How to Prepare Foods in Advance for Camping

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There's something that seems to make food on a camping trip taste better. Whether it's hot dogs or hamburgers, it all tastes like filet mignon when you're eating next to a campfire. Camping stoves and grills make preparing your camp food relatively simple and hassle free, but you won't have to utilize them much with some advance preparation. If some of your menu items are prepared before you reach the campground, you'll find you will spending less time cooking and more time relaxing.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Tips on Preparing Food in Advance for Camping

Things You’ll Need:

Food Plastic containers Plastic bags
Food
Plastic containers
Plastic bags

Step 1

Plan a menu of all the meals you intend on having while on your trip. You'll then be able to choose foods that can be prepared in advance. If you will be preparing foods that won't be frozen but kept in a cooler, you'll be able to gauge how long you will have between preparing the food and eating it before it spoils.

Step 2

Chose the meat items that you would like to marinate. Wash the meat, if necessary, and place in a plastic bag. Season with the marinade of your choice and seal the bag. Toss the plastic bag into the freezer. This will not only keep the meat from spoiling but also will make an ice pack for your cooler. Once your meat thaws at camp, it's ready to be taken out of the bag and thrown on the grill.

Step 3

Make foods such as potato, chicken, tuna and pasta salads the night before you depart. This will give flavors time to set in, the foods will be fresh when you want to eat them the next day and there's no preparation involved at camp. Store the finished product in a plastic container and place in the refrigerator until you're ready to pack the cooler.

Step 4

Wash you salad fixings before the trip and place them together in a plastic container. You can either make a full salad that's ready to eat or keep your washed vegetables together in the container and eat them as needed. Either way, you won't have to clean or prepare vegetables at camp. Keep the container in your cooler so your vegetables remain fresh.

Step 5

Bake anything you might like to munch on at camp. If you bake cookies, brownies, cakes or any other dessert before the trip, you'll have homemade goodies ready to eat. Place them in an airtight plastic bag or container to keep their freshness.

Step 6

Cook foods such as taco meat, chili and chicken fajita meat before the trip. Place the cooked meal in a plastic bag or container and freeze it. This will retain its freshness and it can thaw naturally inside your cooler. While thawing, it can act as an ice block for other foods in the cooler. Heat and serve at camp.

Article Written By Joyce Starr

Joyce Starr is a professional writer from Florida and owns a landscaping company and garden center. She has published articles about camping in Florida, lawn care and gardening and writes for a local gardening newsletter. She shares her love and knowledge of the outdoors and nature through her writing.

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