Cooking on the road is a skill anyone can master
Cooking on the road divides van lifers into two camps: those who mostly eat from tins and fast food, and those who cook proper meals in a few minutes on a single burner. Good news: the second camp requires no culinary talent and no professional equipment. It does require good planning and a few proven tricks.
Van kitchen equipment — what you actually need
Before you buy a full kitchen kit, ask yourself: how much time each day will I spend cooking and how much do I care about a varied diet? The answer determines your equipment budget.
Burner and heat source
- Built-in gas hob (2 burners): The most convenient option for longer trips. Stable, with power control. Requires a gas canister (isobutane or propane).
- Camping stove (MSR, Primus, BioLite): Compact, lightweight, perfect for minimalists. Works with standard gas canisters or unleaded petrol (multifuel models).
- Induction hob: Only works when you have power from panels or a campsite hook-up. Silent, clean, precise — but power-hungry.
Cookware — less is more
A basic set for cooking on the road: a 2L pot with lid, a 24 cm non-stick frying pan, a flexible rolling chopping board, one good kitchen knife. That genuinely covers 90% of recipes.
Fridge — compressor or cool box?
For short weekend trips a thermal bag with ice is perfectly sufficient. For week-long and longer routes a 12V compressor fridge is a different quality of life altogether. Recommended brands: Dometic, Engel, BougeRV. Power consumption: 30–45 Ah per day at 4°C.
Kitchen space organisation
Every centimetre counts in a van. A few tricks:
- Vacuum containers instead of original packaging — take up less space and keep food fresh longer.
- Magnetic knife strip on the wall instead of a knife block.
- Drawer for dry goods (pasta, rice, grains) with dividers — nothing shifts while driving.
- Non-slip mat under everything that sits on the worktop.
5 recipes for cooking on the road
1. Pasta all'arrabbiata (20 minutes)
Pasta + onion + garlic + tin of tomatoes + chilli + olive oil. Boil pasta, fry onion and garlic, add tomatoes and chilli, mix together. One pot, one pan.
2. Red lentil soup (25 minutes)
Red lentils + carrot + onion + garlic + stock + cumin. Everything into the pot, cook 20 minutes, blend with a hand blender. High protein, warming, cheap.
3. Rice with vegetables and egg (15 minutes)
Pre-cooked rice + frozen or fresh vegetables + 2 eggs + soy sauce. In a pan with a little oil: vegetables first, then rice, eggs last. Asian kitchen classic, ready in 15 minutes.
4. Chickpea curry (20 minutes)
Tin of chickpeas + tin of coconut milk + tin of tomatoes + curry powder + onion + garlic. Everything together, cook 15 minutes. Serve with bread or rice.
5. Quesadillas (10 minutes)
Tortillas + cheese (optionally tinned beans, sweetcorn, mushrooms). Fold a tortilla with filling in a pan, fry 2 minutes each side. Quick, filling, popular with van lifers worldwide.
Buying food on the road — smart planning
Well-planned shopping is the key to cheap and tasty cooking on the road. A few rules:
- Buy basics (pasta, rice, grains, lentils, tins) once a week in a supermarket. Fresh produce — 2–3 times a week at local markets.
- Always keep 2–3 emergency meals in reserve: tins, instant noodles, crackers with peanut butter.
- Eat locally when you can — it's not just cheaper, it's the best way to discover regional food.
- Herb pots on the van windowsill: basil, thyme, coriander — alive, always fresh, take up zero fridge space.
Saving money on food while travelling
Cooking your own food vs eating out is the fastest way to cut daily travel costs by 30–50%. A couple cooking for themselves in Europe spends around 15–25 euros per day on food. Restaurants at least double that figure.
For planning your travel budget (including food) and organising your trip, Travel Rules is useful — with its planner and checklist function that helps you not forget shopping before you leave.
Summary
Cooking on the road is one of those skills you appreciate after the first week on the road, when you realise that home-cooked food is not only cheaper but often tastier than anything from a roadside restaurant. The investment in a good burner and a decent pan pays back faster than you'd think.