Cooking while Trekking

Our Class B is the equivalent of a very well equipped "tiny" home. It has a 5 cu. ft refrigerator/freezer, a propane two-burner range top and a convection/microwave oven. We carry a portable induction electric burner and a small electric toaster.

Eating is one of those daily tasks which require cooking and as we both enjoy cooking we added an induction electric cook top and a portable propane grill. I've recently put together a short video about our cooking. I've attached a link later in this post.

Because of the size of the B we cook outdoors wherever possible.  We like to cook and we travel to follow the sun, although we've had our share of cold weather treks (low while camping of about 5F or -15C).   When the weather is cold we will use the rangetop or induction burner and the convection/microwave. However, one must be aware of the limitations of 30A AC shore power.  One must also be careful about adding moisture to the air when it is very cold, as this will condense on cold surfaces such as windows, etc. We also prefer to conserve propane for the hot water heater and so we prefer to use the induction burner rather than the propane range top.  Cast iron works very well with the induction burner.

We trek between stationary home bases which are a travel trailer and a 5th wheel. We call the travel trailer our "cabin" and we call the 5th wheel the "mother ship". When we are at those locales we can be more sophisticated in our cooking and the 5th wheel has an oven, although I am aware of the success of others baking with the convection oven in the Roadtrek. This arrangement is by design and we began planning this in 2000. We decided the trekmobile would come first as it would allow us to confirm our regional base choices.

We've trekked about 28,000 miles in four years and our longest in the Roadtrek was 110 days. We cook most of the time and choose local fruits and vegetables when in season and available.  We supplement this with dining out, but usually choose things we won't or can't cook. That doesn't mean always simplistic things to prepare. Today G is working on eggplant parmigiana. I've made scratch cinnamon buns, but not in the Roadtrek;  primarily because we can't easily carry all of the cooking paraphernalia  required for baking in the Roadtrek.

Because we cook outdoors and in warmer weather most of the time we prefer fewer carbs and meals with salads and protein. When it does get cool we go for "comfort" foods including chicken soup and chili, etc. However, preparing these and storing the left overs have practical limitations with a 5 cu. ft. refrigerator.

The convection/microwave is wonderful for many foods. Ours has a dual mode which uses convection heat with microwave energy to cook foods. Works very well with chicken, etc.

One other practical issue is clean up. We prefer to cook outdoors where oils, moisture, smells, etc. are released into the outside air and not into the interior of the Roadtrek. Dining is sometimes inside but more frequently outside. Breakfasts on cool days may be prepared outdoors and eaten indoors.

Here's a video of some of the prepared meals:

Here's a video of the use of the convection oven: