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How to Plan Your Camping Food
Camping trips are great fun if organized and planned appropriately. Campers need to plan their meals before leaving for the camping trips. If you love camping, you should know about planning the meals ahead of time. There are many foods that you can carry on your tours and prepare the meals while enjoying and having fun.
You must take some ready to eat foods that you don’t need to cook. Also, you will need to carry adequate raw material and cooking essentials to prepare the food on the camping sites. Here are some camping food ideas that you can use to plan your meals while going to camps.
Count the members for each meal
The first step in planning your camping food is to count the number of people for each meal. Mostly all the members are not available for a lunch. Some join later, and others go for the day activities and may not be around for the next meal. Therefore, it is essential to have a headcount for every meal, so that you can decide the amount of food you need to prepare for each meal.
Collect the cooking essentials
Plan the cooking essentials that you need to carry for your camping trip. What cooking essentials you choose, depends on the type of foods you want to cook. Take all the utensils such as pots, pans, knives, cutters, disposable plates and stove that are required for cooking and eating. Also, make sure you carry adequate fuel for the preparation of meals as it won’t be available on the camping sites.
Consider the weather
If the weather on the camping location is hot, you should choose fresh foods like salads, sandwiches. The weather at some location is cold in the mornings and evenings, for which you can take some hot foods like soups and hamburgers. Make sure to take the foods that do not spoil in the warm weather.
Carry the foods that don’t spoil quickly
It is essential to carry the foods that don’t spoil quickly in any weather. Choose foods like raw veggies and canned foods that have a longer shelf life. Most cooked foods are spoiled within 24 hours if not stored in a refrigerator. If possible, carry a small fridge to store the foods that can spoil quickly. Store the foods that are most likely to get spoiled in the freezer.
Consume the perishable foods first
While planning your meals regarding which foods to consume at what days, you must decide to eat the perishable foods on the first and second day. The foods like marinated chicken and cooked meals should be consumed on the very first day. Canned foods and pre-cooked foods last longer, so you can eat them on any day of your trip.
Choose the foods that cook quickly
It is easy to cook anything at home but difficult on the camping sites, because of the environment and lack of essentials. Campers usually face the winds, rain, heat and chilled air while cooking on the harsh locations. You should carry the foods that take less time to prepare like burgers and bread. Don’t choose the foods like pulses and whole grains that take too long to cook.
Prepare the ingredients ahead of time
It is necessary to save time while you go on camping trips. Nobody likes to spend hours on cooking the meals. Plan what can be done in advance like cutting and chopping the veggies, and salads. Prepare the dishes that won’t spoil for long so that you don’t need to do these things on your camp. It saves time that you need to enjoy your camping trips. Take the cooking fuel with you, so that you don’t waste time cutting the woods for fire. Aussie Storm Shop has ready to eat meals that require no heating and 24hr MRE ration packs.
Take as many ready to eat snacks
Campers need to walk a lot on difficult terrains that may exhaust them quickly. Every time it is not possible to prepare a meal. Therefore, you should carry plenty of ready to eat snacks and energy bars that provide you the energy to keep going. You can take items like bread, peanut butter, potato chips, dry fruits, protein bars, etc.
Cook the first day meals before you leave
It is better to cook the first day meals at home before going for your camping trip. It will save your time on the first day of your trip. Only you will need to reheat the food if the weather is chilled. Make sure you carry adequate ready to eat snacks and raw foods for the subsequent days.
Final Words
These are some of the best tips for planning your camping food. You can add them to your camping meals plan and think of some more ideas. Following these tips can help the campers especially the first timers to plan their camping meals easily.