What do you cook/eat when camping?

[Lone Rider]

Originally Posted by dfwscotty

For those of you who carry perishables, beef, poultry, eggs etc, what is your best method for keeping them up to speed edible-wise? Just keep stopping for ice along the road? Let's see your coolers as well. I just carry a small soft sided one for some minor stuff. I would like to carry some ribeyes though! Maybe time for a bigger one.

Freezing is one option, also keeps it from bouncing around and turning into mush.

On road is different. Food carried off road and not tightly secured can wind up looking like vomit, beat to death.

[j911brick]

Originally Posted by dfwscotty

For those of you who carry perishables, beef, poultry, eggs etc, what is your best method for keeping them up to speed edible-wise? Just keep stopping for ice along the road? Let's see your coolers as well. I just carry a small soft sided one for some minor stuff. I would like to carry some ribeyes though! Maybe time for a bigger one.

I came up with what I thought was a good idea (assuming it hasn't been done).

Get a system from Cool Shirt to keep you cool in hot weather. You can plum it like a camelback so as the ice melts you have cool drinking water, and you can also store a few perishables on top of the ice. Kill three birds with one stone.

[ownst1100]

I've found the "Frost Pak" soft coolers made by Seattle Sports to be the best. Like there discription points out: Made from heavy-duty vinyl that seperates there coolers from the rest of the pack.

http://store.seattlesportsco.com/pro...&idproduct=300

I've bought the 12 qt., 19 qt., & 25 qt. over the last 15 years. The 12 qt. being the oldest (15 years old) and still looks like new. Have used ice and dry ice in all of them. The 19 qt. seems to be my favorite because it fits in all 3 Jesse Bags, side panniers and top box.



To keep thing from getting wet I found an old tray from a Coleman ice chest that fits perfect on top. Helps to stablize and secure everything below thats packed in ice.

[R_W]

Originally Posted by dfwscotty

For those of you who carry perishables, beef, poultry, eggs etc, what is your best method for keeping them up to speed edible-wise? Just keep stopping for ice along the road? Let's see your coolers as well. I just carry a small soft sided one for some minor stuff. I would like to carry some ribeyes though! Maybe time for a bigger one.

I have one of those plastic/mylar/bubblewrap cooler bags they sell in the frozen food section of most any grocery store. It will keep stuff cold for a few hours. Long enough to buy it at the afternoon gas stop until you stop and set up camp. Buy a bag of frozen veggies to help keep the meat cold longer, whatever will work with the meal.

[AngryScot]

Originally Posted by Benjava

Hey AngryScot thanks again.When you retire from full time gear tester can I have the job? I've been training for half a year now!

Sure thing, doesn't pay well though.... and I end up with some funny looks sitting in the parking lot at work with a jetboil and foil bagged lunch!

Tried the pot holder thing! $0.50 for a pair of xmas ones... bit of duct tape and.....



Filled a bag with boiling water as I had eaten my last bag for lunch that day just to make sure it worked.
Seemed fine and I now have it in the kitchen kit for DVDAZE. mighty ugly though , even though there are some lovely duct tape folds and detailing underneath the top coat of tape

[mark1305]

Originally Posted by dfwscotty

For those of you who carry perishables, beef, poultry, eggs etc, what is your best method for keeping them up to speed edible-wise? Just keep stopping for ice along the road? Let's see your coolers as well. I just carry a small soft sided one for some minor stuff. I would like to carry some ribeyes though! Maybe time for a bigger one.

When I've hauled stuff for gatherings, like ten lbs of boudain up to the Scrub for one of Jack Daniels' Ribfests, I've used a Coleman softsided cooler that usually travels with me and a 5 lb block of dry ice always available at one of my local grocery stores. When using dry ice, it will freeze stuff next to it after a couple of hours. And wear gloves when buying it and loading it into the cooler. I knew better and still froze one finger tip while paying for it in the store. The better the cooler, the longer it lasts.

[Squeaky]

Originally Posted by AngryScot

mighty ugly though , even though there are some lovely duct tape folds and detailing underneath the top coat of tape

But now you can't pull the "ultimate man move" - wiping your face off with the outside of the mitt when you're done eating!

