Without a fully equipped kitchen at your disposal one may well wonder what to eat while camping.
There is no need to make do with make-shift meals, and there is no need to survive on canned or packaged goods either. With a little planning and imagination, your meals in the great outdoors can be truly memorable:
- There is some preplanning you can do from home before you set out: You can measure out the things you will need for meals and pack separately in Ziploc bags. You can even carry left overs and prepared meals from home, which can be stowed away in the cooler and reheated for when you need them.
- Sandwiches can quickly be assembled using spreads, cheese, cold cuts of meat or luncheon meat etc.
- Carry plenty of fresh fruit and material for salad. A salad can be quickly assembled by drizzling a little dressing and fruit makes a delicious instant snack, so much better than reaching for that pack of cookies.
- Grilling is an excellent option for campsites. Not only is grilling a healthy way to cook that uses little or no oil, there is something about grilling that just complements the outdoors so very well! Here as well, a little preplanning will stand you in good stead: bring the marinade or the marinated meat with you from home to save time and effort.
- One pot meals are excellent for camping: soups, casseroles, stews, jambalaya, and goulash are all hearty, filling and delicious options. Again, much of the preparation can be done from home and stored in the cooler.
- Cooking from scratch is great if you have the time; but the sorts of preparations that just require you to “Add water†are a great and convenient option as well.
- Freeze meat and cans of juice etc before putting them in the cooler. This helps keep things cool longer.
- Remember that ice blocks last a lot longer than do ice cubes. And make sure that your ice is replenished as and when required. Failing this, you may be inviting spoilage and waste, to say nothing of food poisoning.
- Foil is excellent for cooking. It keeps veggies and meat from getting singed and also helps retain moisture and flavor.
- Make a campfire pizza using flour tortilla pizza sauce cheese and favorite toppings for a hearty and tasty treat. Just assemble, cover and put on the grill or the campfire.
