Cooking in the Van

[1Oll]

My wife does the cooking, I wash up!

Easy, well not that easy, to do a pro chef job when you can use loads of pans and utensils. My wife does the cooking and I wash up. I love the idea of simple cooking. Simple meals equals simple washing up!!! My favourite cookbook would be a "one pan" book of recipes for obvious reasons.
Signed, Brian, Washer up!

ps. My wife was a pro cook and manages fantastic meals in our Amethyst Motor Home.
4 Gas rings, one oven, one grill, no microwave, freezer for ice trays only. She has her basics, smaller quantities of various spices and magic ingredients, will ask her to post a list. Good luck with the book.

Hello Van People,
Im writing a van cookbook.
I've been a chef for 30 years, working all over the world, mostly lucky enough to cook on private yachts , providing food for rather wealthy people who expected amazing cuisine to appear from my galley with limited space, ingredients and equipment.
I now live in a motorhome and have fulltimed for 5 years. The book was inspired by people who came for dinner on the van and couldn't believe how I did it.
But I need your help ........

I need to know ....

How many gas rings do you have ?
Is there a freezer on your van ?
Do you have access to electricity for blenders, food processors etc ?
How much storage do you have for ingredients, pots, pans etc ?
Would you like to shop most days or do you prefer to stock up ?
How important is healthy fresh food ?
Are your tastes traditional or are you open to new ideas ?

Your input will be most appreciated .

happy travels, Skratt

 

[vwalan]

cooking is easy .the idea is use as few pots and pans as possible .the art of cooking is easy prep . cook in a way you dont have to keep monitering it all. use ways of cooking that make washing up easy. you cant go wrong ,if you set off with reasonable produce all you can do is either under cook it ,overcook it. or get it ok. the taste /flavourings are your choice.
if you gave 10 chefs the same ingrediants you could have ten of the same to look at meals but all taste different. all correct just flavoued slightly different. sometimes just add the most unexpected ingrediant makes a suprising taste to a meal. experiment .its never wrong to try ,if you dont like it dont do it again. cheers alan

 

[Bigpeetee]

Trouble is there's such a wide variety of equipment fitout and cooking ability in the MH fraternity.

If you're away for a couple of nights, then perhaps a more simple menu will suffice, over a longer period then a variety may be welcome.

But to cater for all tastes? There's people who don't have a wide culinary experience at home, so there's no chance that they'll suddenly change when away. there are other of us who always cook fresh at home or away and there's those in between.

Not saying that simple can't be delicious, but in practical terms, it's more difficult to cook something that takes a long time if you're traveling. I said difficult not impossible, 'cause the lateral thinkers who want to enjoy good food will find a way!

 

[peanut]

Just a thought. I must have had my old one a lot longer than I thought as I think I paid 18/6 for it. Those good old days? Remember there was a petrol pump at a service station in Diss which was the only one I had ever seen with pay at pump machine. You had to put in a ten bob note and that would get me 4 gallons I think. It had to be a new note and it was laid in a window and the closer pulled across. if the note was creased at all it wouldn't accept it.

half a crown a gallon eh ! tsk... those were the days!

I remember when it was 2 shillings and threepence a gallon round our way (about 22 new pence. Cost a few pence more for a shot of oil for my 2-stroke Lambretta Li150 series lll the year was 1967 just left school and my whole life in front of me.:bow:

Ahem .....cough ah yes food....We have a 3x ring gas hob and a microwave but no oven. We haven't camped for more than 4x days yet (due to caring committments) so we tend to pre-cook and freeze meals to take away and re-heat such as Fish pie with mixed fish and prawns with creamy garlic and peppercorn sauce and maris piper mash topping mmmmm scrummy.

We'll also take a Tikka masala curry, tuna or salmon pasta bake and other similar comfort food which is easy to re-heat for a tasty filling meal at the end of a long day out walking or cycling or just exploring .

