Camping food

Last updated
A Sierra cup filled with kare raisu, brought on a camping trip Outdoor (27465804456).jpg
A Sierra cup filled with karē raisu, brought on a camping trip

Camping food is food brought on or designed for camping, hiking, and backpacking trips. The term also encompasses ingredients that can be used to make said foods. The primary differences relate to campers' and backpackers' special needs for foods that have appropriate cooking time, perishability, weight, and nutritional content. To address these needs, camping food is often made up of freeze-dried, dehydrated, precooked, pre-prepared, or otherwise preserved foods that can last extended periods of time.

Contents

Meal and ingredient requirements

A tiffin carrier containing a stew Camping food outdoor.jpg
A tiffin carrier containing a stew

Limited cooking time

Due to the difficulty of carrying large amounts of cooking fuel, campers often require their meals to cook in a short amount of time (5–20 minutes). Many campers prefer a ‘just add boiling water’ method of cooking, while others enjoy a more involved, and therefore often higher quality meal. The amount of cooking time can be disregarded if campers are able to cook over a campfire, however, due to the possibility of a burn-ban being in place, campers do not often rely on this option.

Shelf stability

Camping foods are often shelf-stable—that is, they require no refrigeration. Campers may be outdoors for days or weeks at a time, and will often pack food for the entire trip. Campers will sometimes take fresh food that can be consumed in the first day or two of a hike but will usually not risk carrying perishable food beyond that timeframe. Campers hiking in the snow or other cold conditions or campers with access to a cold water source may be able to store perishable food in the snow or secured in a bag and kept in the cold water to act as a refrigeration source.

Lightweight

Backpackers must carry everything with them so they require all of their gear and food to be as lightweight as possible. Campers often turn to freeze-dried and dehydrated meals and ingredients for this reason, but they will also sometimes take a pouch of tuna or some other ingredient with a high water content with them as a treat, providing that the item has nutritional value. Backpackers usually take empty containers back with them for recycling and proper disposal.

Nutrition content

Backpackers, canoeists, climbers and other outdoor enthusiasts often cover many miles everyday, consuming thousands of calories to keep their energy level high. Backpackers require an average of 480 calories per hour [1] as well as higher sodium levels. Because of the high levels of nutritional burn and emphasis on weight, backpackers monitor the ratio of calories-to-ounce that their food provides. To ensure their bodies are properly nourished, campers must pay close attention to their meal plans.

Ingredients

To prepare meals that work well outdoors, campers employ a variety of techniques. Campers are advised to prepare meals that are made of easy to prepare ingredients.

Freeze-dried ingredients

Freeze-dried foods, such as this bacon bar, are considered superior in camping applications. Freeze-dried bacon bars.jpg
Freeze-dried foods, such as this bacon bar, are considered superior in camping applications.

Freeze-drying requires the use of heavy machinery and is not something that most campers are able to do on their own. Freeze-dried ingredients are often considered superior to dehydrated ingredients because they rehydrate at camp faster and retain more flavor than their dehydrated counterparts. Freeze-dried ingredients take so little time to rehydrate that they can often be eaten without cooking them first and have a texture similar to a crunchy chip.

Small amounts of freeze-dried ingredients are sometimes available for sale from emergency supply outlets or from stores specific to camping. Freeze-dried ingredients that have not been combined into a meal are often hard to find, and thus tend to be sought out by campers.

One of the first freeze-dried camping foods company was Backpacker's Pantry in 1951, originally named Dri-lite Foods, invented after ill-fated Girl Scout camping trip by Anne Benedict, becoming the first adventure food on the market. [2] [3]

Dehydrated meals and ingredients

Dehydration can reduce the weight of food by 60 to 90 percent by removing water through evaporation. Some foods dehydrate well, such as onions, peppers, and tomatoes. [4] [5] Dehydration often produces a more compact, albeit slightly heavier, end result than freeze-drying.

Full meals or individual ingredients may be dehydrated. Dehydration of individual ingredients allows the flexibility to cook different meals based on available ingredients, while precooked and dehydrated meals offer greater convenience. [6] Several cookbooks and online stores specialize in dehydrated foods. [7]

Pre-prepared contents

Contents of a Meal, Ready-to-Eat field ration MRE contents.jpg
Contents of a Meal, Ready-to-Eat field ration

Field rations are sometimes used by campers. These meals contain pre-prepared or precooked foods in shelf-stable packaging, are designed to provide enough calories and nutrients to sustain an individual for a full day, and often come with their own heaters, making them ideal for use in camping.

Canned foods and instant foods are also sometimes used.

Common ingredients

The final type of ingredients available to campers are those that are typically found in the grocery store. Some examples of these types of food are polenta, grits, quick-cooking pasta (such as angel hair pasta), ramen, instant potatoes, dried soups, jerky and pouch meats such as tuna, Spam or salmon.

When using these common ingredients, campers often repackage them to reduce packaging or combine them into a meal-ready package, therefore reducing prep-time at camp. The main requirement that campers look for in these types of ingredients is the cook-time with 20 minutes being the longest amount of cook-time that most campers will tolerate.

