Tasty Meals without Refrigeration

[BigAl]

I searched briefly and couldn't find any thing on this topic...

I spent 4 days camping semi remotely this summer in 80-90F heat with high humidity. On day one I realized that my cooler was lame and I would need to buy ice every day which turned out to be a major hassle. The obvious solution would be to buy a portable fridge or even just a better cooler, but I'm thinking slightly differently. Why not bring food that requires no refrigeration? Obviously, I could live off peanut butter, spam, ramen noodles and canned raviolis, but what if you wanted to get fancy and really enjoy the meals???

Give me some ideas, post the recipe of your best tasting dish that requires no refrigeration of any component and no keeping live chickens around camp.:) I know from reading this section that there are some true outback gourmets here, if your Engel dies, what's for dinner?:chowtime:

[LaOutbackTrail]

Dishes that just add water, oil, or whatever..... Rice-a-roni, and a few other things. Go through the grocery store.

My favorite are Aunt Jamima just add water pancake mix and the like... some thai dishes too...

[Haggis]

Al, do you do any canning? One of our favorites is taking a can of itailian stewed tomatos, adding chopped green peppers, onion, garlic, olive oil, season to your preference (mine is rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley, salt, black pepper), cook down to a good simmering "stew" and then add canned venison or moose and let simmer a bit more. Then dish onto noodles or rice. Filling, fast and no refridgeration needed, It'll lay your ears back.

Also you can add barbecue sauce to the canned meat for a quick hot sandwich (it's awesome!), or just eat it out of the can. Also try canning some suckers or carp. You would not beleive how good those things are after they've be canned.

[paulj]

Mainly it's a matter of coming up with alternatives to fresh meat, such as:

- canned meats
Spam - ok as an occasional, salty meat item
canned corned beef - Asian markets sometimes carry better quality brands from New Zealand or Australia
canned chicken, turkey meat - I prefer the foil pouch versions
fish - I'm not a big fan of canned tuna, but a good quality tuna in olive oil makes a good base for tuna salad; foil pouch versions are pricier but better.

- dried meats

- boil-in-the-bag Indian dishes; taste at home to see how you like the spiciness.

- canned soups - on one trip through the southwest, we used quite a number of the chunky ones. They were most welcome when we had to fix supper as it was getting dark.

I travel with a small cooler that mainly holds lunch meat, cheese and mayo for lunches. I don't like to keep much raw meat in there, to minimize the chances of cross contamination. If passing through town I may buy some meat for that evening's meal, but stick with preserved meats (smoked, sausages etc) for longer term use.

Pasta, instant mashed, rice, etc does not need a cooler. Dried spice packets and mixes make up for sauces that have to be kept in the cooler. I also try to avoid having leftovers that need to be kept in a cooler.

Minimus is a mail order place for individual size food packets:
http://www.minimus.biz/

Backpackers often talk about drying their own foods.

paulj

[Otto Von Squiggy]

slightly off topic but what about dry ice?

[BigAl]

Thanks for the ideas guys, i hadn't considered canning. I'll have to hit my mom up for some lessons, i remember as a kid, her turning the kitchen into a factory. I'm also going to try and find the indian boil in a bag, i like hot:chowtime: I like chunky brand soups too but they are really salty. I'm thinking more along the line of fresh foods that can be somehow managed without refigeration.

[LaOutbackTrail]

A great carb and protein meal is Macaroni and mix in tunafish. Some people think it sounds nasty, but i've gotten to where I dont eat macaroni without it. Tuna's some good stuff for you.

[calamaridog]

slightly off topic but what about dry ice?

Dry ice and a decent cooler. Not really off topic at all. Seriously, a good cooler isn't expensive. Freeze the meat you plan on using after the first day. Chill all the items before placing them in the cooler. Don't open the cooler often.

I've also been thinking of trying this product:

http://www.techniice.com/english/index.htm

As mentioned, prepared meals in foil pouches and stuff like that will work but after a few days it will get real old. Same with canned meats. It works but will get old fast.