I think the secret to a sucessful cook book is nice clear pages well laid out with plenty of white space and a superb quality colour image with nice big text sizing for the recipe which can be easily read whilst preparing. Personally I prefer simple tasty traditional recipes that work every time to give a delicious tasty nutricious and filling meal

 

[skratt]

yes simple food doesn't have to mean boring. Its funny to watch programmes on TV like masterchef ( the amateur one ) and come dine with me. The contestants often think that by complicating a dish with lots of flavours and strange ingredients that they will get professional results. The reverse is mostly the case.
I have often worked in Michelin starred restaurants and the quality of the ingredients and cooking methods are often the key to success. We don't tease and batter food beyond recognition, quite the opposite. If the ingredients are good then its more a case of simple means better.
Chefs are usually under a lot of pressure in cramped, hot conditions, with quite basic equipment. You tend to learn many tricks over the years that are perfect for the confinements of van cooking.
Like how to make a three course meal of :-

Wild Mushroom and Truffle Risotto - Asparagus and Watercress Salad - Parmessan Crisps
----------------
Spiced Lamb Koftas on Pepper and Fresh Pea Cous-Cous - Tarragon Dressing
-----------------
Strawberry Toffee Cheesecake


all from scratch in less than half and hour, presented like you had just paid a small fortune for it in a restaurant, on a two ring stove, using all fresh ingredients with no mess. :scared:

 

[Bigpeetee]

Can I offer to do the taste test??

Obviously you have to try these out on someone before they're committed to a book, so a couple of weeks in North Wales..............

Loads of fresh Lamb, Beef, Pork, Fish etc

But I agree, sometimes the most simple of food is best, I've found this out in small villages in the Middle and Far East, where ingredients are limited, but the imagination of the cook isn't

 

[vwalan]

i just wonder if any of you were watching rick styne in spain tonight. not great lover of stinky styne he definately did a good show tonight. in asturia and galecia .also basque area of spain . travelling in a vw camper. most of my favourites in one go. keep your eyes on 8.oopm tomorrow on bbc2. xsimple cooking you can do in a van . and see the best parts of spain. tonight it was my favourite places. cheers alan.

 

[brenandsarah]

new forest venison sausages

Hi, When we are out in the van the most important meal of the day is a cooked brekkie!
whenever we are in the new forest i buy bambi bangers!:heart: from the lyndhurst butchers team with proper mash and gravy
Cornish pasty when in cornwall
Cream tea when in devon
Cider in Somerset!!

Look forward to the book
Keep it local!!
2 rings, fry pan, 2 saucepans, fridge, no freezer no electric.

 

[skratt]

Bigpeetee ... shame, i was in North Wales a couple of weeks ago and could of used a taste tester for the Soused Mackerel on Savoury Welsh Cakes - honey and mustard sauce.
I agree with you about the middle eastern cooking ... I spent 4 years cooking in Egypt and learnt a lot about one pot cooking and rice dishes from the locals ... some amazing stuff .. lots of which will be in the book adapted for van cooking.

vwalan ... I don't like Mr Styne either but those programmes were quite interesting. Pity he didnt bother learning any Spanish ( he was clueless ) as the most interesting stuff was the locals talking about theyre national trad favourites. I worked in Andalucia for 6 years and I love the food. I will be including some Spanish dishes in the book and if this first book is succesful I was thinking of writing a follow up with continental touring in mind. i.e.. using whats available in the shops as you travel around Europe rather than taking stuff along.

brenandsarah ... good point. I have pondered this a lot whilst writing the book. You are right of course and it would seem the logical thing to do as we travel around this Island of regional gastronomic delights.
However I didn't want to use lots of "hard to find" ingredients as many people don't want the hassle. In the end I decided to use regional specialities wherever possible but also give readily available alternatives for people who just wanted to pop into Tesco. Right now, Im heading into the local town and will definitely be having a large Ivor Dewndey Pasty :tongue:

 

[skratt]

talking of ponderations, I have also been wondering wether or not to include double skillet recipes. I have one and find it a really usefull tool.
Or should i just keep it simple with normal frying pan and saucepans ????

 

[mitzimad]

we seldom go fo big meals in the van as were on or hols so to speak prefer to be doing something rather than cooking gastromonic delights plus the standards of convienience foods is high nowdays bag of frozen prawn some rice and a biranyi mix is our fave and it aromatizes the van as well

 

[vwalan]

cooking can be quick n easy. in fact its english food that takes the most cooking time and work. . convieniance food is ok here but if you go away for 6 months or more cooking can make a nice pleasant day. i,m often found making mince pies on a lonely beach on xmas day. i love to take anice gammon joint and honey roast it with honey roast carrots and roast potatoes etc . we have a real xmas party .all the works . purplebob makes a lovely millionaires shortbread covered in chocolate with all the bits on top. just because you are in a van dont stop cooking. think of all the things you can mix n match. mmmmmm time for tea. cheers alan.