Backcountry cooking methods

A cast iron potjie on a fire, very similar to a Dutch oven Ijzeren kookpot (cropped).jpg
A cast iron potjie on a fire, very similar to a Dutch oven

Camping stoves and cookware

There is a large variety of camping stoves on the market ranging in specialty from being extremely lightweight to focusing on using very little fuel. The majority of campers rely on a stove for their cooking needs as they boast several advantages over cooking over a campfire. Since most camping stoves have an adjustable heat source, they can be much easier to use than a campfire. The ability to quickly adjust the flame to reduce from a boil to a simmer, for example, is considered invaluable to many campers. Campfires can take a long time to start and get to a point where they are suitable for cooking over. Since a cook-stove can be ready in minutes, this is an advantage for many campers. While butane is the most commonly used fuel for camping stoves, propane is preferred in winter as it has a lower boiling point. [8] Many types of cookware exist for outdoor cooking.

Campfire

Wilderness areas can often have a burn-ban, prohibiting people from starting a fire. If a camper were to rely on the campfire method as their only source for cooking heat, they could find themselves in an unlucky situation. Cooking over a campfire can lead to pots and pans darkened with soot. Soot can be extremely difficult to remove and, if left on the pan, can easily rub off onto clothing or the inside of the backpack. Campers have discovered methods of preventing this problem, such as coating the pans with cooking oil, to make the soot easier to remove.

Campers relying on the use of a campfire do not have to carry the extra weight of a cook stove and may rely on a campfire to reduce their pack weight. Campfires provide a great amount of warmth while cook stoves provide none. On cold days, a campfire is often welcome. Leave No Trace discourages the use of a campfire as a source of heat. Campers making a campfire in the same location time after time can deplete the available wood in the area, which impacts the natural habitat of the animals. Campers are also more likely to inadvertently leave food scraps around the fire pit, which could attract animals.

Chemical heaters

Some camping food is ready to eat and may be warmed using chemical heaters, such as the flameless heaters used in field rations or self-heating food packaging. [9]

Solar cooking

Solar cooking provides clean and safe alternative to campfire. Using solar cookers is easy and inexpensive since they do not require fuel to work. Most solar cookers also provide minimum required temperature during cloudy days to prepare the food. Despite many advantages that solar cooking provides it is unusable during the nighttime and it will not provide heat and protection against wild animals like a campfire does.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kitchen</span> Space primarily used for preparation and storage of food

A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation in a dwelling or in a commercial establishment. A modern middle-class residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator, and worktops and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a microwave oven, a dishwasher, and other electric appliances. The main functions of a kitchen are to store, prepare and cook food. The room or area may also be used for dining, entertaining and laundry. The design and construction of kitchens is a huge market all over the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campfire</span> Fire lit at a campsite

A campfire is a fire at a campsite that provides light and warmth, and heat for cooking. It can also serve as a beacon, and an insect and predator deterrent. Established campgrounds often provide a stone or steel fire ring for safety. Campfires are a popular feature of camping. At summer camps, the word campfire often refers to an event at which there is a fire. Some camps refer to the fire itself as a campfire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oatmeal</span> Preparation of oat groats through grinding, steel-cutting or rolling

Oatmeal is a preparation of oats that have been de-husked, steamed, and flattened, or a coarse flour of hulled oat grains (groats) that have either been milled (ground), rolled, or steel-cut. Ground oats are also called white oats. Steel-cut oats are known as coarse oatmeal, Irish oatmeal, or pinhead oats. Rolled oats were traditionally thick old-fashioned oats, but can be made thinner or smaller, and may be categorized as quick oatmeal or instant oatmeal depending on the cooking time required, which is determined by the size of the oats and the amount of precooking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meal, Ready-to-Eat</span> U.S. military individual field ration

The Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) is a self-contained individual United States military ration used by the United States Armed Forces and Department of Defense. It is intended for use by American service members in combat or field conditions where other food is not available. MREs have also been distributed to civilians as humanitarian daily rations during natural disasters and wars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camping</span> Outdoor recreational activity

Camping is a form of outdoor recreation or outdoor education involving overnight stays with a basic temporary shelter such as a tent. Camping can also include a recreational vehicle, sheltered cabins, a permanent tent, a shelter such as a bivy or tarp, or no shelter at all. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors, in pursuit of activities providing them enjoyment or an educational experience. Spending the night away from home distinguishes camping from day-tripping, picnicking, and other outdoor activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portable stove</span> Cooking stove specially designed to be portable and lightweight

A portable stove is a cooking stove specially designed to be portable and lightweight, used in camping, picnicking, backpacking, or other use in remote locations where an easily transportable means of cooking or heating is needed. Portable stoves can be used in diverse situations, such as for outdoor food service and catering and in field hospitals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outdoor cooking</span>

Outdoor cooking is the preparation of food in the outdoors. A significant body of techniques and specialized equipment exists for it, traditionally associated with nomadic cultures such as the Berbers of North Africa, the Arab Bedouins, the Plains Indians, pioneers in North America, and indigenous tribes in South America. These methods have been refined in modern times for use during recreational outdoors pursuits, by campers and backpackers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Backpacking (hiking)</span> Outdoor recreation of carrying gear on ones back, while hiking for more than a day

