Do people actually cook in their van?

[Hotel California]

Kathy made some pastasauce with fresh veggies just this evening.



Had some of our favorite rose with it .
Can anyone see why i like this rose so much?

 

[Izzi]

I saw 'The Campervan Cookbook- life on 4 wheels cooking on 2 rings' on a book stall the other day. Not only about 2 rings but outdoor cooking too. I wish i'd bought a copy - i see it is on amazon too.

 

[Kmann]

Can anyone see why i like this rose so much?
View attachment 26034

It says California?

 

[Hotel California]

@Kmann , well spotted! yes rose from California . We drink thatone a lot . Always some botles at home and in the Cali.

 

[Kmann]

@Kmann , well spotted! yes rose from California . We drink thatone a lot . Always some botles at home and in the Cali.

Gallo is one of the biggest producers in USA. But they make very nice wines.

 

[Heather]

We recently hired a Cali and found out it didn't come with the advertised camp stove. I cooked quite a few meals in it (some of which I'd planned to do on said camp stove). After doing this, I would say cooking is completely possible.

Once Lyla arrives, I plan on doing most of the cooking on a Cobb grill. I will also likely get a microwave for when we are on mains hookup (which will be most of the time). I figure with these extra tools, you can cook almost anything.

PS- I also like to go to the pub, but I can't do it every meal. I love the local produce and I love to cook. This is one of the big draws of the Cali for us!

 

[soulstyledevon]

Picking up an older tread.
We coock in the cali as said before but bacon and meat i usual bake outside on a small coocker.
Here the result of this evenings work
Some pasta , chickenbreast , sauce , salade
View attachment 26005

Earlyer lunch looked like this , no coocking involved doh ....
Mind the carrots and cumcumber witch we brought with us are from my own garden
View attachment 26006

Did you fry chicken in the van...???
Looks tasty

 

[Hotel California]

@soulstyledevon , baked outside on the small coocker
Actually on this trip we are on now it is the first time we coocked fresh patatoes.
Usual we take pasta , rice(easy in those bags ) and some bags sliced patatoes to bake...
But as now this year i grown my own patatoes in the garden and i just harvest them before we went off we took some ...
Peeled and coocked them .

 

[Izzi]

We recently hired a Cali and found out it didn't come with the advertised camp stove. I cooked quite a few meals in it (some of which I'd planned to do on said camp stove). After doing this, I would say cooking is completely possible.

Once Lyla arrives, I plan on doing most of the cooking on a Cobb grill. I will also likely get a microwave for when we are on mains hookup (which will be most of the time). I figure with these extra tools, you can cook almost anything.

PS- I also like to go to the pub, but I can't do it every meal. I love the local produce and I love to cook. This is one of the big draws of the Cali for us!

Which size Cobb do you think good for the Cali?

 

[soulstyledevon]

Which size Cobb do you think good for the Cali?

I had a COBB for many years, but recently got rid of it.
Don't get me wrong, you can cook some lovely meals. But everything takes an age and having to clean it out when camping was a right hassle.
This year, i have jumped over to a gas weber go anywhere and its made life so much easier. I don't bother cleaning it very often either.

You can't beat charcoal BBQ for home, but camping and travelling i am now a total gas BBQ convert. Would consider a Cadac Surfari, a friend of mine raves about his.

 

[BikerGran]

I don't understand the problem about 'splatter' - I often fry bacon or sausages, I always use the right hand ring for this, and as long as the gas is fairly low (which is better for the cooking AND the life of the pan) the only splatter goes on the cooker/sink cover which is easy to clean.
Why buy a van with a cooker if you're not going to cook?

 

[Seaview]

We find the below a good companion to the Cobb setup. We also use the hob inside the van too, really depends on what we cooking. And of course there's always the pub

 

[WelshGas]

I don't understand the problem about 'splatter' - I often fry bacon or sausages, I always use the right hand ring for this, and as long as the gas is fairly low (which is better for the cooking AND the life of the pan) the only splatter goes on the cooker/sink cover which is easy to clean.
Why buy a van with a cooker if you're not going to cook?

You can also use a splatter guard.

