Kettle cooking and food on the move

[SandwichShortOfAPicnic]

I carry an extremely large amount of gluten free food with me when riding any distance which I'm bored of doing, it's bulky n weighty. I'm tired of loading it on and off the bike and lugging it to and from hotel rooms so I'm ditching most of it to give Kettle Cooking a go (for my American friends this often goes by the name of tea kettle or electric kettle).

I bought a standard size kettle to replace my travel kettle and have started an experimental kitchen on Kettle Cooking. The first kettle was a £13.50 Argos special but I was hooked from the very off so I upgraded to a kettle with a ‘hold temp’ feature for better control and to save having to do multiple boils.

I’ll post my attempts below for your scrutiny and hopefully helpful suggestions.

There are lot's of reasons people choose not to rely on hotel/restaurant/cafe food.
For me three meals a day would mean eating out 42 times in just two weeks and when you’re tired and want to get your head down quick that becomes a chore. There also seems to be a lot more oil and salt involved than in home cooking. That ‘YUM’ factor when eating out quickly turns into a desire to have something with more veg or less oily etc etc.

So what do you do to avoid stopping or eating in hotels, restaurants or cafe's? Take a pre-made sandwich and flask? A whole picnic? Carry kitchen equipment? Stuff your pockets with cereal bars? Or fuel up and eat whatever forecourt horror is available?

Post your on the move foods here, even the sad cup of tea and bag of malteasers on a train pic is welcome here

 

[Morning Glory]

I love the idea of kettle cooking. I've successfully boiled eggs in an electric kettle but not tried anything else.

 

[SandwichShortOfAPicnic]

I love the idea of kettle cooking. I've successfully boiled eggs in an electric kettle but not tried anything else.

I’m really loving it! Looking forward to sharing it.
I’m having difficulties posting pics though. They won’t load from my MacBook, so I tried my ipad and no joy either.
Going to try loading them individually rather than in a group and see if that works

 

[SandwichShortOfAPicnic]

Wanting things to go well I chose things I knew would work to kick off with.

The premise is you take a roasting bag or microwave steam bag, fill it with what you want to eat, squeeze out the air catch the top of the bag in the lid n boil! It’s a bit like a poor mans sous vide
It also sometimes entails you boiling the water and using a food flask to ‘cook’ the food.

It was surprisingly fast and easy.

For my first foray I tried out two breakfasts and one main.
The first - porridge took 5 mins to cook in a food flask. The powdered coconut milk and honey made good creamy porridge but my tasting panel does not like porridge so it got an “it’s good for porridge but who really likes porridge?” Fair enough!

The second breakfast - mushroom ‘omelette’ with sausage and beans was a big hit and they argued about who should finish it!

No pic of the porridge, it’s porridge, who wants to see porridge?! And very sorry I forgot to take a pic of the end result of the omelette and sausage n beans so the first pics are a bit of a tease, but you’ll get the idea, soz on that one, got carried away on the tasting, they wolfed it down too quickly

The main however I did remember to pic.. where do I record my brownie points?

First up the breakfast with no end pic. Next the main course

I’ve scoped out what’s commonly available in most supermarkets, particularly spanish ones and to start with am staying on the side of ambient (shelf stable in Murican).
This means if the nearest supermarket is an hour or more from your stop it’s not going to spoil heating up in your pannier or in this instance will last out of the fridge overnight for breakfast in the morning. It also removes the risk of a newbie giving themselves food poisoning

Enough for two people.

The omlette did not looks at all appealing as it had taken on the shape of the bag and had no colour. My crew gathered around and Mr SSOAP was not amused at the idea he was supposed to taste it.. tinned mushrooms and eggs cooked in a kettle
Nose screwed up, in a forkful went, then a smile appeared “this is really good, like.. really good, I can’t believe this came out of there” his sentiments then echoed by my sons and a fight ensued over who got to eat the rest. I breathed a sigh of relief that the 2nd breakfast attempt was such a success.

As an aside according to the staff on Brittany Ferries in-spite of carrying up to 2000 captive passengers on a 21 hour overnight crossing they don’t do anything gluten free so this time I will actually get some food and breakfast to boot WOOHOO

 

[SandwichShortOfAPicnic]

And lastly a fast main with precooked meatballs for safety’s sake

Meatballs and Spaghetti

The spaghetti cooked in a food flask in 20 minutes.
I broke the spaghetti lengths down into four pieces so they would be easily agitated in the flask at the beginning of the cook and reduce the risk if sticking.