Some cheeses and cooked sausages (summer sausage, etc.) will last for many days as long as it isn't really hot.

[Jacket]

A great carb and protein meal is Macaroni and mix in tunafish. Some people think it sounds nasty, but i've gotten to where I dont eat macaroni without it. Tuna's some good stuff for you.


Yea - we're big fans of macaroni and tuna! Good stuff! If I'm lucky and can add Mayo or oil and seasoning, Yum!

Also dry salami keeps pretty good, peanut butter, and any of the dry, "just add water" kinda meals.

[outsidr]

I was going to respond with some of my favorites but now I have an overwhelming need for tuna fish. Gotta run get some....:chowtime:

[Lynn]

Back when I was in college I used to collect up the single-serve mayo and relish packets (that don't require refrigeration), and use them for an unrefrigerated, cheap-and-easy, tuna salad.

Add a packet of mayo and a packet of relish to a can of tuna and eat it with saltines.

'Course my co-workers thought I was crazy, since I also cooked ramen noodles (the good ones you get from an oriental food store, not 'top ramen'!) in the office coffee maker (with some cheese and diced ham).

Another way to avoid refrigerated stuff is to use 'ButterBuds' in place of the real stuff. 'Course, it doesn't taste like the real stuff, either...

[dlbrunner]

My buddy in college brought a jar of his special peanut butter spread.

It was a peanut butter jar about half full of PB, he added a bannana and some jam and mixed it all together.

We were climbing one day and he busted out bagels and the PB spread, it was good stuff.

[jim65wagon]

Al, Al, Al...how are you ever gonna get your steaks and escargot to the camp without a good cooler? Of course the escargot comes packed in little cans already, but you still need a cooler for the butter...:chowtime:

[Haggis]

Another option is smoked meats and cheeses. We do our own brines and smoking, anything from venison to goose and anything in between. We don't really use the smoked stuff in recipies, but it makes a good meal on its own. Smoked swiss cheese and venison on rye bread, Yum!

[VikingVince]

Pasta, pasta, pasta...and all its variations. :chowtime:
Muir Glen (brand name) organic diced tomatoes in a can are of excellent quality and taste and make an easy, chunky light tomato sauce. (I know Whole Foods carrries the brand...hands-down the best canned, diced tomato I've found)...suggest use with mostaciolli
Or I love pasta (linguine) with olive oil...add some sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, kalamata olives, and crumbled feta (oops I guess the feta requires a fridge...okay, use the parmesan from the grocery store shelves that comes in the cardboard-type can-shaker...since it sits on the shelf it'll last a good while w/o refrig)...or create your own versions
A half-way decent meal (emphasis on half-way!) is canned beef, instant mashed potatoes, a good canned sweet corn (or other vegetable), and instant gravy poured over the beef and potatoes.
Oh...and dont' forget the Rice-a-Roni Express Rice (comes in a foil packet)...you only need two tablespoons of water to heat the rice...and it's tasty!
You can also make chili with canned beef/chicken/turkey and have it over spaghetti...pretty good!

[BigAl]

Al, Al, Al...how are you ever gonna get your steaks and escargot to the camp without a good cooler? Of course the escargot comes packed in little cans already, but you still need a cooler for the butter...:chowtime:

I blame you for this entire thread, I used to be quite happy with canned ravioli and spam, but now that you've shown me the light, I can't settle. Thank you everyone for the ideas and recipes, keep them coming:chowtime: I'm going to try the tuna/mac tonight. I forgot about smoked samon, can that be stored warm? I've only had it cold.

[calamaridog]

You can get hard smoked salmon in the foil liner packages that is pretty good stuff.

[rusty_tlc]

It's hard to beat a big old pan of fresh fried taters and onions.

In a fixed camp beans are good protein. I'm thinking since I got a pressure cooker I'll be making them in camp more often.

