What Can I Use On The Truck To Cook With?

This must be the number 1 question asked in the group especially by people who are completely new to trucking. There are so many appliances you could use on a truck but there are a few factors you have to keep in mind because even though one person may be able to use an item on his/her truck, you may not be able to! Why? Very simple: most new drivers are hired by trucking companies who all have different policies when it comes to what you can and cannot do with a company truck. Only a small group of drivers become owner-operators (O/Os) right off the bat (at least I hope they wait until they get to know the industry a bit better but this is a whole different topic!) and can thus do with their trucks as they please. Any driver can get 12 volt items like a cooler, Burton or Road Pro appliances like lunch box, coffee maker etc. because it doesn't require anything extra to be installed in the truck. The small lunch boxes usually work pretty good and are good enough especially if you are a solo driver you won't need a huge crockpot or mini Nuwave or other large appliance. Of course it gets trickier to buy meat or keep produce fresh long in a regular cooler. So you would have to find more canned items which don't require refrigeration for instance.

There are also truckers in the group on FB who can their food at home and then take it on the truck when they get back on the road which is also an option. Remember if you have questions while you are reading you can always post in the FB group as people are always willing to lend a helping hand! :) Then there are companies who will allow you to install an inverter (with which you can use regular household appliances depending on how many watts it draws vs. what your inverter can handle) but some will only allow 300W inverters where others will allow 1500W or higher. Some examples can be found here (this is just an example; there are many more brands and places to shop). One of the companies we drove for would allow us to install a 1500 watt inverter but it would have to be installed by their shop. They did it for free though so no big deal. They did this because a lot of places used the wrong cables or installed it incorrectly which can cause your truck to burn down so if you have no clue what you're doing please find someone who does! This is what an inverter looks like:

What can you run on a 1500W inverter? 

We had a George Foreman grill on the truck (smallest size!), microwave and slow cooker. We did have to have the truck running when we were parked to use the items and we couldn't use them at the same time so you have to figure out what takes the longest to cook and what the shortest. So you start with the food that takes longest to cook, put it aside and cook the next item until everything is done. Yes no one said it was easy! ;)
Of course when you have a larger inverter you can use higher wattage appliances.

So which appliances are others using on the truck?

There are many you could use but I will post the ones I have seen come by in the FB group.

Fridge/Freezer: You could get a dormsize unit because they will work with a 1500 watt inverter for instance but there are a few things to think of. Regular house fridges aren't made to hit bumpy roads on a daily basis and most won't last more than several months. I know some have been lucky and had theirs much longer but I hear more people that are in the first group than the latter. There is a 12V option made for trucks but yes, they are (of course) a lot more expensive and smaller as well.
We got ours here but of course they are not the only ones so shop around.

Rice Cooker: You can use it for the obvious use: cooking rice but it also lends itself to heating up foods like soups, stews etc. or steam veggies, sponge cake, bread the options are endless.

Nuwave Oven: Although I have only heard drivers use the mini version of this appliance as the full version draws too much 'juice' to be able to be used on the truck. The As Seen on TV NuWave Oven Pro uses triple combo cooking power to cook your food up to 50 percent faster — while using up to 85 percent less energy. The NuWave Oven Pro can broil, roast, bake, barbeque, steam, dehydrate and even air-fry food. There's no need to preheat the oven or defrost your food, as you'll be able to make healthy home cooked meals in half the time. 

Burton Lunchbox: There are more brands out there but we refer to it as the Burton lunchbox. See the picture below so you can see what it looks like. The foil pans are optional but they are recommended for easy clean up. You can get them cheapest at any dollar store. The lunchbox are 12V so they can be used on any truck and you don't need an inverter which is why it is very popular with a lot of drivers. You can heat up anything in it and even cook meals but because it heats more than e.g. a slow cooker you may want to keep an eye on if there is enough liquid if you want to cook a roast for instance. The most commonly heard phrase with users of the lunchbox is "if you can smell it, it's done!". You can buy them online or at most truckstops. There are also digital versions available but I have also seen mixed reviews about those breaking quicker but I don't have personal experience with these.

Ninja 3 in 1 Cooking System: I wish they had this when we were driving because this would be the perfect appliance to have on the truck to do everything in! It  roasts, slow cooks and bakes whichever you choose. How awesome is that? There are many places you can get it but if you want more info the official site is here and this is what looks like:

Breakfast Maker: This is ideal if you love coffee and breakfast! It has a little frying pan, oven and coffee maker all in one appliance. For this particular unit the specs are as followed but may differ in another so check before you buy if you can run it with your size inverter!

650-watt 4-cup coffeemaker; reusable coffee filter; spout for non drip pouring

500-watt 5-liter toaster oven; 15-minute timer; removable rack and tray

300-watt nonstick frying pan; up/down or dual-selection switch; ETL-approved

Measures 15-1/2 by 8 by 9-1/2 inches; 1-year limited warranty

 **Not done with this article; will work on it more later**