Backpacking is the outdoor recreation of carrying gear on one's back while hiking for more than a day. It is often an extended journey and may involve camping outdoors. In North America, tenting is common, where simple shelters and mountain huts, widely found in Europe, are rare. In New Zealand, hiking is called tramping, and tents are used alongside a nationwide network of huts. Hill walking is equivalent in Britain, though backpackers make use of a variety of accommodation, in addition to camping. Backpackers use simple huts in South Africa. Trekking and bushwalking are other words used to describe such multi-day trips.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freeze drying</span> Low temperature dehydration process

Freeze drying, also known as lyophilization or cryodesiccation, is a low temperature dehydration process that involves freezing the product and lowering pressure, removing the ice by sublimation. This is in contrast to dehydration by most conventional methods that evaporate water using heat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States military ration</span> U.S. military food and field meals

United States military ration refers to the military rations provided to sustain United States Armed Forces service members, including field rations and garrison rations, and the military nutrition research conducted in relation to military food. U.S. military rations are often made for quick distribution, preparation, and eating in the field and tend to have long storage times in adverse conditions due to being thickly packaged or shelf-stable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Field ration</span> Food given to soldiers in the field or on deployment

A field ration is a type of prepackaged military ration designed to be easily and quickly prepared and consumed in the field, in combat, at the front line, or where eating facilities are otherwise unavailable. Field rations are primarily used by military forces, though they are also sometimes distributed to civilians as part of humanitarian aid and emergency management. They differ from garrison rations and field kitchen provisions, which are intended for where proper meals can be supplied and prepared with relative ease and safety, such as in the rear where logistics are steady and fresh food can be supplied. They are similar to, but distinct from, other purpose-designed long-lasting types of food or rations such as emergency rations, humanitarian daily rations, and camping food.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Individual Meal Pack</span> Packaged field ration

The Individual Meal Pack or IMP is one type of field ration used by the Canadian Forces. The IMP is designed so that a continuous diet provides all the nutrition needed to sustain a service-person in the field. The IMP meets Canada's nutrition requirements, with the exception of calcium and folic acid, which are not significant if the consumption period of rations is less than 30 (consecutive) days. IMPs provide 1,200–1,400 calories (5.0–5.9 MJ) per meal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of food preparation</span> Overview of and topical guide to food preparation

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to food preparation:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ultralight backpacking</span> Style of hiking

Ultralight backpacking is a style of lightweight backpacking that emphasizes carrying the lightest and least amount of gear. While no technical standards exist, some hikers consider "ultralight" to mean an initial base weight of less than 4.5 kg (9.9 lb). Base weight is the weight of a fully loaded backpack at the start of a trip, excluding worn weight and consumables such as food, water, and fuel. Base weight can be lowered by reducing the weight of individual items of gear, or by choosing not to carry that gear. Ultralight backpacking is most popular among thru-hikers.

Hiking equipment is the equipment taken on outdoor walking trips. Hiking is usually divided into day-hikes and multiple-day hikes, called backpacking, trekking, and walking tours.

Instant rice is a white rice that is partly precooked and then is dehydrated and packed in a dried form similar in appearance to that of regular white rice. That process allows the product to be later cooked as if it were normal rice but with a typical cooking time of 5 minutes, not the 20–30 minutes needed by white rice. This process was invented by Ataullah K. Ozai‐Durrani in 1939 and mass-marketed by General Foods starting in 1946 as Minute Rice, which is still made.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B-ration</span> U.S. military ration of packaged and preserved unprepared food

The B-ration was a United States military ration consisting of packaged and preserved food intended to be prepared in field kitchens by cooks. Its modern successor is the Unitized Group Ration – M (UGR-M), which combines multiple types of rations, including the B-ration, under one unified system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lists of foods</span>

This is a categorically-organized list of foods. Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is produced either by plants, animals, or fungi, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is ingested by an organism and assimilated by the organism's cells in an effort to produce energy, maintain life, or stimulate growth.

References

  1. "Backpacker Magazine's Winter Calorie Count". Archived from the original on 2011-05-27. Retrieved 2009-04-23.
  2. "Our Story". Backpacker's Pantry. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
  3. Mitchell, Matt (2022-11-08). "Chef Soraya Smith & CEO Duane Primozich on the Future of Backpacker's Pantry & Making Adventure Food Sustainably (Ep.145)". BLISTER. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
  4. "Camping Food FAQs". Archived from the original on 2018-04-02. Retrieved 2009-05-17.
  5. "Camping Food Tips: Backpacking, Hiking & Camping Meals Get Easy". Archived from the original on 2009-04-22. Retrieved 2009-05-17.
  6. "Drying Food". Circular 1227. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, College of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service. 1977. Retrieved 2009-05-17.
  7. "A Fork in the Trail". Archived from the original on 2019-03-09. Retrieved 2009-05-17.
  8. "The Ultimate Camping Guide: Checklists & Essential Tips for Campers". www.wonderfulwellies.co.uk. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  9. "Heater Meals". Camping Survival. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2009-05-09.

Further reading