 

[yorkslass]

talking of ponderations, I have also been wondering wether or not to include double skillet recipes. I have one and find it a really usefull tool.
Or should i just keep it simple with normal frying pan and saucepans ????

if possible keep it simple. i like to use fresh ingredients, but dont want to spend ages cooking. time away is for relaxing. i take the dishwasher with me but he needs feeding as well.

 

[Tbear]

talking of ponderations, I have also been wondering wether or not to include double skillet recipes. I have one and find it a really usefull tool.
Or should i just keep it simple with normal frying pan and saucepans ????

I don't have one myself but they do seem very popular at the shows. Surely most things done in a skillet can be done in shallow pan with good lid so I would include a few

Most of things I used to cook where the one pot method ie, fry onions and spices, add meat, cook till nearly done. Add stock + veg or stirfry veg in meat juices. Only trouble is, wife and daughter have vegetarian Just the stirfry now

Richard

 

[jennyp19]

We are in the same bracket as most, 4 rings, but can really only use 3 at a time, small grill, fridge - I do take a magic Bullet with me for whizzing stuff up - use it with an inverter. We very rarely have access to electricity - only when desparate do we go on campsites - even in Europe.

I thought that about the pan with a good lid would be as good as the skillet, but for some reason it doesn't work quite as well - especially when its something you want to get crispy - you can also reheat pies and pasties using the 2 metal pan skillet - the pastry stays lovely & crisp, and doesn't seem to take very long to do so either. {Just thinking aloud, but its maybe because the "steam" escapes from the join of the pan and because the top is also metal it gets hotter than the glass lid does.] I must admit I baulked at the price for quite a while before I bought one - but I am really pleased I did
I'm not camping at the moment, although we are helping with some decorating in Sth Shields at the moment - have access to house, but prefer the beds in the van. I've got my skillet using the glass lid on at the moment with a jar of M&S Bramley apple & cider sauce with some decent sausages ( which I had browned slightly) & some whole onions dropped in - later I'll be dropping some cooked new potatoes in to warm through.

 

[new motorhomer]

Hi Skratt,

[Bit of a fraud as, despite the name, I've been motorhoming for over a year now]
Anyway, this is the info for us/our Chausson Welcome WS:

2 gas rings
Very small freezer compartment (which I wouldn't trust to keep stuff solid for too long)
Don't always use electric, but wouldn't take blender, etc anyway
Reasonable storage so have good selection of pans, etc, and space for ingredients
Prefer to buy fresh stuff every couple of days, but take staples with us
Like to eat fresh where possible
Willing to try new stuff

I would say crucial things are: not needing vast amounts of prep space; not ending up with heaps of washing up; not needing a larder full of 'store cupboard essentials'!; nothing that takes ages to cook (think of the gas!); nothing that will stink the van out for ages (fish, for example)!

Good luck. Happy to test anything you come up with!

Spurgetti

 

[kenjones]

"I remember when it was 2 shillings and threepence a gallon round our way (about 22 new pence. Cost a few pence more for a shot of oil for my 2-stroke Lambretta Li150 series lll the year was 1967 just left school and my whole life in front of me."
Hi Peanut
I had a French Ld mk 4 Lambretta in 1963. It's a good thing fuel was cheap. I was paid £3-2-6d a week as a cadet nurse.

 

[skratt]

Thanks everybody for your answers. Very much apreciated.
I hate to sound wise after the event but it sort of sums up what I have been doing up to now. Its really useful though to know that I am sort of barking up the right tree and I am not alone in what I think motorhome and caravan cooking entails.
The main aim of the book is to provide speedy, easy, restaurant standard food, using fresh, healthy and readily available ingredients, on a two ring burner, with no oven, a small fridge, no electricity, limited space, little washing up using basic pots and pans.

Simples ! ...

I really hope you like the book when I finally get it finished. Theres lots of work to do, mostly final tweeks and photos.
cheers and happy travels, Skratt

 

[Bambi 2]

I purchased a 3 tier steamer from Argos for just under £20, I have cooked a full meal of Fish with 3 types of vegetables in just 15 minutes after the water in bottom pan comes to the boil, so I only use one gas ring, if I want a meal with meat etc. I use a Skillet pan and the steamer but that means using 2 gas rings. Bambi 2

 

[Darcey]

We have three gas rings, but we try to keep our food simple, salads, etc, because we don't want to smoke out our motorhome. We often eat pasta at home but I wouldn't start cooking it in the van because of all the steam. Maybe I'm just being fussy!

D