetables that appeals to you.
Follow up with plain water, a bouillon cube or basic spices (salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, etc), or any cooking sauce (barbeque, teriyaki, and A1) to transform the flavor of your meal even if the underlying meat and vegetables are the same for several days in a row.
There are a lot of reasons to love forming new cooking habits in your cab. You are likely to save money when you aren't eating out all the time, and you will enjoy greater variety in your meals. More importantly, you can increase the quality of your diet, which prevents the chronic health conditions that plague career truckers.
Other relevant articles:
Cooking in Your Cab: Part 1 - Making Healthy Eating Quick, Tasty, and Affordable