How to make simple and tasty meals perfect for camping

Almost any meal you can make at home can also be cooked while camping. All you need are the right tools, a few helpful tips, and you're on your way!

Cooking can easily be done on a portable grill (barbecue grill) placed directly on the fire. You must have the necessities:

• A grill big enough to cook on
• Aluminum foil
• Oven mitts
• Cooking utensils (spatula, tongs, etc.)
• Pots and pans
• Ice
• Fresh herbs, spices, salt and pepper

A little preparation will go a long way in preventing wastefulness (vegetable scraps, plastic containers) and will avoid unnecessary dirty dishes. To make the most of your limited space, store as much food as you can in plastic zipper bags.

This is also good a good tip because the bags hermetically seal in odours and prevent unwanted attention from forest creatures.

• Meat: cut and marinate according to your recipe, then slide the meat into zipper bags.
• Vegetables: Pre-cut and pre-cooked veggies (even for just a few minutes) reduce cooking times. Baked potatoes wrapped in foil cook quickly and can be pan fried the next morning for breakfast.
• Others: A dozen eggs, broken and ready to use in a zipper bag; instant pancake mix, sandwiches, pasta salad, etc.
• Freezing: Meat and drinks can be used to chill other foods in the cooler. Freeze them the day before you leave.

Canned goods such as vegetables, beans and soup, as well as foods that can be cooked in a bag (like smoked meat and rice), are handy in a pinch.

While a bit more pricey to buy, they're convenient for your camping needs.

Boiling your food or sautéing it in aluminum foil is the most efficient method of cooking while camping. It will allow you to save fuel, especially because foil can be placed directly into the fire rather than on a grill.

• Also, don't forget to pay homage to tradition by roasting hot dogs and marshmallows!

Instead of lugging big, family-sized bottles of oil, dressing or olives, pour what you need into small reusable containers or empty jars with lids that close tightly.

Food attracts mosquitoes, raccoons and sometimes even bears. Remember to always:

• Empty out your dishwater away from the campsite
• Pour excess oils into a bottle to bring home with you
• Leave the cooler and food containers in the car or hanging in a tree