cooking help
- Thread starter Bushcraftsman
- Start date
Flour is a handy thing to have out with you. Not only can you make bannock, but you can use it to thicken soup (mix it into some cold water before chucking into a hot soup or it will go all lumpy) plus if you've got some milk out with you, you can make my breakfast favourite, pancakes!
SimonM
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
For a static camp. there is no reason not to eat just as well as you do at home.
As Rik said, plan a menu around what you already are able to cook, just practice on your stove before you go to iron out the niggles.
For me, I'd go with:
Cooked breakfast - Sausages, bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms and black pudding (with a couple of bread wraps)
Lunch - Sarnies and fresh fruit (I'm usually busy at lunch time and don't like to stop what I'm doing to cook)
Dinner - Day 1 - Steak & onion (cooked on a griddle or on the embers) potatoes
Day 2 - Bolognaise, made with a smoked sausage, not mince and dried peppers, mushrooms etc with a packet of tomatoe passata.
Day 3 - Corn beef hash with dried mushrooms, dried mixed country veg and potatoes. All slow cooked over the fire
Supper - Kebabs made with salami, peppers, onions and tomatoes
Make sure you drink enough, as this is often overlooked. You should be peeing regularly & it should be clear NOT yellow and smelly!
HTH,
Simon
As Rik said, plan a menu around what you already are able to cook, just practice on your stove before you go to iron out the niggles.
For me, I'd go with:
Cooked breakfast - Sausages, bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms and black pudding (with a couple of bread wraps)
Lunch - Sarnies and fresh fruit (I'm usually busy at lunch time and don't like to stop what I'm doing to cook)
Dinner - Day 1 - Steak & onion (cooked on a griddle or on the embers) potatoes
Day 2 - Bolognaise, made with a smoked sausage, not mince and dried peppers, mushrooms etc with a packet of tomatoe passata.
Day 3 - Corn beef hash with dried mushrooms, dried mixed country veg and potatoes. All slow cooked over the fire
Supper - Kebabs made with salami, peppers, onions and tomatoes
Make sure you drink enough, as this is often overlooked. You should be peeing regularly & it should be clear NOT yellow and smelly!
HTH,
Simon
Pepperoni is always a good, long lasting foodstuff to have. Energy rich thanks to its fat content which if cold then fats are good to burn in your sleep to keep warm. I also take plain peanuts to eat last thing in my sleeping bag. I find it is a clean food (even escaped peanuts can be found in the morning) and it has a good carb, protein and fat content. If like me you backpack and need loads of calories then a 200g pack is particularly good at 1200kcals per pack (equates to 600kgcals/100g - anything over 400kcals/100g is considered as being weight efficient food).
Having said that you are static camping near to your home. Hmmmm! Does your local takeaway deliver to the woods?
Having said that you are static camping near to your home. Hmmmm! Does your local takeaway deliver to the woods?
veg curry and dhal. No worry about under cooking if you are not used to campfire cooking unlike with meat. Take some roti or make them there.
chilli topped with grated cheese with rice.
chilli topped with grated cheese with rice.
I recommend these burgers, you just add water, make the shape and fry, they are very nice, add a bit of onion.
No connection etc..
Primula cheese and oatcakes has saved many a lunchtime for me.
How about you make a big pot of chilli for the weekend - it's hard to get wrong. You can prep it and then let it simmer away while you get shelter sorted. Have it with rice or thin bannocks if you want something to mop up the juices. Good thing if you're not too sure about cooking meat over a fire is you can do a veg chilli or your can brown off some mince the night before and stick it in the fridge in a snap-lock (for the good seal) tupperware type box till you head off. Provided you keep your chilli pot in the shade, protected from insects during the day and get it back to a good boil when you're heating it up it'll be fine for 2 - 3 days.
If you were going to be hiking in warm weather for an extended period I'd be tempted to freeze the cooked mince and let it thaw slowly over the journey, wrapping the frozen container in a towel to insulate a little and absorb any moisture. Because you will have cooked it already you don't need to be quite as careful with the thawing and cooking afterwards.