[AngryScot]

Originally Posted by Squeaky

But now you can't pull the "ultimate man move" - wiping your face off with the outside of the mitt when you're done eating!

oh I do better, trash the meal and stick my face in the pouch wiggle it around and scream, like that Birtney?

I have a bag of chilli mag with beef stewing beside my desk so review to be added soon
Oh recent post on silicone rubber bands, very useful in cooking etc.
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showp...54&postcount=1

Mountain house foods:
Lasagna
Was pretty good, but needed some pepper. Was a bit tame in taste but good. One thing though if you use a fork with the foods with cheese, it is a PITA to clean it off after!

Chicken and Rice
Taste was good, would make a good side dish, not too much chicken in it. Pepper again would have helped and some salt too.
Cooking was even and fast, but did need to beat up the bag to break it up before adding water.

Beef Stew
Again pretty tasty but needed pepper, I am guessing they plain it down so it appeals to more folks. Sauce was good and veggies were fresh tasting.
Anyway the pain with this one was the cooking. Fresh boiling water in the bag and 10min later it was still not cooked all the way. You need to smack the bag to break it up a bit so it hydrates evenly. I added more boiling water and it still was not cooked all the way. This one is not a simple water/wait/eat one like the rice and chicken or lasagna above.

Chilli Mac and Beef
This one is a winner! Per previous suggestions I have taken to adding more water/time for anything with beef or chicken so it cooks evenly. I looked at the small print and it said spicy sauce, crap I thought! But it was not spicy at all, might even leave the pepper out on this one . Would be great with some extra cheese and a side of bread or roll.
Oh and for the spicy meter, I think chilli's hot wings are a 9 (1-10[hottest]) scale . This meal was a 1. Nice flavor and the noodles and beans tasted fresh! Thanks to Benjava for suggestion this one, I would never have tried it otherwise.

Was a good suggestion further back on buying the double serving size as it packs flatter and easier to stuff in the saddle bags.

[VStromTom]

If you are lucky enough to be near a place that sells dry ice by the pound, cut as you want it rather than a place like some big box retailer that sells pre pack stuff, that should keep stuff frozen for a couple of days without adding much wt. Might be somewhat bulky, don't know.

[Lone Rider]

It's really hard to beat cooking in a can for convenience.
Tonight is chili no-beans and spaghetti w/meatballs. No muss, no cleanup.

[VStromTom]

OK Lone Rider, others might be reluctant to ask, but what wine do you usually drink with your canned gourment pork and beans?

[2volts]

Try the Dingo's Breakfast: a piss and a good look around.

pete

[AKStrom]

Originally Posted by swjohnsey

How cheap are you? Things that are easy to cook on the road, require no refrigeration and available from grocery stores:

Ramen
Oatmean the instant stuff
Canned beef stew
Canned chili
Peanut butter
Raisins or other dried fruit

That's pretty much what my suppers and "early" breakfasts meals consist of on the road. I'm usually underway by 6:45am and ride for an hour or so before I eat breakfast.

For lunch, I eat out but usually lightly since I tend to opt for roads that don't have a lot of businesses.

For dinner, I just heat up Ramen or canned Campbell's Chunky on my cheap little coleman burner from GI Joe's. Heck of a lot quicker than dinking with the campfire for supper.

[Lone Rider]

Originally Posted by VStromTom

OK Lone Rider, others might be reluctant to ask, but what wine do you usually drink with your canned gourment pork and beans?

I usually plurge a bit, going with properly chilled Miller Lite when in the States and Carta Blanca when south of the border.

[ownst1100]

Here's how we ate out in the desert over New Years.




Breakfast borrito's, 3 kinds.



They had a new toy with them this year. That big box with the smoke comming out of it is filled with pork tenderloins. Following night it was loaded with beef tri-tip.



BMW Airheads of San Deigo supplied all the meals for 4 day's and 3 nights. And all the beer you could drink. Price was $60

We went out a day early. So with my setup we cooked up a bunch of salmon, pasta, and steamed veggies. After breakfast the following morning my setup became the morning espresso station.