I expected the spaghetti to be below par, possibly claggy due to the smaller amount of water contained in a flask and especially as the spaghetti was gluten free which is renowned for being gloopy or sticking together - Barilla is excellent GF however.
I was very happy it somehow turned out well.

The meatballs went into a bag with the rest of the ingredients in the kettle and also spent 20mins at 90 degrees, the food was ridiculously hot!

It’s hard when in your own kitchen to stick within realistic test conditons ie what spices you actually carry with you. Paprika, garlic granules, salt and pepper I do carry but without even thinking you find yourself reaching for extra ingredients or equipment you won’t have, like a colander to strain the spaghetti.
As I don‘t want to create problems for myself down the line I mostly used my pannier kitchen to make it a more realistic simulation.

Uncooked

Very much pipingly hot cooked!

The finished article.

On a redo I wouldn’t be so reserved with the paprika and I’d use a stock cube.
I’d also drain the fluid from the tin toms as it’s too quick a cook to thicken. If I moved away from minimal ingredients I’d add maybe red peppers or other veg that can be eaten raw (so it’s not important if they’re fully cooked). I’d definitely add some Parmesan next time.

I’d like to try a meatballs in gravy and mash version too.

It was a super fast assembly job that cooked quickly, just the thing when you’re tired and just want to get your head down quickly.

I took the bowl into Mr SSOAP who mistakenly thought he was being waited on and this was dinner rather than a taste test he became agitated when I pulled it away

“Where are you going?”

“It’s a taste test, I want the boys to try it”

“I don’t understand?”

“It’s a taste test, it was cooked in the kettle”

“WHAAA? THAT was cooked in a kettle?”

“Yep”

“What all of it?”

“Yep, well sort of the spaghetti cooked in a flask”

“No way, I don’t believe you”

I snorted “I assure you it was all cooked in the kettle or flask”

His face changes to a very happy one

“I can’t believe it came out of a kettle, it will be really nice to have that sort of thing after a days riding”

“Yes it will won’t it”

RESULT

Next up I venture into the world of cooking raw food in a kettle.. ooo scary

 

[caseydog]

Almost all of my Travel is by air, and packing food and a kettle along would be a PITA. It would have to go in Checked baggage, the TSA would probably frown upon a kettle, and I know those jars of food would not be allowed. A jar of hot dogs in a checked bag would certainly lead to hot dog juice soaked clothing, once the baggage handlers would surely break any glass containers.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5b1aRop-UbU


CD

 

[caseydog]

I really liked the kettle I bought last winter (may it RIP). It had settings down to 130F/54C and had a Hold Temp button. That's perfect for sous vide.

CD

 

[SandwichShortOfAPicnic]

Almost all of my Travel is by air, and packing food and a kettle along would be a PITA. It would have to go in Checked baggage, the TSA would probably frown upon a kettle, and I know those jars of food would not be allowed. A jar of hot dogs in a checked bag would certainly lead to hot dog juice soaked clothing, once the baggage handlers would surely break any glass containers.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5b1aRop-UbU


CD

Well you wouldn‘t pack the jars, only a small amount of spices.

You have a few recipes up your sleeve and go to the shop nearest your hotel and pick up whatever they have that fits into your repertoire.

Really you can‘t take a kettle as hand luggage? You can in the EU, it’s just an electrical item you have to take out of your bag before it goes through the scanner.

I’ve taken as carry on - a kettle, a coffee machine and a sewing machine with no issues.
The mason jar for sprouting beans I‘d stored a padlock in however had me detained for an age

 

[SandwichShortOfAPicnic]

I really liked the kettle I bought last winter (may it RIP). It had settings down to 130F/54C and had a Hold Temp button. That's perfect for sous vide.

CD

This one does a hold for 40-90 degrees celsius.
It’s a Ninja which I believe is a Canadian-American firm. I payed the £10 for the 3 year extended guarantee including accidental damage on this one so I should get my monies worth

 

[SandwichShortOfAPicnic]

Ps one of the people I was reading about simply buys a kettle at his destination. He said he saves more than the kettle costs within a day.

 

[caseydog]

I’ve taken as carry on - a kettle, a coffee machine and a sewing machine with no issues.

I hope not all at one time. I'm sure the people behind you in the security line would be amused.

CD

 

[SandwichShortOfAPicnic]

I hope not all at one time. I'm sure the people behind you in the security line would be amused.

CD

Of course not.. the bag dimensions are mean as hell!
Next year all UK airports will have to have new scanners in place and the 100ml liquid allowance finishes, plus no more taking your electrical goods out of your bag
It can all just go through as is.

