by Kristen Desmond
When life takes you to the great outdoors, you need not live on hot dogs and trail mix alone. Make the most of campout cooking by planning ahead, keeping it simple and enjoying fresh ingredients. Whether you're working with a camping stove, an open fire or a grill, these cooking tips will help you make delicious fireside meals.
Keep it simple. Remember, you want to enjoy the great outdoors, not labor over the campfire the whole time. Avoid a menu that requires too much slicing, dicing or sauce preparation. Stick with simple, healthy ingredients such as prepared soups and stews, chicken, burgers, fish, spaghetti, fully cooked sausages, Canadian bacon, potatoes, corn, squash, carrots, celery, onions, couscous, bread, cold cuts, cheese, nuts and fresh and dried fruit.
Plan ahead. Plan your meals in advance. Think about what your campers will want to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Once you have menu ideas, list all the ingredients you need. Try to choose ingredients that can be used in several meals. For example, potatoes work for breakfast and dinner, as do eggs, onions and sausages. Sliced vegetables are nice to have around for lunch, snacks, and dinner. Bread, cold cuts, cheese, nuts, and fruit make great options for lunch, dinner and snacks.
Pre-cook and pre-package. Prepare as much as possible in advance. Pre-cut your vegetables and take them in Ziploc bags. Pre-cook your potatoes by baking them in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. At the campsite, wrap them in aluminum foil and place them on the grill to re-heat, or dice them and fry them in a pan with some oil, salt and pepper for quick home fries. Prepare a soup or stew at home and freeze it. Not only will it act like ice in your cooler, it will also thaw out while there and only require re-heating in a frying pan or Dutch oven. Pre-cook ground beef, chicken or turkey, freeze it, then thaw and add to a jar of prepared marinara sauce as a topping for pasta.
For breakfast, prepare your favorite pancake batter before the trip and transfer it to a plastic jug. Keep it cold until you're ready for breakfast, then pour the batter into your pre-oiled frying pan. Don't forget the syrup. Another hearty breakfast idea is couscous with nuts and dried fruit. Mix 1 cup of couscous with 1/3 cup of powdered milk, a pinch of cinnamon and salt, sliced almonds and dried fruit. Simply combine this mix with 1 ý cups of boiling water in a sauce pan and let it sit, covered, for about five minutes. You will have hot breakfast cereal for four! Maple syrup works nicely with this dish.
Pack wisely. Keeping it simple applies not only to food, but to equipment. Prepare an equipment list for each of your meals. What will you need to prepare each dish — a spatula, fry pan, sauce pan? Aluminum foil? It's best to avoid glass and keep as much as possible in plastic containers. Frozen food will act like ice in your cooler, and it will save room. Freeze water in bottles and use it as ice, too. Once it thaws, use it to clean your dishes. For equipment, you will likely need a heavy-duty frying pan (preferably cast iron), a Dutch oven, a wooden spoon, spatula, tongs, knife, an instant-read thermometer, cutting board, can opener, bottle opener, large plastic bowl, coffee pot, plates, bowls, cups, utensils, garbage bags, aluminum foil, Ziploc bags, garbage bags, hand sanitizer, rags, scrubbers, biodegradable dish soap and a large plastic tub for washing dishes.
Think outside the pot. To limit the number of dishes used to prepare food, try these ideas: Kebabs, which can be prepared in advance, are easy to make and easy to clean up. Use skewers to cook, shrimp, fish, beef, chicken and vegetables on the grill. Another great way to prepare campfire food is in aluminum foil pouches. This method works well for chicken tenders, fish, vegetables or combinations of all three. Take squares of aluminum foil, place your chicken or fish filet and/or vegetables in the center, add a dab of butter or olive oil, then season to taste with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes or lemon juice. Seal the aluminum foil packet tightly, leaving some room for heat and air to circulate. Place the packet on the grill. For fish and vegetables, allow about 15-20 minutes. For chicken tenders, allow about 30 minutes. For vegetables, 15-20 minutes will do the trick. Corn also cooks well in foil. Remove the husk and silk, rub the cob with butter, sprinkle it with garlic salt, and wrap it in foil. Place the foil pouch on the grill for about 20-25 minutes, turning it occasionally. Open aluminum foil pouches with care, as hot steam will release.
Save the best for last. Your campers will probably want dessert. S'mores are always a favorite — so remember to pack the marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate bars. Like bananas? Try Banana Bakes. Take an unpeeled banana, split it down the middle (inside the curve), leaving the peel intact. Stuff the banana with mini-marshmallows and chocolate chips. Close the peel as best you can, wrap the banana in foil and put it over the campfire coals for 10-15 minutes for a splendid banana-chocolate-mallow treat.
Don't spoil the fun. Don't let poor food handling spoil your outdoor cooking experience. Remember to keep all food preparation tools and surfaces clean. Cover work surfaces with a clean cloth, cutting board, parchment paper or aluminum foil. Always wash your hands between tasks and after handling raw meat. Use your instant-read thermometer to check the temperature of your meat to determine whether it's cooked. Keep the cooler cold, and only remove food from the cooler as necessary to work with it or serve it. Once food is cooked, serve it as quickly as possible. While you are enjoying your dinner, start boiling some water to help with cleanup. And finally, remember to collect, store and discard your garbage and food scraps as directed by camp authorities.
Of course, it always pays to have a back-up plan. In the great outdoors, things may not always go according to plan — bears or raccoons may get into your food, the fish may not run or perhaps the fire won't light. It's always a good idea to have granola bars, fresh and dried fruit, bottled water, crackers and other non-perishable foods on hand, so that under any circumstances, your campers won't go hungry or thirsty!
When she's not running or grilling healthy grub, Kristen Desmond is a freelance food writer living in Santa Barbara, Calif. Find more of her seasonal recipes at www.getyouryummyback.com.
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