Camp kitchen (supplies)

[salan]

Hi All,
When i go on holidays,camping in fact anywhere for more then a day, I take my 'camp kitchen' with me.
What do I mean? well in my case its a box containing oil,vinigar, herbs (in 35mm containers) spices, stock cubes etc. I also make sure I have a good sharp knife (well camping thats no prob but other places its a cooks knife).
So what do you take with you/would you take with you for similar situations?
I got fed up of cooking and not having some garlic or basil etc.
I am a firm believer that just because we are out in the sticks etc doesn't mean we have to live off ramen noodles lol(nothing wrong with them but sorry i just don't like them for every meal lol).
My general box is too big for taking solo camping but car camping/family holidays its fine(about 8/6/4 inches).
Alan
(always after ways to make up smaller kits lol)

 

[pango]

Hi Salan,
I carry everything I'll need, but without the box.

Spices, chilis, garlic, ginger, salt, pepper, Bisto, etc, are carried in old film tubs. I can fit a couple of bird-eye chilis, 2 garlic cloves and a stock cube into one tub.
Oil, tabasco, Fairy Liquid are carried in plastic miniature whisky bottles. Wild herbs are gathered as I need them. I'm in the habit of eating well.

I often carry a pack of noodles for emergencies but can't remember the last time they didn't go in the bin unused.

 

[cclincs]

When we are going lightweight we still want to have extra taste in our food, my son and I take

a film canister containing our favourite a mix of sweet smoked paprika with a little hot smoked paprika for a little extra spice
a film canister of mixed dried herbs
a number of salt and pepper sachets (collected from a variety of restaurants)
a number of vegetable stock cubes - for cooking and drinking
we usually have a sachet or two of tomato ketchup in the bag as well.

One thing we use to add flavour to cous-cous or instant noodles is dried mushrooms - let them soak for a short while then chop them up and add them and the soaking water into the water you are going to rehydrate the cous cous or noodles with.

If weight is not an issue then I take a bit of everything - including blocks of cream of coconut and small plastic bottles that include fish sauce, soya sauce and balsamic vinegar.

 

[TinkyPete]

At work I can get from the cookhouse some bags of Alara Super Swiss Muesli 50g bag I just add water in the morning tastes great.

or you can buy normal oats and adds what ever you like (the old army way of using drinking chocolate) or one of my fav's is to add drinking chocolate from rat pack (now flavoured and orange is the best, mint is not bad either) raisins, cherries and canned peel a real christmassy taste (rum/cointreau/tia maria/whisky optional but nice)

There's Coan stuff like original beef sausage (dried and seasoned) basically jerked sausage they do biltong and other jerky stuff too.

dried fruits such as pineapple, blueberries, strawberries, raisins, currants, cherries and even cranberries are nice snacks and go good in stuff and chocolate drops or mixed nuts for extras.

couscous is also light easy to prepare and a change from noddles or rice or pasta can be used hot or cold and easily takes flavours such as mint sauce to give it a zing and not to keep it boring. I also sometimes add pine nuts (slight roasted are best) and dried chilli flakes with other stuff to it too.

magic ingredients:

Lea & Perrins (accept no substitute)
Hot sauce
mustard powder ( Colemans the best and English type of course)
mixed herbs
chilli powder or flakes
curry powder (your favourite of course mines madras)
dried garlic
Salt & pepper
Heinz Ketchup (the new twisted mini bottles with different flavours are interesting)
stock cubes (I still like the oxo range)
coarse grained mustard (adds nice texture to noodles and stuff) ( I have a nice one flavoured with Macallan 10 year old single malt)
I keep must of the stuff in mini containers/film cases and small bottle I like to use some the the bottles and stuff you can get for carring on to airplanes to put your shampoo and shower gel in

 

[Minotaur]

I stopped using film canister, after the chemical warning.

I actually found something I like better, some little square tupper-ware style tubs, about the same size. If anything about a third shorter.

The minimum I carry is normally ground black pepper, and some form of curry powder. I tend to add Basil(Tomato based stuff), Tarragon(Chicken Based stuff), and mixed herbs.

If you like Garlic, you can get Garlic in a powder form, or an oil.

 

[copper_head]

A good tip I use for carrying your herbs and spices; get a 7 day pill box, you can pick them up at most 'pound' shops, they have morning noon and evening slots. That gives you 21 seperate sections for your ingredients and is about the size of a dvd case. I cut mine in 2 as I couldnt find use for all the slots. In addition to that I have a Nalgene travel set which has various bottles and pots. With the cut down pillbox I carry a small bottle of oil, one of those dual sided salt and pepper shakers, sugar, dried milk, a tube of garlic paste and some condiment sachets. That tends to keep everything delicious!

 

[cclincs]

I like the idea of the pill box - off to the pound shop in the city this afternoon to try and get on to give it go.

Thanks

 

[Thoth]

I often carry some cup-a-soup for adding flavour to other meals, including pasta & noodles. Also gravy graunules & cheese/parsley sauce as these really thicken things too as well as adding flavour. Dried mushrooms are good & I take dried onions & mixed veg too for adding to soups/stews/noodles. TomYum stock cubes, from Chineese supermarkets, are my 'secret weapon' - fiercer and with a great depth of flavour than just chilli flakes. Couscous is a favorite & a good tip is that you can often make up the smallish flavoured packs by adding water to the foil-lined packet & so save yourself a pot.