For a chilli for 4 for 2 days, I'd take (and by that I mean get everyone else to carry) ...
at least 500g of minced beef, more if you're big meat-eaters - pre-browned in the kitchen, sealed away and in the fridge - keep the juices for flavour
1 big onion - you may like more
1 large box of mushrooms - saver packs are good, cheap and ugly but you'll be chopping them all up anyway
a couple of big courgettes
2 tins of kidney beans
4 tins of chopped tomatoes
3 or 4 beef / chicken or veg stock cubes to be disolved in a pint of boiling water
fresh or dried chilli to taste
1 bulb of garlic; peel, crush/chop and add all of the cloves
salt and white pepper, again to taste
veg or sunflower oil - need at least two tables spoons worth.
Optional ...
flour mixed into cold water to thicken up the chilli - don't add too much or you'll make chilli flavoured glue - a tablespoon of flour in a cup of water and add two teaspoons worth at a time mixing thoroughly with each measure, the trick is to wait until the very end and then thicken up as necessary.
adding butter too will give a very rich sauce.
For that extra touch ...
a bag of pre-grated cheese for topping
2 bags of flour tortillas (allow 2 each per day ) - you could try making your own with just plain flour and water and a dry frying pan
a bottle of tabasco - there's always one who wants it volcano hot - usually me - heheh
I'd do tortilla or bannock as rice is messy to cook, unless you go for microwave rice and boil it in the bag (sealed) or take those easy cook bags but even then it takes up a lot of your water which may be needed for drinking.
How about you make a big pot of chilli for the weekend - it's hard to get wrong. You can prep it and then let it simmer away while you get shelter sorted. Have it with rice or thin bannocks if you want something to mop up the juices. Good thing if you're not too sure about cooking meat over a fire is you can do a veg chilli or your can brown off some mince the night before and stick it in the fridge in a snap-lock (for the good seal) tupperware type box till you head off. Provided you keep your chilli pot in the shade, protected from insects during the day and get it back to a good boil when you're heating it up it'll be fine for 2 - 3 days.
If you were going to be hiking in warm weather for an extended period I'd be tempted to freeze the cooked mince and let it thaw slowly over the journey, wrapping the frozen container in a towel to insulate a little and absorb any moisture. Because you will have cooked it already you don't need to be quite as careful with the thawing and cooking afterwards.
For a chilli for 4 for 2 days, I'd take (and by that I mean get everyone else to carry) ...
at least 500g of minced beef, more if you're big meat-eaters - pre-browned in the kitchen, sealed away and in the fridge - keep the juices for flavour
1 big onion - you may like more
1 large box of mushrooms - saver packs are good, cheap and ugly but you'll be chopping them all up anyway
a couple of big courgettes
2 tins of kidney beans
4 tins of chopped tomatoes
3 or 4 beef / chicken or veg stock cubes to be disolved in a pint of boiling water
fresh or dried chilli to taste
1 bulb of garlic; peel, crush/chop and add all of the cloves
salt and white pepper, again to taste
veg or sunflower oil - need at least two tables spoons worth.
Optional ...
flour mixed into cold water to thicken up the chilli - don't add too much or you'll make chilli flavoured glue - a tablespoon of flour in a cup of water and add two teaspoons worth at a time mixing thoroughly with each measure, the trick is to wait until the very end and then thicken up as necessary.
adding butter too will give a very rich sauce.
For that extra touch ...
a bag of pre-grated cheese for topping
2 bags of flour tortillas (allow 2 each per day
) - you could try making your own with just plain flour and water and a dry frying pana bottle of tabasco - there's always one who wants it volcano hot - usually me - heheh
I'd do tortilla or bannock as rice is messy to cook, unless you go for microwave rice and boil it in the bag (sealed) or take those easy cook bags but even then it takes up a lot of your water which may be needed for drinking.
Uncle Bens microwave rice is really handy for camp cooking saves loads of time and fuel as it cooks up really quickly with just a tiny amount of water (you dont need a microwave to cook it). Lots of different flavours available. I prefer the wholegrain variety.
A lot of good advice here. The only thing I'd advise is that uncooked meats turn quickly in the kind of temperatures were experiencing and a muggy atmosphere tends to contribute further, so you have to bear that in mind when deciding what to carry out with you. I don't often carry chicken as I've had unfortunate experiences in the past. If I do carry chicken it's eaten on the first day. Beef can turn green within 24 hours outside of the fridge at this time of year and the same is true for all uncooked meats, like sausages, whereas cooked meats like black pudding will last longer.
