Cooking/Eating OTR

I was wondering how many of you OTR do your own food preparation? What items do you consider as essential to the task?

I was wondering how many of you OTR do your own food preparation? What items do you consider as essential to the task?

That's a good question to update the issue with inverters and microwaves becoming commonplace. When I drove several years ago I had no way to cook food or to even heat things up. Now, if I get issued a truck with an inverter, I think I will take my electric frying pan. With such limited room, that will do everything I need to do. A microwave would be useful too.

I was wondering how many of you OTR do your own food preparation? What items do you consider as essential to the task?

That's a good question to update the issue with inverters and microwaves becoming commonplace. When I drove several years ago I had no way to cook food or to even heat things up. Now, if I get issued a truck with an inverter, I think I will take my electric frying pan. With such limited room, that will do everything I need to do. A microwave would be useful too.

That is why I started a more current thread, I've been looking back through the forum and everything is....stale.

I have a microwave, fridge and a plug in Coleman cooler box on my truck. On my hometime I’ll cook two big home cooked meals eat some of course and pack the rest away for the box and freezer. I bring along some canned soup and sand which makings. With the freezer I can store enough for several meals. I also make a big Walmart run on my hometime and get incidentals - plates, sauces , snack bars etc whatever healthy or sometimes unhealthy treat I like.

Doing it this way my grocery bill runs about $250 to three for a month and I hardly ever eat at truck stops. The times I do eat out I reserve for the home cooking mom and pop truck stop diners on my route, but that’s only like three times ina six week period I eat there , usually breakfast as I love scrambled eggs et al.

I also have an instant pot and may start dabbling with making soups on the truck this winter.

I run a reduced regional version of OTR , that means I drive 5-6 days, then spend 2 days at home. I do not eat food that was not cooked by me or my wife. Let's be honest: truck stop food is nothing but disgusting. My truck has an inverter, a cheap one, doesn't work with electric 1.5kw kettle or George Foreman, but small microwave is OK. I also have a fridge, a propane burner to boil water, and a small charcoal grill. I cook at home and put food in containers, then reheat. This setup will not work for 2+ weeks, but I guess if I had to be away from home for so long, I would add a more powerful propane burner and cook over my 34 reset.

Walmart has those fruit variety/ready to eat packages. Also the veggie variety packages. I used to keep one of them within easy reach as I drove. Munching on those kept me from being super hungry at mealtimes. They also have pre-packaged meal size salads and very good rotisserie chicken that you can get hot and keep the leftovers in the cooler or the refrigerator.

I remember a few years ago a driver posted that he only ate at diners/restaurants and his tab, with tips, averaged about $900 per month. Ouch

This is a good shopping spree for me. I have an inverter, fridge/freezer, iceless cooler, convection oven/air fryer/microwave oven so I can bake, fry and nuke just about anything. I also have an insti pot. I will often make stews, chili, soups or whatever suits me. I can cook meats and noodles in it as well as my favorite, slow cooking. I can bake a cake in the oven if I wish (although I don't see me doing it) and I have a variety of dishware being silverware, knives, bowls, cutting board, can opener, noodle strainer etc. As well as paper plates, Styrofoam plates and paper bowls. I eat pretty well on the road. I live in the truck full time so I don't miss much. I also eat out anytime I want something. Do I eat healthy? No. But I eat good.

Thanks to the original poster for starting this thread and to each of you so far for sharing what you do/eat. This is definitely something I'm thinking about too, and it's good to get up-to-date info!

In TNT I got sick because of the junk in truckstops, my stomach was def NOT used to eating trash food.

On my last hometime, I stocked my freezer. I have chicken breasts, steaks, pork chops, burger, and pre-seasoned taco meat. I stocked up on charcuterie board items (meats and cheeses) pickles, lunch meat, eggs, etc etc.

Dry goods I get the single serve veggie packs in the canned food isle, a couple cans of soup, easy Mac cups, and the pre-cooked chicken pouches just in case my fridge dies. Then I have my cashews, almonds, and peanut mini packs, protein bars, fruit leather, etc.

Prime is switching to a 1500w Cobra inverter, and I am lucky enough to have a new one, which runs the Galanz 3 in 1 on microwave without having to high idle., But to bake or air fry, the truck needs to be running. I have a 600w electric skillet (very small square) and the cheap $9 sandwich maker from Walmart. The sandwich maker works wonders for fried eggs, hash browns, or grilled cheese sandwiches.

I carry a sharp knife, flexible cutting board, one reg plate and bowl, a few Rubbermaid type storage bowls, paper plates, plastic utensils, can opener.

Ultimately, instacart and Walmart+ is how I plan to keep stocked up, but luckily I have been able to walk to the nearest grocery store, so no need to online order yet, but it's coming!

It is hard for me to understand how people eat from paper or plastic plates, drink from plastic cups and use plastic forks and spoons. It may be a Russian thing, but a good amount of pleasure from eating my meal comes from a porcelain plate, a glass pint and a silver fork. It does take some extra time to wash everything, but it is definitely worth it!