By Kari Fisher, Missing Driver Alert Network

Truck cooking can be easy and creative and is a much healthier option to the fast-food options offered at truck stops.

If you have no inverter installed in your truck, a small 400 watt 12-volt installation will operate a 2 qt. slow cooker, which is the perfect size for most drivers. Another popular device is the Lunch Box Oven. It’s a 12 volt appliance and can be used to cook anything you would cook in a slow cooker. For easy cleanup, use small aluminum loaf pans available at Wal-Mart for .88 cents for a three-pack. One pan will hold one pound of ground beef. Add water to the oven; it speeds up the cooking. Reward points are a great way to purchase 12-volt appliances. The 12-volt appliance trend also includes saucepans, slow cookers, skillets and coffee makers.

Recently, butane stoves have been showing up and are becoming popular with drivers. Clean burning and even heat distribution, pans and utensils are necessary. Cast iron is a good choice. Propane Gas Grills are a great option for drivers. Always carry your cylinders in an outside box and when cooking with gas remember to ventilate or cook outside.

For the drivers with inverters, the Aroma Rice Cooker is a versatile option. There are models available that have a cake bake setting as well as sauté to simmer, slow cook and steaming. Roasting bags and slow cook liners make cleaning a breeze.

A rule of thumb, an inverter output should be roughly double your appliance wattage.

Keeping food cool is necessary. If you are in a truck without a refrigerator you can use a ice chest or a 12 volt cooler. An ice chest requires daily monitoring and ice purchases.

12 volt coolers are not intended to be a fridge, nor are they intended to run 24/7. With a little maintenance, a thermoelectric unit should last. Check the inside for ice build up, it does require defrosting. Check the fan housing for dust and other debris, excess will block ventilation.

As you can see there are many small appliance options out there for creating home cooked meals while out on the road.