How to Store Food on a Truck

Planning meals and menus while living aboard a truck can be much easier if food is stored so it doesn't get squashed, crunched or crumbled.

Things You'll Need

• Roll of rubber matting
• See-through plastic shoe boxes
• Plastic containers for condiments
• Sandwich bags, plastic wrap, storage bags
• Various sizes of plastic cartons with close-fitting lids
• Kid's toy hammock
• Two can openers

Instructions

1. Buy large cans of fruit and juices and repackage them while at home in smaller, plastic containers that fit easily in the truck's refrigerator. You can also put favorite tasty snack foods in smaller plastic bags instead of the one huge, air-filled bag from the grocery store. Store the sandwich bags with individual servings in a plastic shoe box set out on the counter, and be sure to use a wide strip of rubber matting cut to fit, underneath the shoe box. Don't forget to freeze portions of your favorite meals to take along, too.

2. Store canned goods in the lowest cupboard possible. Anything in storage will shift when the truck moves, and you don't want canned foods falling out of an overhead cupboard when you stop to fix something to eat. And always keep two can openers on board. One will invariably disappear for some part of each trip.

3. Be aware that whatever can roll over on the counter, or fall on top of it, will do so to a loaf of bread. Store your bread and rolls in a kid's toy hammock hung against the wall. As the truck sways along, the hammock will yield, and the bread shouldn't get crushed. Buy specialty breads when you can, and liven up your sandwiches with crunchy textures and different herbal tastes. Keep other spices besides salt and pepper on board, too.

4. Check your refrigerator's freezer frequently. If it needs auxiliary power to stay cold, remind yourself to turn on the generator when you stop each night. Ice cream still tastes pretty good even when a bit melted, but it's not the best way to serve it. Keep gallons of water on board, but refill sports drinking bottles to put in the refrigerator so you don't take up too much room for one item.

5. Watch expiration dates closely. If a food label says the food inside is past its safe date, don't eat it. Digestive upsets are very uncomfortable while on board a truck, and stopping at every restroom along the way is out of the question if you have a deadline to meet.

Tips & Warnings

• Rubber matting, while not decorative by any means, can help many articles set on a counter without falling off with the movement or vibration of the truck.

• Take paper towels, plastic wrap and other items along in smaller sizes of each.

• If you see a farmer's market, you can buy small quantities of fruit and fresh vegetables to take with you. Just package them in sandwich bags after washing and drying them. Keep them from being tossed into the floor, and prevent heavy items crushing them, and they should stay good until you can enjoy every bite.

• Always have a refrigerator that can be "pegged" closed. Otherwise, every time you drive around a curve, the weight of the food in the door of the refrigerator will cause the door to swing open, possibly spilling the entire contents into the floor.

• Squeeze plastic bottles of ketchup and mustard away from your clothing or face. Any items stored aboard a truck undergo air pressure changes as the truck goes up and down hills and mountains. You can end up with ketchup in your hair or on a favorite shirt just by forgetting the air pockets that are inside stored foods. Be careful opening cans of soda for the same reason.

• NEVER store any food in a glass container. Glass containers can shatter with a sudden temperature change and will break if they are dropped or thrown onto the floor if the refrigerator swings open suddenly.