I’m going camping this weekend and I have no idea how to plan a menu. I have my own portable gas grill and plenty of pots and pans to use. What kind of food do y’all take for camping trips?
Marc
I usually take eggs and bacon for breakfast. For lunch I just bring lunch meat or something not requiring cooking because your usually busy that part of the day with hiking, fishing, etc. For dinner just grill some burgers or hotdogs. You can also make some baked potatoes by wraping them in foil and putting them in the coals of the campfire. Depending on where you go, if near water (clean water) filet some fish that you caught! Gas grills aren’t really “camping” but they are easier than trudging through poison ivy and ticks for firewood.
If you have “camping” cookware, think in terms of stuff that won’t stick to pans or that won’t be hurt by cooling too fast. (That thin aluminum bleeds heat like crazy.) That makes pancakes a lower choice. Eggs are OK if you serve them onto non-metal plates. A stew or chili can be OK (you may want to prepare it early for the simmering and just re-heat it at the camp).
If you are carrying “normal” cookware, there is no limit to what you can try.
Grilling meat and steaming vegetables works fine. (A small fan-opening steamer insert can be found in most supermarkets; they are light and fold small for packing.)
IMHO ( 
), plenty of soup is a must. Easy to cook, tastes great, and they have less of a chance of finding you dead and frozen in the morning. [sup]But then maybe that’s just a Utah thing…[/sup]
Also, anything that calls for cheese. Something about spending all day outdoors and melted cheese… mmmm.
On some hikes I like to bring my rock-climbing gear which can easily add on over 20lbs. Limiting my weight is of the essence.
I would suggest you pack dehydrated foods, whatever they are. Not that I am saying you should go to REI and spend buttloads on those fancy pre-made packaged deals. No way! Just make sure that you don’t hike in foods that are already packed with water, like canned soups or fruits and veggies. They are fine for the hike in but they really take up alot of space and you can get essentially the same nutritional values from dehydrated veggies fruit, just don’t over do it on the fruit.
I like to bring stuff like rice and mac and cheese(using evaporated milk and real butter…it has to be real butter). They are both easy to make and if you put all the ingredients in a zip-lock bag before hand there is very little waste to pack out. Mac and cheese now comes in a variety of flavours; Stroganoff, Alfredo, three cheese, etc. and all different enough to make you think you are eating completely different meals every night.
Breakfasts are one of the easiest meals to pack for. I usually bring a huge bag of assorted instant oatmeals. I don’t like to get too “gourmet” when I am camping, just a personal preference. Whenever I have eggs, bacon and potatos while on a trek it feels too luxurious and like I am not roughing it enough. Plus, I don’t think it’s worh all the extra weight.
Some people say that the secret is in the spices. I usually bring a bottle of Tahini or Huli Huli for the rice and a mixed spice like Mrs. Dash(there are tons of assorted spice mixes out there and most of them taste pretty good) if I happen to bring split peas or something. Soups are great. If there is a Co-Op near you, go to the bean aisle and buy as many different beans you can buy and mix them up into a soup with some Mrs. Dash. I assure you it will taste awesome. If it doesn’t, go on a hike for a few hours while it cools and when you get back it should taste a whole lot better.
That’s all I can think of for now. Ok, I lied. One time when I was on Kauai camping in the Kalalau Valley some friends hunted down a wild goat and roasted it on a spit. I didn’t get a chance to taste it but I would have liked to. Oh yeah, I wouldn’t recommend packing in meats but Beef Jerkey is great for satisfying those carnivorous urges.
This is more of an IMHO than a GQ, so I’ll move it.
bibliophage
moderator GQ
Are you going camping or camping? (Car camping or backpacking?)
Car camping, just bring whatever the heck you want. Lots of cans and juice and stuff. Pepperoni and sourdough bread and some cheese. Doughnuts and OJ for breakfast. Cans of fruit and real fruit and chips and stuff. If it’s car-camping there’s no reason not to eat like a King.
For light backpacking, pack light. (Duh.) Dehydrated soups or oatmeal make a pretty standard breakfast. Trail mix all day. Peanut butter (small container) and jelly (little packets) on tortillas makes a good lunch. I like dehyrated soups (think Cup-A-Soup) for dinner. Drink powders are good too.
For serious, rootin’-tootin’, out in the back of beyond backpacking… don’t go. Unless you have some serious packing buddies. (If you don’t know what to eat, it’ll be overwhelming and turn into a Death March. No fun.)
And if you pop over here and poke around, you can find stuff. (Look under “technique” and scroll down to “nutrition” for a start.
Sultan Kinkari, have you tried the Easy Mac mac-and-cheese? Admittedly, it’s not as good as regular, but it just takes the powder and water (and boiling the noodles). It’s a microwave product, so you have to experiment a bit at home first. Just a mac-and-cheese option from your grocer’s shelf.
-Rue.
Don’t know why, but the subject line of this thread reminded me of the joke:
If you woke up in the woods, tied to a tree, with your ass covered in Vaseline, would you tell anybody?
Hell no!
Want to go camping?
[sub]heehee Sorry[/sub]
Laugh at me if you want, but I recommend stir-fry. Yes, stir fry. Before you leave, chop all the veggies (onions, carrots, broccoli, red pepper) and put them in individual baggies. Cook up a mess of pasta (penne, angel hair, whatever you prefer) and put it in another bag with a little water and oil). Then cut up chicken and steak in bite size pieces and put them in another bag covered with italian dressing to marinate. Put it all into a cooler until you’re ready for dinner.
I pack a wok, but you can cook in any skillet placed on a rack over the campfire. Cook up the meat and marinade for about 5 minutes til it’s done, then add the pasta to warm it back up. Finally add the veggies and cook for another 5 minutes. Throw in a little teriyaki sauce, or whatever sauce you want, and voila! Quick and easy and deee-lish. And clean-up is a snap.
If you have any leftovers, add them to an omelet for breakfast.
I’m going next weekend and I’m getting excited already. Have fun!
It would really help if we knew what you meant by camping. I know people who consider taking the motorhome out for the weekend “camping”.
The last time we went camping Lola took myself and the boys out to the Provincial Park and left us there for three days.
Everything we took was non-perishable; canned stews, pasta, noodles, premixed pancake mix, tetra packed milk, juice, cereal… etc.
We weren’t going to be able to keep ice in the cooler because there was no-where to get any. Our idea was to rough it a little and we made out fine.
Your menu will vary depending on what kind of camping you are doing.