Truck stop food can be expensive and unhealthy, so it’s no wonder that many veteran drivers have come up with some outstanding hacks to eat delicious home-cooked meals right in their cab. From eggs and bacon to steaks and potatoes and pretty much everything in between, creative drivers are fueling up with the good stuff right in their trucks.
In a recent Facebook post, we asked our community what they were cooking in their rigs and here are a few key takeaways according to their responses.
Equipment
There are a few common threads that ran throughout the answers we saw when it came to must-haves for cooking quality meals on the go. Some of the top items included:
• Slow Cooker complete with plastic liners for easy clean up
• Air Fryer complete with parchment paper liners for easy clean up
• Portable Grill
• 12-Volt Lunch Boxes
• Foil – both for keeping clean up easy and for those old school folks who still cook on the engine
• Real world Tetris skills to keep your small fridge stocked with quality ingredients
What can you make?
Here’s the thing, truckers are some smart cookies, and there’s pretty much no limit to what you can make. Craving some pasta? Chicken? Pizza? Yep, you can make all of those in the cab. Let’s see some answers from the community as to what they’ve been cooking up!
“Spaghetti with meatballs and Italian Sausage.” – Paul G.
“Get you an air fryer from Walmart and cook almost whatever you want!” – Randy A.
“Hamburger, potatoes, green beans wrapped in foil on the engine. ” – Cathy G.
“Grilled ribeye, mac n cheese and mashed potatoes. I keep a small charcoal grill under my bunk. Any time I park and the weather permits it I grill. Mostly country style pork ribs, chicken and steak.” – Jeremy O.
“In the Crock-Pot cooking for later this evening beef roast, potatoes, carrots, onion, and celery a little fresh garlic throw in salt and pepper” – Bill F.
“I used to make slow cooker lasagna.
“All the ingredients of a lasagna, including spinach and either cottage or Romano cheese into a slow cooker. Delicious and nutritious!” Kevin C.
“I bought an air fryer. I cook everything from salmon caught this summer to steaks and vegetables to baked potatoes. Best investment I ever made. I have parchment paper liners so absolutely no mess” – Michael R.
“Steak and tater green beans Air fryer. Food I cook in my truck is better than food I fix at home. Yes I am addicted to Trucking.” – Andrew P.
“When I was over the road I had a slow cooker. Ribs and sauerkraut was one of my favorites.” – Lonnie S.
“I got some homemade chilaquiles that I cooked up!” – Erick P.
“When I was otr (bedbugging), I carried a charcoal girl, when laid over I cooked everything, meat, veggies, potatoes etc. Use to sell plates for $5. Be safe Drivers from the Simple man…” – Randy C.
“Jambalaya” – Mike P.
“Omelet in a mug” – RJ B.
“Meatloaf pork chops pot roast porterhouse scalloped potatoes garlic green beans asparagus soup meatballs and spaghetti chicken Alfredo all from scratch I stopped eating truck stop greasy fast food crap a long time ago” – Travis W.
“Today is hickory smoked ribs from my offset smoker, and veggies mixed with garlic Alfredo noodles. If you know you know! You get out of your body what you put into it.” – Josh K.
It’s safe to say that there are plenty of options for cooking something good right in your cab and we hope these suggestions will inspire your next gourmet meal!
