A couple of Campsite cooking Hacks

[NorthStar96]

A couple of camping hacks to save time and work while at the campsite:

Crack about eight eggs into water bottles, adding salt, pepper, and lightly beating them first.
You can do it ahead of time, eliminating the need for a whisk and a bowl, so fewer dishes to wash. give the bottle a little shake, and viola, pourable eggs.
The eggs will not last as long as they do in the shell, however.
Along the same lines, pack your pancake mix — already prepared, water added — in a large ketchup squeeze bottle with stopper. Makes breakfast or the midnight snack much faster.

 

[Crispy]

Nice tips @NorthStar96

I like to use an old Ovaltine can to store my toilet paper so it doesn't get wet or damaged. You can also cut a slit down the side of the can to dispense the paper without taking the roll out of the can if you prefer. Drill a hole in the top and bottom, and you can run paracord through to hang the can anywhere you'd like.

 

[Daniel Etter]

I store my seasonings in tic tac containers which cuts down on space. Prepping meals as much as you can before a trip can save a lot of time and hassle.

 

[Crispy]

I store my seasonings in tic tac containers which cuts down on space. Prepping meals as much as you can before a trip can save a lot of time and hassle.

I do something similar. My MSR plate and bowls came with little spice containers and salt n pepper shaker.
I have also heard of people using straws for one time use. You could use the straws for hot sauce, seasonings, to toothpaste. Just add your contents and melt the two ends.
But I prefer to have the ability to reuse containers like your tic tac box idea.

 

[Luis Merlo]

I packed the kids 4 person dome tent in a duffle type bag, pegs in a plastic container, small mallet, heaps of paracord small pocket knife and a couple of tarps, one for ground sheet and one for extra fly if things get nasty...ready to go in a minute !

 

[12C20]

Just got back from 3 days and 2 nights in Grand Teton National Park. A couple of things worked really well for meals for 8 of us.

1. Scrambled Potatoes
- 2 lbs. frozen hash browns (2 lbs. of cold baked potatoes, shredded, would have worked just fine)
- 1 lb. fresh bacon, chopped
- 1 lb. breakfast sausage
- 1 c. shredded cheese
- 1 doz. eggs
- Taco sauce or salsa of your preference
- 1 doz. burrito-sized tortillas (optional)
Cook up the bacon and sausage and move to a cooler part of the griddle to keep warm. Fry up the hash browns in the grease from the bacon and sausage. Mix hash browns, bacon, sausage, eggs, and cheese together and cook until eggs are at desired doneness. Eat with or without tortillas.

2. Tri-tip Fajitas
- 3 lbs. tri-tip roast sliced into fajita pieces and marinated in a little oil and fajita or asada seasoning
- 1 ea. red, orange, and yellow pepper cut up and sauteed before leaving home
- 1 medium sized yellow onion cut up and sauteed before leaving home
- 1 c. sour cream
- 1 c. shredded cheese
- 1 c. salsa
- 2 c. shredded lettuce
- 2 doz. fajita-sized tortillas
Cook up the tri-tip on the griddle and, when it's just no longer pink, mix in the pre-sauteed vegetables. Heat through. The meat will be cooked medium and tender. Make up your fajitas with the toppings you want and enjoy!

Take advantage of planning portion sizes and preparing as much of the food as you can at home so that your leftovers are minimal and your cleanup is light.

I use a Camp Chef Denali 3-burner stove with a 2-burner griddle. It's big and heavy, but it does such a nice job on things like this, and cleanup is pretty easy.

 

[burbigo3]

Very interesting tip thanks for sharing.

Mini Militia App Lock​

 

[ZombieCat]

For spices, I save the small, 2” high plastic containers that many spices come packaged in for use when traveling. You can purchase similar containers on Amazon.
Look for multi purpose spice mixes, such as Kinder’s No Salt Garlic and Herb, to use in various dishes.
As much of my travel is longer than a few days and food resupply may be a week or more apart, I take a different approach. I cook any raw meat within a day or two of purchase to prevent spoilage. I also prepare or buy precooked meats to use throughout the week. They last longer and are versatile. Chicken can be added to soups, seasoned and used in fajitas or tacos, or shredded and mixed with BBQ sauce for hot sandwiches. Precooked dinner or breakfast sausages are great, too.

 

[Ethan N]

A couple of camping hacks to save time and work while at the campsite:

Crack about eight eggs into water bottles, adding salt, pepper, and lightly beating them first.
You can do it ahead of time, eliminating the need for a whisk and a bowl, so fewer dishes to wash. give the bottle a little shake, and viola, pourable eggs.
The eggs will not last as long as they do in the shell, however.
Along the same lines, pack your pancake mix — already prepared, water added — in a large ketchup squeeze bottle with stopper. Makes breakfast or the midnight snack much faster.

I'm glad you know I like midnight pancakes.

 

[Smileyshaun]

I like to cook food that can go in a tortilla or on a bun , no need for plates . Saves time on cleanup

 

[grubworm]

A couple of camping hacks to save time and work while at the campsite:

i have a foolproof hack for saving time and work at the campsite...ALWAYS volunteer to do dishes and clean up. INSIST that the wife stay seated and relax while you handle clean up. act very interested and enthusiastic while doing a very bad job. make sure to leave some food on the plates, dry the dishes with a dirty paper towel and maybe even cough on the washed dishes ever so often while youre just working your little heart out. after a few minutes of this, the wife's DNA will kick in as she wont be able to stand it any longer and she will come over and insist that YOU go relax and that she has this. act a little confused and disappointed, but be careful not to overplay your hand. the empty chair next to the camp fire is calling your name and that cold can of natural light never tasted so good!

next...how to handle that big bag of stinky laundry...

 

[ontos]

I like to use premixed spices/sauces/pastes for cooking. The Asian grocery is great for premixed Indian spice packets, various tins of curry paste (Thai is great), sauces in jars and tins etc. Saves bringing an entire spice rack and keeps boredom away. I also really like a nonstick wok or similar pan for cooking. If you buy precooked stir fry noodles or rice, you can make lots of stir fry meals in one pot. Clean up is really easy, just put a couple cups of water in the pan before you turn off the fire, swish it around, pour it out, and you're done.

You can precut proteins and veg at home and vacuum seal them for really fast, no prep stir fry or curry.

Baskets with wax paper like you get at the bowling alley are also great. It is like a plate, but all you have to do is put the paper in the fire. No dishes.