Dried fruit is great. I like to simmer up apricots as a desert.

I actually like powdered eggs.

Canned roast beef hash is a perennial favorite with me, I can eat it cold from the can if needs be.

[Ric]

Great thread :clapsmile :chowtime:
keep them coming

[Haggis]

I forgot about smoked samon, can that be stored warm? I've only had it cold.

It depends on how throughly it was smoked. We do ours in a brown sugar brine and then smoke using applewood. Some is smoked light and kept refridgerated for a more mild taste for the kids and the wife, the rest is done more and is stored in a vacuum sealed bag. How long it would last I'm not sure cause we end up gobbling it up to darn fast.

Then there's always the option of fresh harvested meat, but the is dependent on your skills with a rod (I prefer hand picking myself) or gun and wether anything is in season. Nothing better than fresh trout or game over a bed of red hot coals.:campfire:

[Shovel]

Hit up a middle eastern market & you'll find quite a few simple, just-add-oil-and-water staples like tabouli, hummus, certain falafels, sumac herbed quick rice etc. Note that translation to Latin characters means they'll be spelled all sorts of different ways - "homos" is a frequent translation of what we usually see as hummus, I promise that's not a box full of men! Some of these also require lemon juice, but you can get the little squeeze bottles that go for weeks without refrigeration or just bring a few lemons, they're good for at least 5 days in a ziploc without cold. Buy some breads (pita) and wrap 'em in single meal bundles (one or two each) tightly in tinfoil, or Mexican grocery stores will often have an assortment of tortilla keepers which work perfectly for breads.

For the bunch of ExPo users in the Phoenix area, Haji Baba on Main in Tempe, West of Rural has a very good selection of this kind of stuff, as well their in-store kitchen prepares the best fresh gyros I've had

[Super Doody]

Trader Joes has ton of good stuff that doesn't require refrigeration. There is how bunch heat and serve Indian dish. For thai, bring canned coconut milk and canned chicken, curry seasoning served over rice. Or you can even buy jars of curry simmer sauce and just all the canned chicken.

[toyrunner95]

hey i got all the food you need that doesnt need a refridgerator, MREs.. wait.. u said tasty... nevermind. what was i thinking! *smack*

o and smoked meats do depend on the smoke, my dad and i do a medium smoke which is about the best you can get out of a electric smoker. however up in alaska they do a smoke house type thing, its like a teepee that has a greenwook fire burning in it for like 5 or 6 days. that stuff comes out as hard as a 2x4 but tastes soooo good, add it to some cheese and ritz. thats a delacasy.

OR

heres another idea, get fruits/vegies and either can them or dehydrate them. canned foods can keep up to a year. including meat; that you can can yourself. ive never done it personally, but you can do sausage that way. like the hicory farms stuff.

[pinktc]

This is my favorite no-refrigerator camp meal. I make it over a fire in one pot--easy.

At Chinese markets, you can buy cured sausages in vacuum packs. Lap cheung is one type that works well. Slice that up & fry it in your cookpot until warmed through. Then add white rice & fry it with the sausage for a minute or two. Add water (the right amount for your rice plus about 1/2 cup) & a package of dried wild mushrooms, the mixed kind you can get in most grocery stores. Put a lid on it & move it off the direct fire--you want it to simmer for about 20 minutes. At altitude, you will have to cook longer. Just let it sit for a good while. It's done when all the water is absorbed. You can add salt & pepper (or soy sauce) to taste. The sausages are highly seasoned, so it doesn't need much of anything.

--TC

[RHINO]

heres a few easy ones,,,, "tasty bite" indian food vacuum packed, just heat n serve. i also really like the flavored cous cous in the cardboard boxes, just add boiling water and let stand for a few minutes, its like instant rice but better.
but you get ALOT of junk with alot of the ready made foods, sodium to name just one. so i also like to do easy stuff, diced potatoes with onion, simered in a pan with water and lots of black pepper,, hmmm. also dont forget about the all mighty legume, you can add all manor of veges and spices to beans for a decent meal.

