Car engine cookery

[KennethT]

In about a month, my wife and I will be traveling and will be doing some road trips (Southern hemisphere - so summer).  One of the days of our travel will be Christmas day, when, chances are, no roadside cafes or stands will be open and we will be driving practically all day.  The scenery is expected to be beautiful and I figure it would be a great time for a picnic.  Originally I was thinking about getting some sliced meats or sausages and cheeses and bread and having a simple picnic, but it occurred to me that I've got a good source of waste heat going to, well, um,  waste.

 

If I bring some heavy duty foil, I figure we can make something quite nice while we enjoy our scenic drive.

 

Has anyone done anything like this?  If so, any help you can provide so I don't have to reinvent the wheel so to speak?

[Anna N]

1 minute ago, KennethT said:

Has anyone done anything like this?  If so, any help you can provide so I don't have to reinvent the wheel so to speak?

I know darn well we had a topic on this and I know that @andiesenji contributed. I hope somebody can search it out and give you a link to it. 

[KennethT]

38 minutes ago, Anna N said:

I know darn well we had a topic on this and I know that @andiesenji contributed. I hope somebody can search it out and give you a link to it. 

I figured as such and before posting did an "exhaustive search" - but my search skills are sorely lacking on this site...

[IndyRob]

This idea has intrigued me for a while now.  But after viewing various manifold cooking videos on Youtube and the like, I don't think I've seen anything that I'd call successful.

 

A (surprisingly cheap) butane burner seems like a better path to mobile cuisine.

 

[edit] Make some Spaghetti Aglio olio e Pepperoncino.  There's nothing there that even requires refrigeration.

Edited November 28, 2019 by IndyRob (log)

[andiesenji]

Back in the '60s, when my husband and I and another couple used to camp in the high Sierra, I did a lot of engine cookery. Reynolds Aluminum  produced an excellent booklet.

I often did  beef  shoulder clod or 7-bone roasts  seasoned with Lipton's onion soup mix and with potatoes, carrots and onions wrapped in the foil -  I did triple layers, taking no chances.

I would have the prepared packs in an ice chest as we drove up the 395 and when we stopped at Bishop for breakfast, I would put the packs in the engine compartment with a couple of extra, wadded layers of foil as insulation.  When we got to Convict Lake, everything would be done.

My husband had a Lincoln convertible - so a big engine that had room for the packages.  I often did apples cored with sugar and cinnamon, etc., at the same time.  Once I did a peach cobbler and while the "crust" was not crisp, it was certainly done. 

[Anna N]

Doesn’t have a very promising title but this I think is the thread that I had in my mind:

 

Click

 

 

[Anna N]

1 minute ago, andiesenji said:

Back in the '60s, when my husband and I and another couple used to camp in the high Sierra, I did a lot of engine cookery.

See. I can still trust my memory a bit!  Thank you, @andiesenji

[chileheadmike]

21 minutes ago, andiesenji said:

Back in the '60s, when my husband and I and another couple used to camp in the high Sierra, I did a lot of engine cookery. Reynolds Aluminum  produced an excellent booklet.

I often did  beef  shoulder clod or 7-bone roasts  seasoned with Lipton's onion soup mix and with potatoes, carrots and onions wrapped in the foil -  I did triple layers, taking no chances.

I would have the prepared packs in an ice chest as we drove up the 395 and when we stopped at Bishop for breakfast, I would put the packs in the engine compartment with a couple of extra, wadded layers of foil as insulation.  When we got to Convict Lake, everything would be done.

My husband had a Lincoln convertible - so a big engine that had room for the packages.  I often did apples cored with sugar and cinnamon, etc., at the same time.  Once I did a peach cobbler and while the "crust" was not crisp, it was certainly done. 

Genius

[lemniscate]

Peruse the 1989 classic cookbook Manifold Destiny (which I believe has been updated.

I first heard about it on "Car Talk" (how I miss that show).

A search shows it's been mentioned every so often since the inception of eGullet.   I do not own it though.

[KennethT]

I was thinking about a cheap butane burner - but since we'll be flying internationally to get there (about 30 hours each way), I don't think I'll be able to bring a can of butane with me, and we have limited time on the ground so I wouldn't want to use a lot of time hunting for one.

 

I had visions of a New Zealand rack of lamb (pre-sliced into chops) that I could grill on the engine, but after seeing a few videos of guys cooking steaks, I don't think I'll really get any browning - the exterior just looks kind of grey which isn't very appealing.