 

[TastyReuben]

My “on the move” food - well, I’m someone who has yet to find their limit of eating restaurant food. I love to eat out! We have a week away coming up (by car) and we’ve already got more than enough restaurants at the destination picked out.

Also, vacation rule #1 for me is no food prep/cooking - I do enough of that at home the rest of the year. When I’m on vacation, I want someone doing for me for a change.

But, that said, when we’ve done road trips in the past, I’ve packed a picnic, for the day of travel (but I’d rather stop and eat somewhere).

It’s funny…MrsT and I are complete opposites that way. While driving all day, she just wants to get there, so her preference is to pack sandwiches, snacks, and drinks in the car and have us cramming our faces while roaring down the road…”Faster! Faster! Don’t stop fer anything ‘til we get there!”

Barring that, she’ll grudgingly agree to a fast-food drive-through window, with the offer to hold and tear off bits of my sandwich and hand-feed me while we tear down the highway.

Not for me. That’s just stress and an upset stomach in the making.

The picnic stuff ends up being a compromise. We save money (probably not, as I can sit down and eat at McD's for $2US, now that I use their app and get free fries whenever I eat there), but I insist we stop and eat, instead of trying to eat bologna sandwiches on the fly.

Regardless of the meal arrangements, she’ll still pack enough snacks (like nuts, cheese cubes, chips/crisps, licorice, etc) to feed us for a week. I’ve detailed that on here in the past.

I must applaud MrSandwich for his willingness to be a guinea pig for the kettle vittles (kittles?) - I don’t like trying anything that looks/smells unappealing.

 

[caseydog]

My “on the move” food - well, I’m someone who has yet to find their limit of eating restaurant food. I love to eat out! We have a week away coming up (by car) and we’ve already got more than enough restaurants at the destination picked out.

Also, vacation rule #1 for me is no food prep/cooking - I do enough of that at home the rest of the year. When I’m on vacation, I want someone doing for me for a change.

But, that said, when we’ve done road trips in the past, I’ve packed a picnic, for the day of travel (but I’d rather stop and eat somewhere).

It’s funny…MrsT and I are complete opposites that way. While driving all day, she just wants to get there, so her preference is to pack sandwiches, snacks, and drinks in the car and have us cramming our faces while roaring down the road…”Faster! Faster! Don’t stop fer anything ‘til we get there!”

Barring that, she’ll grudgingly agree to a fast-food drive-through window, with the offer to hold and tear off bits of my sandwich and hand-feed me while we tear down the highway.

Not for me. That’s just stress and an upset stomach in the making.

The picnic stuff ends up being a compromise. We save money (probably not, as I can sit down and eat at McD's for $2US, now that I use their app and get free fries whenever I eat there), but I insist we stop and eat, instead of trying to eat bologna sandwiches on the fly.

Regardless of the meal arrangements, she’ll still pack enough snacks (like nuts, cheese cubes, chips/crisps, licorice, etc) to feed us for a week. I’ve detailed that on here in the past.

I must applaud MrSandwich for his willingness to be a guinea pig for the kettle vittles (kittles?) - I don’t like trying anything that looks/smells unappealing.

When I am driving to Houston, I typically just want to get there asap. It's a really boring drive.

But, on the way back to Dallas, I do sometimes stop at Home - Woody's Smokehouse which is halfway between Dallas and Houston. Clean bathrooms for one. Plus, decent BBQ, and the deli has all kinds of sausages and jerkies.

Of course, anyone who drives through Texas needs to stop at a Buc-ee's - Wikipedia , the "largest gas stations in the world."

Otherwise, I just stop at a fast-food joint.

CD

 

[SandwichShortOfAPicnic]

My “on the move” food - well, I’m someone who has yet to find their limit of eating restaurant food. I love to eat out! We have a week away coming up (by car) and we’ve already got more than enough restaurants at the destination picked out.

The third week of three meals a day out would get you there

I once midway through the third week of a coastal tour abruptly abandoned it and went straight home due to a serious need for some veg that wasn't covered in butter or oil

Barring that, she’ll grudgingly agree to a fast-food drive-through window, with the offer to hold and tear off bits of my sandwich and hand-feed me while we tear down the highway.

I really can't abide driving and eating, even if you have something nice to eat it all the joy is gone as you concentrate on driving instead and risk bits of food dropping into your lap.

I must applaud MrSandwich for his willingness to be a guinea pig for the kettle vittles (kittles?) - I don’t like trying anything that looks/smells unappealing.

I wouldn't describe Mr SSOAP as a willing kittle tester, his facial expression definitely wasn't saying willing, more like 'Crikey lets get this over with'