[Alaska Mike]

I'll just add that I freeze water bottles before I leave for a trip and put them in the cooler to keep the food cool for a couple days (depends on the temp). After all, you need drinking water and having the melt-off contained is a nice way to conserve resources.

Keep the thread going. I haven't done much travel recently that required camp cooking, and I'm always open to good ideas for eating healthy-ish on the road.

[jim65wagon]

I'll just add that I freeze water bottles before I leave for a trip and put them in the cooler to keep the food cool for a couple days (depends on the temp). After all, you need drinking water and having the melt-off contained is a nice way to conserve resources.


See, that's the whole bit of Al's problem right there...his cooler won't keep anything cold for 24 hours, let alone a couple of days. The big problem is, his "nocooler" is plastered with some really awesome stickers, so he can't delete it from his travel kit. My suggestion is to keep the "nocooler" as a storage unit for dry goods, and buy a 5day cooler or even (dare I say) a fridge. Then Al can have his favorite icy cold beverage, cheeses and escargot without the daily trip to town for ice...:rolleyes:

[BigAl]

See, that's the whole bit of Al's problem right there...his cooler won't keep anything cold for 24 hours, let alone a couple of days. The big problem is, his "nocooler" is plastered with some really awesome stickers, so he can't delete it from his travel kit. My suggestion is to keep the "nocooler" as a storage unit for dry goods, and buy a 5day cooler or even (dare I say) a fridge. Then Al can have his favorite icy cold beverage, cheeses and escargot without the daily trip to town for ice...:rolleyes:

I like the dry goods idea:) in retrospect using the cooler as a make shift stand for my dirt bike my have adversely effected the lid. But I still love my Coleman Steel belted 54:) I stand behind the premise of this thread, I'd like to have just one cooler for drinks, I can handle warm beer but spoiled meat, not so much:eek: I just read back thru this thread, now I want to go out the woods and cook something.:chowtime:

[jim65wagon]

Where to?

[robert]

Some of the newer MREs are quite edible actually. Just be aware of how many calories each packs.

You can buy canned meats (and a ton of other canned and bulk stuff) through the Mormon church (no affiliation, just know a couple of folks who have). You can go on-line and check to see where they have storehouses and contact them.

You can also buy canned pork, beef, beef patties, and chicken in the grocery stores. Just be aware that most of these are have a very high sodium content so if you have hypertension you need to be careful; drink plenty of fluids with them too to avoid dehydration issues!

I've used TVP in recipes too. Check your local organic foods store for ideas; they cater to folks who are vegetarian, vegan, macrobiotic, etc and generally carry an assortment of ingredients you might not think about (or have even heard of)- some of it is very good (and some is terrible).

I tend to just forgo meat after the first or second day if I'm worried about it.

[Rezarf <><]

My entire menu has changed due to our ARB Freezer! :D

That said, my favorites are still.

Mac and Cheese, and tuna! (glad to hear someone else likes it!)
Personally, I love sardines, fresh mustard (packets) and saltines.
I have had good success with the foil packages of smoked salmon and others.

Sometimes I have taken risk for cheese. Coolers keep it fine for a few days. For me though a "pita pizza" is a trail favorite, pizza sauce, cheese, pita breads (opened like a pocket) stuffed with canned mushrooms, olives, and peperoni! mmmm!

Orzo's and Butter Buds/salt is quick easy and hot, even back packed with that before.

For those on the trail who crave hot biscuits like I do, you need to check out a "bake packer." It allows you to bake in a pot, it is simple to use and easy to get great results, then you can use the ready to go Bisquick mix and have hot garlic biscuits, plain biscuits, cheesy biscuits in a few minutes over a stove. One of my favorites!

Rezarf <><

[Rezarf <><]

Here is what a bake packer looks like, sorry if it has already been covered before...

