Van Life Essentials How to Cook in Your CAR

The Road Pro vs the Hot Logic 12 Volt Ovens! People are always asking me about alternatives to cooking on propane or fuel. One alternative is the Insta pot. It is not very quick and fast though. So one stove that I really love is the Road Pro 12V Oven.

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Thanks for watching!

[kathleenkline]

I can't speak for the HotLogic, but I cooked 2 lb beef chuck roasts with potatoes, onions and carrots in the RoadPro when I drove semi. Took about 8 hours, but was every bit as good as cooked in a regular slow cooker in the house. Also cooked bbq chicken, pork chops, various stews and soups. When the food starts smelling so good you're salivating, it's done🤣

[MapleMarmite]

If you are cooking a piece of meat from scratch in one of these, you can speed up the process a little by putting a metal skewer through the centre of the length. The skewer will get hot and transfer heat directly through the centre of the meat so it cooks from inside as well as outside. Maybe also wrap the whole thing in a towel and/or place it inside an insulated cool bag - should also work for keeping heat in.

[alive-awake]

I wonder if you enjoy making these videos as much as we enjoy watching them.😀

[lorenzoboyd]

I am a field service technician. I have been using a Road Pro for over 12 years. I really love it - AFTER I modified it.
• It has no insulation. My usual drive between stops is around 30 minutes, and I complete most calls in 45 minutes to 1.5 hours. While parked (off) it would quickly lose most of its heat. I removed the lower aluminum shell and insulated the walls with silicone rubber foam. Fiberglass would prolly work well. The aluminum tub is only a rather light press fit inside the plastic shell. That problem is solved.
• Yes, the bottom of the tub will burn a burrito. I have done that. So, I cut a piece of thin sheet steel from my junk box (aluminum would be a good option) so that it allows about 1/4 inch clearance on all sides of the aluminum tub. I bent the corners down to make short legs to lift the plate about 3/8 inch from the heated bottom. I put a dab of silicone sealant on the pointy end of each leg, allowing it to cure overnight. The prevents rattling where it contacts the aluminum tub. The oven now has MUCH better heat distribution.
• One more mod. I cut 2 pieces of plastic that is twice as thick as milk jug material - I don't recall the source - it may have been an old water jug. These pieces are roughly 1 inch wide and 3 inches long. Using POP rivets, I fastened them on opposite corners of the bottom of the plastic base shell. I can pivot them out to act as outriggers to prevent toppling. They swing back under the base for storage.
Wasn't it Tool Time Tim that said "I am an American - I look at something and ask 'How can I modify this?' "

[mariondesio]

I adore my Hot Logic! My needs are mostly to heat up items, rather than cooking from scratch. The power draw is practically tiny!

[candacelemming]

I like them both for different purposes. The hot logic I use with Pyrex cooking dishes (can't stand plastic 😩) and can cook a dinner longer without concern about burning or drying out the food. The Roadpro is excellent for baking food or toasting bread. It's great to have both. 😊 Love options❤️

[julieheath]

We use the HotLogic, and have for years. We set up our (raw) salmon/canned beans/pre-cooked rice in a single container about 1.5-2 hours prior. If you place it on top of the tortilla bag, those will also be warm. Everything is ready by the time we pull into our campsite for lunch. The rice doesn't dry out. Very convenient.

If we forget, we fry things on our propane burner.

We like this system enough to use it even at home. Weighs only 1 lb, and have taken it to hotels.

We use a cheap portable inverter to convert the car battery 12V power. Makes a little noise, but can do easily in any car. Takes very little space.

The whole selling point of the HotLogic is that it doesn't dry things out too much. No, you can't cook rice from dry or many crisp veggies. Quinoa or bulgar wheat are fine. There are trade offs.

Plastic bags for different items won't melt, if you aren't phobic. Normally we use a glass pyrex container.

[ChristineMcClendon]

I absolutely love love the Hotlogic. I have 4. 3 small ones and 1 family size. I put my oat groats at night. In morning it’s ready to eat. Regular oats are faster. I cook raw meats with or without bones. I prepare my lunch and supper in mornings and it’s ready when I am ready for lunch. I cook everything an oven would cook. Frozen or fresh organic veggies! I use oven ready lasagna and pre-cooked packaged pasta. Hard root veggies I simply use a potato peeler so it will cook. I can cook eggs, patty melts. So simple I cook and eat in same container. No fuss no burning. You can cook or re-heat in glass plastic foil cardboard so easy. And no smell until you open container l!

[Eddyturn]

We just finished a one month road trip in which we cooked every other day with the Hot Logic. I used a glass baking dish and aluminum foil as a lid. We cooked chicken, steak, & pork chops. I cut things smaller and used various seasonings and/or cans of soup. It was great! Chicken took 2 hours when covered carefully.

[MomBehindTheComputer]

We do not live in an RV currently, but we have several Hot Logics that we have been using for years. They are probably not for everyone but they’ve worked really well for cooking and warming for us at home and while traveling. Also while my husband was working in an office. I love that I can use them as warming plates for gatherings too. Both of these seem like great options for on the go cooking!

[mtnlinda]

I've never heard of either of your cookers but I have found something that works off of solar while traveling in my car. I keep a black plastic bag in with my cooking supplies. I'll put my lunch or dinner container inside the black plastic bag and leave it on the dashboard in the sun. I go for my hike, bike ride or kayak and when I'm done I have a hot meal ready for myself. It works great! Of course this depends on the outside temperature and how much sun there is. Thanks for all the info you post for us! I have learned a lot that helps me while traveling to all the beautiful places in the US in my Prius. Happy travels everyone!

[cramias]

Hot logics are intended to be used with sealed containers. The notion is it works by steaming the moisture inside the container slow cooker style, warming the food without overheating it and without drying it out like a microwave can. Per their website, "You can use any flat-bottom container made of glass, plastic, Tupperware, or metal, ***as long as it has a sealed lid."*** This test where you used an open top aluminum pan is not the best test of its capabilities. The roadpro, by contrast, has its own sealed lid, so its more effective with open containers like you did here. If your friend has been using her hot logic the way you demo here, that may explain why she's been struggling with it, she's using it incorrectly.

[dcgrl]

Just an observation, I use a hot logic - when cooking from scratch I typically have a small pyrex pan with a cover - that cover makes all the difference and is how they recommend it to be used for cooking.

[anio]

OMG!
Today's project was to find these products by searching online.
I was expecting to spend HOURS!
As always, THANK YOU, BOB!!

[PopFizzPaperDani]

I have a Hot Logic and love it. I use it to heat up thawed frozen meals. The size/dimensions inside the HL mean I don’t have to remove the meal from the container it comes in. Takes about an hour and doesn’t draw a ton of power. I also like that it’s compact and soft-sided.

[ZiggZagg]

I use a HotLogic... I use a lot of individual frozen meals in it... Takes about 4 hours... Steaming hot when I open the box... 😎

[dawndamron]

Hot Logic is more like a slow cooker, Road Pro is more of an oven. Hard to compare as they are totally different items.

[kevincrozier]

These are good. When I drove truck over the road I used these all the time. Put your food in, the top would lock and drive down the road as it cooks.

[kennethgardner]

A truckdriver told me about the hot logic 5 or 6 years ago. For him this was extremely useful.

[tq]

Never knew these products existed. Wish I had them when I was a traveling nurse but now I’m hoping to get into Vanlife. I’ll have something else as a back up. Thank you.