Two months on the road - what to cook in a hotel room?

[Anonymous No.9300586]

sup /ck/, I need wisdom!

Starting in the last week of September and continuing until the first week of December, I'm going to be road tripping through Ohio, hopping from hotel to hotel. In order to keep both my food costs and calorie intake reasonably low, I hope to eat out as little as possible while traveling.

I've got to pack pretty lightly - I won't have a lot of space for a stack of rice cookers / hotplates / electric kettles / whathaveyou (I've heard these are all great options for making a travel kitchen and will probably grab a hotplate, but need to be very space-efficient with my luggage).

I'll only be in one place for a week at a time. I'd prefer not to have to transport or toss any extra, unused ingredients when it comes time to go to the next hotel.

Leftovers would be cool, but I'm not certain I'll be able to store much. I'll be taking a small cooler along. I'm not sure how often I'll have microwave access or the time to use one.

I really don't want to arrive home with ten extra pounds on me! I like McDonald's and ramen about as much as the next guy, but I'd like to keep my waistline from expanding and minimize any and all risks of getting sick while on the road.


I assume I'll be eating mostly cereal, citrus, and sandwiches, but what other things can I make to keep energized, keep healthy, and keep from being bored with my menu?

I'd also love to hear your cool stories relating to road trips and food!

[Anonymous No.9300613]

>>9300586
Some random thoughts here:

-A hotplate is a great idea since you can use it for so many different things. If you only have space for one cooking device that would certainly be it. But beware of cooking in hotel rooms, it may not be allowed & there's also the hassle of smoke alarms potentially going off.

-Where are you traveling? I've never seen a hotel room in the US that didn't have a microwave and a fridge. That's standard even for cheap hotels.

-Many if not all hotels will have a coffee maker in the room. You can use that to boil water for making instant ramen, oatmeal, etc.

-If you're going on a "road trip" that implies there's a car involved. Surely there is space for a cooler you can use to save leftovers when you're in between hotels?

-You can buy a lot of foods at supermarkets that don't require any cooking and are very economical. Rotisserie chickens. Other prepared foods from the deli. Meat, cheese, and bread for sandwiches. Fruits and veggies you can eat raw. Nuts, jerky, etc.

[Anonymous No.9301219]

>>9300586
buy a small rice cooker. You can cook anything in one, look it up on youtube

[Anonymous No.9301239]

get this cheap steamer and make bielers broth.
Great way to counteract too much eating out.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3Zll4oA1Y8

[Anonymous No.9301896]

Make sure you load up on cheap carbs like rice and bread. Those will keep you full longer, meaning less money spent on foods. I'm actually on a short road trip (more like a vacation but still) before my college classes start on the 17th.

The foods I've had success with are:

>Baked potatos. Buy a bag of them and bake a bunch before you leave and wrap them in tin foil. They stay good for a while and are very filling. You can bring any toppings you want with you as well.

>Sandwiches. You can get creative with these. I like making sandwiches with sliced apples and white cheddar. Maybe that's weird but what I'm saying is you can make a sandwich out of almost anything you have.

>Pre made rice. Eat it with whatever you're making for dinner as a side that's also super filling

>Peanut Butter.

>Soup. If you have space, make a huge potential of filling soup and put it into Tupperware containers. At the hotel you can heat them up and wala dinner

>fruits and vegetables. Also, Carrots and hummus taste great together. Would recommend for a road trip snack.