[paulj]

Any thoughts on what are the best bags for use in the bake packer? They used to recommend non-zip Glad storage bags, but that type is hard to find. Plus I don't buy that type for other use.

There is a new type of 'zip' that is intended for steaming food in the microwave. These are supposed to have some sort of venting on one side that lets excess steam escape. They might work in the bake packer.

I also wonder whether any of these bags would work in the higher temperatures of a pressure cooker (255F). The larger BP fits in my 4qt Presto PC.

paulj

[Super Doody]

Here is what a bake packer looks like, sorry if it has already been covered before...

thanks for the hints and new ideas. Gotta try the pita pizza.

Its amazing that the glad bags don't burn. Do biscuits still have a flaky crust or is more moist?

[paulj]

The Bake Packer is used with water - about half way up. So it is really a steamer or trivet (ok, they claim it uses heat pipe principles to transfer a lot of heat at low temperature). The bag and its contents don't get hotter than boiling water. The batter or dough rises and cooks but you don't get any browning. Think of dumplings that aren't swimming the cooking liquid.

http://www.bakepacker.com/instructions.html
In these instructions they prefer Reynolds oven bags, especially for meat.

paulj

[Rezarf <><]

The Bake Packer is used with water - about half way up. So it is really a steamer or trivet (ok, they claim it uses heat pipe principles to transfer a lot of heat at low temperature). The bag and its contents don't get hotter than boiling water. The batter or dough rises and cooks but you don't get any browning. Think of dumplings that aren't swimming the cooking liquid.

http://www.bakepacker.com/instructions.html
In these instructions they prefer Reynolds oven bags, especially for meat.

paulj

This is a good answer. I love the way the biscuits have come out in the past, they do come out dry, but they don't develop a golden brown crust.

FWIW, I have used all kinds of bags, but if you get a small box of the oven bags without a zip you can just stuff them in your camp box and have them when you need them. I also, cut just a bit of the water out of the mix, seems to make everything go a little faster.

[ken richardson]

I enjoy biscuits in the woods as well.

I simply use the gas grill that I always bring....it is an oven afterall, and use the canned variety of biscuits, cinimmon rolls etc. You need a good thick professional pan or they will burn on bottom even at low, but man are they good.

Just another hint for those that use gas grills. :chowtime:

Just noticed the original post was for non refrigerated foods. Oh well, I never go without ice. Beer and camping are like ......well....like cold beer and camping.....hmmmmm :)

[Connie]

I have a couple of no refrigeration recipes that I like to always have on hand just in case. The first is of my own invention and was when I was feeding lots of people, but I know you can get smaller cans of some of the vegetables too. The second also makes alot of food, but the amounts can be reduced.

#1Canned Chicken Curry (aka What the heck am I going to feed these people)
3 -5oz (141g) can chunk chicken in water -not drained
1 -14&1/2oz (411g) can sliced new potatoes
1 -14&1/2oz (411g) can peeled diced tomatoes
1 -14oz (397g) can coconut milk
1 -8.25 oz (233g) can sliced carrots

1tbsp curry powder
1/2 cup lemon juice (lemons will keep for weeks and are still good even if the rind goes solid)
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup milk (the powdered kind works just fine)

Mix all ingredients together, heat throughout and serve over rice.


#2Spiced Morracan Cous Cous
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup finely chopped carrots
1 chopped onion
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3.5 cups chicken broth
2 cups couscous
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots (100g)
1/2 cup golden raisins (80g)
2 tbsp dried parsley
Salt & cracked black pepper

Saute the carrots and onions in olive oil (MED-HIGH heat) until the onions are limp. Add the spices while stirring. Turn up the heat to (HIGH). Add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Stir in the cous cous, apricots, raisins, and parsley. Cover and REMOVE FROM HEAT. Let stand 5 minutes. Mix in the salt & pepper to taste.