I'd recommend that you give this some thought prior to leaving home unless you wish to experience a sub-tropical trouser incident.
If you wish to eat meat on day 2 or 3, then a can of corned beef can be used to make a dozen different dishes. Try 1/2" thick sliced spuds, 2 or 3/person, an onion and a can corned beef. Lay the spuds in a pot, then chopped onions and the corned beef on top. Put no more than 1" water in pot, put on a close fitting lid, bring to the boil and simmer on the fire for 45 mins. Don't be tempted to stir, leave the lid on while cooking and you have a pot of stovies - just like magic! Stir only after it's cooked.
Get a beef bone from your butcher and put it on to boil as soon as your fire's going. Boil for 20 mins and take the scum off with a spoon (Or 2 stock cubes... or StockPot, brilliant!). Throw in a handful of broth mix and simmer for 30 mins. Throw in a bag of frozen mixed veg and a diced spud or two and cook until the spuds are ready. Soup!
Rice and pasta are convenience staples and couscous is the ultimate in easily cooked hi-carb... just pour in boiling water and leave for 5 minutes.
I can't actually remember learning to cook on a fire as my childhood would be seen in the Law as a catalogue of poaching, slaughter and theft from the fields. Camp cooking may seem like a huge prob with inexperience, but it isn't.
Keep it wholesome, keep it simple!
I'd recommend that you give this some thought prior to leaving home unless you wish to experience a sub-tropical trouser incident.
If you wish to eat meat on day 2 or 3, then a can of corned beef can be used to make a dozen different dishes. Try 1/2" thick sliced spuds, 2 or 3/person, an onion and a can corned beef. Lay the spuds in a pot, then chopped onions and the corned beef on top. Put no more than 1" water in pot, put on a close fitting lid, bring to the boil and simmer on the fire for 45 mins. Don't be tempted to stir, leave the lid on while cooking and you have a pot of stovies - just like magic! Stir only after it's cooked.
Get a beef bone from your butcher and put it on to boil as soon as your fire's going. Boil for 20 mins and take the scum off with a spoon (Or 2 stock cubes... or StockPot, brilliant!). Throw in a handful of broth mix and simmer for 30 mins. Throw in a bag of frozen mixed veg and a diced spud or two and cook until the spuds are ready. Soup!
Rice and pasta are convenience staples and couscous is the ultimate in easily cooked hi-carb... just pour in boiling water and leave for 5 minutes.
I can't actually remember learning to cook on a fire as my childhood would be seen in the Law as a catalogue of poaching, slaughter and theft from the fields. Camp cooking may seem like a huge prob with inexperience, but it isn't.
Keep it wholesome, keep it simple!
One of my camping basics is a very simple soup
Lentil Soup.
2 cups of lentils (rinsed)
2 stock cubes I use ham, but veg works too
Water (2/3 of a 14cm zebra billy)
boil the water, add the stock cubes, add the lentils.
simmer, until the lentils break down.
you want it quite high over the fire, and you will need to stir it regularly to stop the lentils sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning.
Lentil Soup.
2 cups of lentils (rinsed)
2 stock cubes I use ham, but veg works too
Water (2/3 of a 14cm zebra billy)
boil the water, add the stock cubes, add the lentils.
simmer, until the lentils break down.
you want it quite high over the fire, and you will need to stir it regularly to stop the lentils sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning.
One thing I keep meaning to try and maybe someone here can let me know if they've tried it ...
Matteson's make smoked sausage "hot dogs" - my thought was to scrape up a green stick, skewer the sausage, wrap bannock mix around it and cook it over a fire. The problem is I always eat the sausage before the bannock mix is finished.
Matteson's make smoked sausage "hot dogs" - my thought was to scrape up a green stick, skewer the sausage, wrap bannock mix around it and cook it over a fire. The problem is I always eat the sausage before the bannock mix is finished.
Hot dog sausages are best heated in water, they can explode when fried/microwaved/cooked on high dry heat.
mmm Bratwursts with homemade ketchup, or mayo with perhaps a sprinkling of curry powder?
mmm Bratwursts... with perhaps a sprinkling of curry powder?
Now, now Nagual, none of your filthy German habits here.
Similar threads
