10 Camp Cooking Tips
If you are horrified at the thought of cooking without your pantry and full kitchen, here are some tips on easy meals in the bush.
-
Instant rice – the 2 minute stuff in a sachet doesn’t have to be microwaved, in fact it doesn’t even need to be cooked so pop the bag in a pot, fill with water and boil for a while. The water can be used again and doesn’t even need to be potable.
-
Ham in a can is versatile, combine with rice and cheese for a risotto or with pasta and a sauce, or use for sandwiches. Will keep indefinitely without refrigeration.
-
Tinned tuna and salmon are another source of protein which doesn’t require refrigeration. Can of tuna, can of anchovies, some vegetables, a sachet of tomatoes paste is a nice pasta sauce or serve with rice or potatoes.
-
Asian packet sauces travel well and provide an endless selection of stir fry options. There noodles in the same range which work well too.
-
You can get meat “cryovaced” or vacuum packed at a butcher (and some supermarkets in the outback), the stated shelf life is then 3-4 weeks, but we found even after 2 months meat was fresh – we kept it lying on the block ice at the bottom of the ice box. This doesn’t even cost any extra.
-
Beer cans are much more compact to carry than beer bottles, lighter too.
-
Wine casks fit well in an cooler if you take the bladder out of the box – we found the 2l one’s easiest to handle this way.
-
Large blocks of ice (usually 4 or 5 litres) last a lot longer in an ice box than party (crushed) ice. In a 65 litre ice box I had 2 large blocks at the bottom and then a bag of party of ice to fill the gaps.
-
Rather than potato chips we found a lot of rice crackers or bread stick type products which don’t crush and travel well and are nice with dips with a beer.
-
Ground salt will clog in humid climates – buy a salt grinder complete with salt in the supermarket for a few dollars. If you like freshly ground pepper then you can buy a grinder with pepper as well.
Have you got any camp cooking tips to share – add comment below!
those are some great tips! I only wish I could go camping again, the last time was when I was a kid. Somehow my dad would always be able to cook us a good breakfast. I miss the feeling of waking up in the middle of nowhere and feeling like it’s a million years ago! even today, the smell of early morning and the sight of dew on grass takes me right back to those days
Andy Bailey’s last blog post..CommentLuv gets more muscle
I discovered a new breakfast favorite on this trip – bacon & egg muffins (not like McDonald’s!) – found the bacon and eggs (in rings) for 2 easily fitted in the 1 fry pan while if I did a normal cooked breakfast I ran out of room
Great tips! My tip is to always pack sandwiches in tin foil, they do not get crushed this way!
Hi, you have some great tips listed there, your best tip is getting the meat vacuumed sealed, I have been getting the meat vacuum sealed it saves a mess from oozy meat in the fridge
Tinas last blog post..Top 10 Essential Family Camping Tips
Rice is a definite must, i always like to take a couple of cans of ambrosia custard and rice pudding, something hot and sugary always goes down well.
confused?´s last blog ..Flights to Australia – Whatever happened to the Ten Pound Poms?