There’s nothing like being outdoors by your tent with a delicious hot meal after being outside all day. Camping is about going back to our roots and being in tune with nature, whether you’re camping in the hills, in the woods, or in a luxurious campground with all the bells and whistles like shower block and social club with TV.
One of the great things is to cook outdoors either by means of a barbecue or a camping stove. But one of the problems we campers run into is how we keep food warm. It’s not like home where you can turn off the oven or reheat your stew in the microwave. At camp you have to eat it in one sitting or eat it cold. Or you? Here are my top five tips for keeping camping food warm;
- Insulate with cloth and newspaper. To keep your pans of food warm, line the pan or saucepan with newspaper or throw a kitchen towel over it to keep it warm for another twenty minutes.
- Add sauce. When you serve your food, boiled vegetables can cool down in a jiffy; try serving them in a spicy sauce. This will add flavor but will also keep them warm for much longer.
- Make a ‘Hot’ box. You don’t have to use your cooler just to keep items cold. You can use it as a hot box. Fill your cold box with some hot air from a kettle, then place your pan or saucepan inside, then seal the box. This can keep food warm even for hours.
- jars You don’t have to use a thermos just to keep tea and coffee hot. If you need a hot sauce while cooking other foods and ingredients, pour the sauce into a flask and then seal it.
- Gather the campers.By having everyone sit down just before dinner is served, this will prevent someone from getting a cold meal. In my experience with a family someone usually ends up with a cold meal from you, don’t take this approach.
It can always be a challenge to keep food warm when camping, especially if you’re camping out of season. If you’re grilling food and know you won’t be using all of it, it’s a good idea to wrap those foods in aluminum foil and store them in your pantry. This will help keep food much hotter for longer.
