Camping cooking made easy

SUMMERS and camping go hand in hand in Australia, and the best way to stay healthy on the road is by planning what and how you'll cook.

Camping fun. Picture: Flickr Zetrules

IT CAN be difficult to eat healthy and stay motivated to cook when you're on holidays. It's all too easy to call into a corner fish `n' chips shop, especially when you've been driving all day.

But there are ways to make mealtimes easier when you're on the road.

Katy Holder, author of the Hungry Campers Cookbook, shares her secrets for camp cooking.

Q. IT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO EAT HEALTHY MEALS WHEN CAMPING. WHAT INGREDIENTS HAVE YOU FOUND KEEP LONG AND FRESH?

A. Smoked fish is ideal for salads and sandwiches. It has quite a strong flavour so you don't need that much of it. Smoked trout or mackerel is delicious in a noodle salad with pickled ginger. Smoked chicken will also keep longer than fresh chicken.

Fresh salad is a slightly trickier one. Either take whole lettuces stored in a sturdy airtight container or take washed leaves, also stored in an airtight container, laid on a bed of damp paper towel.

Most fresh vegetables will keep for several days, as long as they don't get squashed - carrots, cucumbers and corn cobs are pretty tough. Alternatively, take tins of beans or corn kernels instead.

But the best way to avoid eating unhealthy food is simply not to take it with you in the first place.

News_Image_File: Smoked salmon is great for sandwiches. Picture: Flickr stuspivack

Q. HOW BEST CAN WE STORE FRAGILE ITEMS LIKE EGGS AND TOMATOES?

A. I put these into Tupperware or similar containers with lids. If the container is even a little bit big the eggs will rattle around, so tuck some pieces of paper towel around them.

Q. HOW CAN WE BEST KEEP MEAT WHEN CAMPING AND HOW CAN WE LIMIT WASTE?

A. Buy your meat from your butcher and ask them to vacuum-pack it. Vacuum-packed meat lasts three to four days longer than non-vacuum-packed meat.

Another great idea is to freeze your meat before you go. This has a double effect of acting like an ice pack and keeping other things cold, but also the meat will defrost during the first day and then should still last another two days.

Fresh, non-vacuum-packed meat should be stored in a good-quality cooler, out of the sun with several ice packs. Leave a layer at the top of your cooler for your ice packs as the cold air will travel down. Meat stored in this way should last three days.

Limit waste by planning exactly what you're going to cook before you leave, and how many people you have to serve.

Keeping your meals simple will mean you are far more likely to use all the ingredients you buy. Having lots of different ingredients to chop and cook could quickly become frustrating in the limits of your campground, so you may well end up not using some ingredients.

If buying pre-packaged meat, remove only what you need for your trip and freeze the rest at home for another meal. If you're going with other friends or families, plan your meals so you cook together. We often allocate each family one meal to shop and cook for.

News_Image_File: Keep things simple. Picture: Flickr Northwest Raffling Company

Q. WHAT'S A QUICK, EASY MEAL FOR THOSE TIMES YOU ARRIVE AT CAMP AT NIGHTFALL?

A. I'd suggest getting yourself organised and cooking something the day or week before your trip. Having to cook a meal from scratch when you arrive late isn't much fun.

In the summer, I make a pasta salad before I leave home, with roasted cherry tomatoes, diced avocado and crispy bacon. I then add a vinegar dressing and rocket just before serving. You can change the ingredients of this salad to suit your family's tastes. If you have a gas cooker at hand, you can also warm this salad up briefly. Spaghetti bolognaise is another favourite to prepare ahead of time and then just reheat. Try eating the bolognaise sauce with crusty bread instead of pasta to make it an even simpler, but equally tasty, dinner.

When I haven't got time to prepare anything in advance, then pasta with a meaty tomato sauce is pretty quick and easy. Slice some sausages and fry in a little oil. Add a tin of diced tomatoes and simmer until the sausages are cooked, then stir in a tin of drained corn kernels and serve with grated cheese on top.

Q. WHAT'S YOUR TOP ADVICE FOR COOKING OVER A CAMP FIRE?

A. Bring your own firewood, as national parks don't allow the collecting of wood from the bush.

Investing in a grill on legs from an outdoor store gives you a steady base to cook on and they usually have both a flat plate and a grill.

Allow the fire to burn down to coals before cooking, otherwise you'll probably just burn the outside of your food before the inside cooks.

One-pot meals cooked in a camp oven can be cooked among the coals. Don't sit the pot directly on the coals, as this will burn the bottom of your meal. Instead, put the coals around it and on the lid. Top up the coals as required.

News_Image_File: You can eat healthily while camping if you prepare. Picture: Flickr Murky1

Q. HOW CAN PARENTS GET THEIR CHILDREN EXCITED ABOUT CAMP COOKING?

A. For most kids, the thought of cooking over a fire or just in the outdoors is exciting enough. There aren't many kids who don't enjoy poking a stick in a fire.

First, if you're cooking over a fire, show your kids how to build the fire. They can help by gathering kindling, which is usually acceptable to collect from the bush.

Explain the dangers of the fire as you go and always supervise the kids around it. Explaining that shoes can melt pretty quickly is also a useful piece of advice.

I always take lunches that my kids can prepare themselves. Mine love filled pita breads and filled tortillas that we cook in a frying pan over a gas cooker or on a grill rack over a fire. We also always make kids damper on a stick, which we fill with their favourite fillings once cooked.

Pancakes at breakfast is another good way to get the kids involved. Weigh out your dry ingredients before you leave home and put them into a ziplock bag. Then all the kids have to do at the camp is add the wet ingredients and mix it all together. Once again, keep the kids' cooking simple.

Q. FOR TRAVELLERS ON EXTENDED TRIPS, WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU GIVE THEM ABOUT SAVING COSTS ON GROCERIES?

A. I'm not sure it will save money, but I try to buy locally and often, so food isn't wasted through spoilage. I also try to buy small tins or jars of food items. Again, the items won't necessarily be cheaper, but they are more likely to be completely consumed, rather than having to throw away the contents of a large jar or tin due to spoilage or an insect infestation.

Keep your food stocks to the minimum you need until you can go shopping again, so you always know what you have and will use it all up.

For more on camping and cooking ideas head to Katy Holder's blog.