Delicious and Food Safe Camping Meals to Pack
Are you heading out on a camping trip? You’ve got your tent, sleeping bags, camping mats, and chairs all packed and ready to go. But there’s one key detail you may have overlooked: food. Deciding what to bring for meals while camping can be both exciting and daunting. However, we’ve reached out to food safety experts to provide you with a list of delicious and safe foods to pack for your camping adventure. Here’s what they recommend:
Nuts and Dried Fruit
Trail mix is a popular choice among campers and hikers because it’s shelf-stable and doesn’t require refrigeration. According to Tamika Sims, an expert from the International Food Information Council, you can store nuts and dried fruit in airtight containers in your backpack or picnic basket.
Crackers and Granola
Similar to nuts and dried fruit, non-perishable foods like crackers, cookies, granola, uncooked pasta, and rice are great options for camping. Sims suggests using an ice pack if you’ll be camping in temperatures exceeding 80 degrees Fahrenheit for more than a few hours to maintain the texture and taste of these foods.
Canned Fish, Meat, and Soup
Canned fish and meat products, including tuna, are excellent choices as they don’t require refrigeration. Canned soup and beef jerky are also safe options. Kimberly Baker, a registered dietician from Clemson University, explains that these foods have a long shelf-life and require little preparation at the campsite.
Oranges
Oranges and other fresh fruits found in the produce aisle are ideal for camping. They don’t need refrigeration and have a protective peel. Sims advises keeping the fruit clean and intact to prevent bacteria growth.
Canned Fruit
Canned peaches, fruit salad, and other canned fruit products are convenient and don’t require refrigeration, especially if you finish the whole can in one sitting. Just make sure to pack a can opener!
Dehydrated and Freeze-Dried Meals
According to Don Schaffner, a food science expert from Rutgers University, dehydrated foods designed for backpacking are lightweight, don’t require refrigeration, and are easy to prepare. Just add boiling water, seal the pouch, and wait a few minutes. Some campers even dehydrate their own food using a food dehydrator.
Peanut Butter
Peanut butter is perfectly safe to keep unrefrigerated, even if it’s natural and separates. However, once opened, jelly or jam should be refrigerated to prevent mold growth.
Hard-Boiled Eggs
If you want to bring eggs camping, Schaffner recommends making hard-boiled eggs at home and allowing them to cool at room temperature. They can remain shelf-stable for several days as long as the shells are not cracked and cross-contamination is avoided. Raw eggs, on the other hand, must be kept in a cooler.
Additional Tips
– Keep refrigerated items cold in an insulated cooler with ice packs.
– Freeze water bottles ahead of time to use as ice in the cooler.
– Use a thermometer to check the temperature of your cooler.
By following these recommendations, you can enjoy delicious and safe meals during your camping trip!
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