What are the easiest meals to cook while camping?

[Patricia D.]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

I have electricity so rarely when camping, I'm not sure what to do when we have it.

Hawkins has a line of small to large non-electric pressure cookers that are work well on a camp stove and help save $ on propane

Like others, I start out with about 2 days of fresh home cooked meals and then for about 3 more days eat meals that have been in my fridge thawing from frozen. After that I enjoy easy, usually one pan quesedillas, wraps, hashes or scrambles, quinoa bowls with cooked and fresh toppings, basically anything quick and easy but filling and nutritious.
As backup I always have packages of precooked flavoured rices to use in rice and beans and quick curries. I find that cooking rice and pasta takes too much of my valuable water and packaged rice like those from Tasty Bites are quite good. For really lazy days or after a long day's drive, their packages veggie curries are a welcome treat as well.

[John in Santa Cruz]

a lot of our meals are baked in the propane oven. casseroles, toasted sandwiches, baked home cooked frozen meals ... we don't use a pressure cooker hardly at all at home either.

I realize the freezing thing is only good for relatively finite length trips, I think our max has been 3 weeks.

[Rzrbrn]

I may take a small stove top Presto pressure cooker this camping season. We use a crockpot more than a pressure cooker at home. Crockpot maybe 5 or 6x a year, pressure cooker maybe 2x a year. Thats why we don't have an Instant Pot, probably would not use that huge thing much.

This season cooking stuff:

Camp Chef Blind II stove
Blackstone tabletop Griddle
Electric Griddle
Dutch oven
Coleman 2 burner gas stove
Firecamp grill
Svea 123R

I do the cooking. Omelets, corned beef hash, breakfast burritos for breakfast. Now that we have an oven, maybe pizza. Otherwise the usual steak (soaked in Dale's seasoning for abt 20 minutes prior to burning...er...grilling. Try it, you may really like it), hamburger, grilled shrimp, fajitas; simple and fast. Always looking for new, SIMPLE, recipes.

[JansDream]

Someone earlier asked about the CanCooker (https://www.cancooker.com/). We've had one for about five years and love it ... especially when the weather outside isn't conducive for grilling. Now they make a "Companion" which is perfect for two people. Surprisingly, you can get pretty creative with recipes using this "low pressure, pressure cooker".

[IMEd]

Beanies and weenies.

[Alf S.]

Hi: All... A "Barley sandwich". Pull the tab on the top of the can... and ENJOY!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[WaltP]

Originally Posted by Alf S.

Hi: All... A "Barley sandwich". Pull the tab on the top of the can... and ENJOY!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

I use a Coleman Instastart Propane Skillet for almost everything.
A lot of stir frys, grilled sandwiches, sauteed vegetables with a marinated chop, steak, chicken pieces, even fish.

[WaltP]

Originally Posted by WaltP

I use a Coleman Instastart Propane Skillet for almost everything.
A lot of stir frys, grilled sandwiches, sauteed vegetables with a marinated chop, steak, chicken pieces, even fish.

And of course any full breakfast all in the skillet. Bacon and eggs, pancakes and sausage, French toast and ham,...., throw in some home fries with any of them.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Alf S.

Hi: All... A "Barley sandwich". Pull the tab on the top of the can... and ENJOY!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

While open and drinking can work from a bottle, if it is a can you really need a glass to pour it into as well.

[Rzrbrn]

Jim, interesting comment. Why does Coca Cola taste better when poured out of a can, rather than drinking directly from a can? Same for beer.

[Glenn Baglo]

Pouring the beer into a glass releases carbon dioxide. If you drink from the can or bottle, you swallow that carbon dioxide, giving you that bloated feeling after consuming six or seven beers.

[Alf S.]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Pouring the beer into a glass releases carbon dioxide. If you drink from the can or bottle, you swallow that carbon dioxide, giving you that bloated feeling after consuming six or seven beers.

Hi: Glenn Baglo... Row, row your bloat gently down the stream!!! I found out that what kills beer is light... not temp. I'll use cans in that case!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Carl Pa]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Pouring the beer into a glass releases carbon dioxide. If you drink from the can or bottle, you swallow that carbon dioxide, giving you that bloated feeling after consuming six or seven beers.

I wouldn't know, i would be drunk after 6 or 7

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Rzrbrn

Jim, interesting comment. Why does Coca Cola taste better when poured out of a can, rather than drinking directly from a can? Same for beer.

Well, I can't talk on the pop part as I don't drink it, but with beer you do get that nice frothy head and you don't have to drink from the wicked tasting can. I will drink from the can if needed, just much prefer not to.

I don't worry a bit about the light as even if it is still day time, the beer is still gone before it can be affected.

[John in Santa Cruz]

speaking of beer and camping...

we were at REI a week before we left on our recent trip to Utah, and they had Yeti drinking tumblers and stuff on a pretty good sale, so my wife got a pair of the Yeti 20Oz Tumbler. I would have thought silly overpriced etc, but in fact, this tumlber kept coffee warmer longer than our previous Contigo brand motor mugs, AND with a quick rinse, the coffee smell was gone, pour a 12OZ beer into the 20OZ cup, and the beer stayed cold til the last sip, then a quick rinse and the beer smell was gone, good for the next mornings coffee. We were both really impressed (ok, my wife was making Gin and Tonics in hers rather than beer, but still....). only down side, they aren't leak proof, even if you close the magnetic 'sip' lid, they will dribble if tipped. still, you wouldn't want to have beer in a sealed container or it would spray when you open it to sip.

[sassyinpink]

for me, ice cold beer is very important.
i have very nice craft beer at room temperature and it sucks. lol

[sassyinpink]

Originally Posted by Rzrbrn

Jim, interesting comment. Why does Coca Cola taste better when poured out of a can, rather than drinking directly from a can? Same for beer.

actually i think it has to do with the container? If u drink out of nice glassware, the coke does taste better (for me, at least)
but on to paper or plastic cup, its just not there... haha.


i read some time ago, the pepsi challenge finds that pple like pepsi MORE


but when they conduct experiments where the tester get to see the cans, ie coke cans or pepsi cans, a higher number voted for the coke cans. the experiment attribute it to the more "likeable" coke brand.


i like my beer with a toasted sandwich in front of a nice camp fire at night.
i am a simple gal. toasted sandwich with cheddar, and maybe some canned beans or soup. im fine with that!

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by sassyinpink

for me, ice cold beer is very important.
i have very nice craft beer at room temperature and it sucks. lol

darker, stronger beer styles are best at 'cellar' temperature, not ice cold, but not 'room temp', more like 45F or so. light crisp beer styles, OTOH, are best at ice chest temps of 32F, and these styles are better on a hot day.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

darker, stronger beer styles are best at 'cellar' temperature, not ice cold, but not 'room temp', more like 45F or so. light crisp beer styles, OTOH, are best at ice chest temps of 32F, and these styles are better on a hot day.

I mostly drink dark beers and agree that slightly chilled is best, not ice cold. Even lighter coloured beer, while find colder, I don't mind chilled only as well.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

I mostly drink dark beers and agree that slightly chilled is best, not ice cold. Even lighter coloured beer, while find colder, I don't mind chilled only as well.

If it's no good at room temperature, then it's not good, period.