A Guide to Cooking Food With Your Car

How to be a Top Chef in Top Gear.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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We’ve all been there. For whatever reason you’re on a long road trip and after days of service plazas and rest stops, you get sick of fast-food burger joints and gas station corn dogs. You hate yourself for maintaining a diet similar to a member of Honey Boo-Boo’s family, but there don’t seem to be any better options. You want to do better, but how?

It might be time to expand your horizons. Here at Complex Rides, we are committed to helping you utilize your car in new, adventurous ways. You’ve already use your ride as a powder room when you wake up late for work and have to fumble with a razor as you hit the highway. You’ve already tried to convince your girlfriend to make your car into a kinky boudoir, likely with limited success. Now it’s time to make your car your kitchen. We've found some of the best tools for preparing food while still making good time so you can eat well and drive well at the same time. From hotdogs under the hood to baked ziti with your cigarette lighter, here is A Guide Cooking Food With Your Car.

Test your engine bay thoroughly before you cook anything in it.

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Get to know the space where you’ll be cooking before you start.

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Avoid placing packets of food near (or under) any moving parts.

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Don’t cook overly moist foods in your engine bay.

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Only try cooking in the engine bays of cars that are in good working order.

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Smaller, thinner foods cook faster than thicker ones.

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When considering new recipes to try, look for any recipe that mentions the words “en papillote.”

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Use heavy-duty aluminum foil. Don’t be afraid to triple-wrap your food.

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Don’t plan on cooking anything unless you’re already planning on a long drive.

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Buy A Car Food Road Map

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Buy moist towelettes when you’re planning your roadside feast.

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Grill A Steak On Your Car's Engine

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Bake Cookies on Your Dashboard

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Heat Up Sandwiches in Your Footwell

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Solar Cooking Through Your Windshield

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Cook Chili and Soup on Your Turbo

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Warm Up Leftovers With Your Exhaust Manifold

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Stores and catalogs that cater to truckers sell 12V slow cookers if you want to cook in your car but don’t necessarily want to cook in your engine bay.

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