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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Asian packet sauces travel well and provide an endless selection of stir fry options. There noodles in the same range which work well too.
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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.
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Beer cans are much more compact to carry than beer bottles, lighter too.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!