Cooking in a Van Part #1
I don't want to spend a lot of time on recipes as everyone has their own favorite foods. I want to focus on the fact that if you can cook it in sticks and bricks home then there is a high probability you can cook it in a van. You have to be conscious of steam and splatter but with proper ventilation, you should be just fine.
The first cooking appliance I want to start with is two different appliances. They both do the same thing, but both are valuable for different reasons.
The first appliance we picked up was an eight-inch skillet. We purchased this at the local Home Hardware
https://www.homehardware.ca/en/square-non-stick-electric-skillet-with-glass-lid-8-/p/3830133
You can cook anything you can cook on a hot plate in it and use it as a small pot for Pasta, browning ground beef, or frying pork chops. The issue we had was it was only large enough to cook a serving at a time. This item is excellent for the solo van lifer, but it has its limitations for a couple. We kept it because we like the small pot aspect, and there are times Tom wants to make something for himself, and he doesn't have to drag the hot plate out.
We chose to include both appliances in one article because there is not much you can do on the Hot Plate that can't be done in the skillet. There is just more space allowing for multiple items at one time. We are very breakfast orientated and have at least one of these two items out daily.
We recently added this Electric hot plate to our kitchen and can't believe we ever cooked breakfast without it.
We cook everything on this from eggs, bacon, or grilled cheese to pan-seared fish or fried pork chops. It allows us to cook for two and cook multiple types of food at one time.
The power required to use either of these appliances is at or below the 1000 Watt point and because they are quick the draw is minimal on our battery bank. If you have the space I recommend having both but if you are a solo traveler then the eight-inch skillet is the way to go.
The following video is a quick look at some of the foods we prepare with these appliances but as you will see they are only the beginning.