 

[Ewan]

For anyone who's looking for some good ideas for tasty and straightforward campervan meals you might like to know that the Clever Camper Cookbook has just been published. Lots of favourite standbys (bolognese, bean stews, curries, s'mores) as well as some slightly more unusual recipes (eg one-pot Mexican breakfast, fajitas with homemade wraps).

The 'Clever' part in the name hints at some ingenious and thrifty ideas - the recipes are 'no fuss' and the kind you would make time and time again. I have a couple of free copies to give away on my blog for any budding cooks for folks who actually do want to cook in their van! https://wildaboutscotland.com/2018/03/16/the-clever-camper-cookbook-review-and-giveaway-competition/.

 

[Lloydfred]

I'll look for this book next time I'm in town, thanks!

 

[Jonathan Duke]

When choosing our Beach, instead of an SE/Ocean..... One of the deciding factors was, we didn't think we'd cook much, so the built-in kitchen/hobs weren't going to be used much and thus not good value for money. We like to eat out, especially at weekends and on high-days etc.... However, after 110x nights sleeping in our Beach, as it has turned out, we cook loads..... Probably 50-60% of the time. If buying again tomorrow, we'd still go with the Beach. It's been much easier, and more enjoyable to cook than either of us would have previously envisaged.

 

[Sp0_0k]

Pretty impressed with a slow cooker we got.
12v pot that is cooking while you are driving. Just 100watt at max and 50 watt at slow cooking.
Capable of getting to boiling state in 40 minutes.
Pretty small, advertised as 1 liter capacity but can hold like 600-700ml water max for boiling.
Found out this size is actually perfect that you can comfortably eat from it right away. A light easy to handle pot.
So we are going with 2 of them so can cook two meals at a time.
Called Oushiba and you can find it on Ebay or Aliexpress.

 

[Newt]

Pretty impressed with a slow cooker we got.
12v pot that is cooking while you are driving. Just 100watt at max and 50 watt at slow cooking.
Capable of getting to boiling state in 40 minutes.
Pretty small, advertised as 1 liter capacity but can hold like 600-700ml water max for boiling.
Found out this size is actually perfect that you can comfortably eat from it right away. A light easy to handle pot.
So we are going with 2 of them so can cook two meals at a time.
Called Oushiba and you can find it on Ebay or Aliexpress.

Where do you put it while driving?? I can imagine pots of food all over the place (it’s not me driving .... honest!)

 

[Sp0_0k]

On the dash of course, right behind the wheel. WIth an open cover, pot boiling so I can smell and check it while driving.
Where do people put porta potties while driving? I can imagine poop flying all over the place at any moment.
It is not me driving with poop flying around.... honest! )

 

[Sp0_0k]

A common practice on this forum recently. Each time am trying to share some practical tips I get such genuine reactions Just getting annoyingly old.
Well, we'll get back to travels and just keep the practical discoveries to ourselves.

 

[frenchie]

I cook a lot in the van. If on hook up I use an halogen oven or if cooking outside a cobb which if used with good foil is easy to clean afterwards. A George foreman grill also gets used a lot..F

 

[Teejay]

A common practice on this forum recently. Each time am trying to share some practical tips I get such genuine reactions Just getting annoyingly old.
Well, we'll get back to travels and just keep the practical discoveries to ourselves.

You've got to try to ignore the naysayers, I'd be interested to learn more of the 12v setup you have.

 

[GrannyJen]

It was a genuine question, I’m sorry if it offends you, I know that I have had to do a few emergency stops before.

When I have used one it has been in the boot, in one of the Vango boot tidies that I use, plugged un the 12V socket in the boot. Easy really.

 

[Meoncoast]

On the dash of course, right behind the wheel. WIth an open cover, pot boiling so I can smell and check it while driving.
Where do people put porta potties while driving? I can imagine poop flying all over the place at any moment.
It is not me driving with poop flying around.... honest! )

I thought it was a reasonable question and was the 1st thought I had when you post about cooking on the move and I would have asked the same. The porta potties are designed to stop sing from flying with a lid and trap door.

 

[Sp0_0k]

The porta potties are designed to stop poo from flying with a lid and trap door.

But nothing else is.