Cookin in the field - hints and tips!
 

Hi all,

I was wondering if you guys had any tips, advice or hints to share about cooking in the field or could share any useful information i.e. how many pots do you need, what sort of things do you cook, tips or hints about storing food on the bike, or where to buy and when? So far I've got a Primus Omnifuel, some vango pots, and a penknife and feeling a bit like 'what next'!? If any experienced HUBBERS could share their experiences that would be great!


Cheers,

Get a wind protector (to protect the flame), tiny, flat, easy to pack and well worth it!

We will have one pot, for our next trip, so we make stews. With a lid so that it heats up faster.

We got bored of rice and tuna last time we did long travels. We cooked what we could find. In south america it was easy.

A good recipe to get some flavours:

Get some sort of vegs, what you can find (get a flat shopping board, it will be handy and the thin plastic ones are very light) get them shopped.
If you have oil, stir fry them a bit. Add some meat (sausage meat /cured meat etc... is nice as it can keep for several days).
Cover with water.
I carry a small box of mixed spices (garam masala, chilli, oregano and mixed herbs, salt, pepper). So I add this to the stew.

To add more flavour, add a bag of dried soup. You can find those everywhere I think.

To carry eggs I saw a good idea on ADVRider ride report: buy 6 eggs and boil them straigh away. Keep in their shells. Add them to the stew for added protein. Add rice, noodles or whatever carbs are available to bulk up the stew.

We will test those recipes very soon as we get on our way to Mongolia! :)

Oh and get a proper knife! You will suffer wit a pen knife! I have a big Opinel and also got another medium size hunting knife in Argentina (one that folds in 2... not sure name of those in english) . See hunting/fishing /outdoors shops. One with big wide blade, convenient for chopping, cutting etc...

Note there was a long thread in the HUBB, a while ago, where some chap from OZ was posting videos of one pot cooking. Very good stuff.... Try to check it out!

With the stove you have it might be best to make a windshield and incorporate some way to raise the cooking pot so you can adjust the heat. for stews etc. you want to be able to slow simmer and that is not easy to do. I gave up on the omnifuel and went back to my little camping gaz stove for that very reason.
Learn to make flat breads (chapatti's) basic fry, put oil (preferably peanut ) chop one decent size onion, gently fry until onion is translucent. then whatever mixed veggies you can find stir fry , use the lid. this process will sort of fry/steam. after 10 mins, add spices if you want. eat with bread (bought or home made).

if cooking meat cut into 1 inch cubes, add some tomato for the juice and simmer for about an hour. or instead of meat make dents in the veg /tomato mix and break eggs into the depressions. cook until eggs reasonably firm. spices optional.

My most useful kitchen tool is a pair of Fiskars kitchen scissors.

Also, I don't use camping pans, all the ones I have tried are poo. I live with a little extra weight and use decent non-stick aluminium pans. Go to a shop with a good selection and find a small milk pan, saucepan and frying pan that'll stack nicely together. When you get home, grind off the rivets that hold the handles on and get rid. I use a trangia-type pan grab.

Herbs and spices are great as Maria suggested. You can buy little double ended pots to carry them in.

There is no need to live on rubbish just because you are camping.

If you don't mind carrying a bit of extra weight, you can save a lot of space and bin the frying pan by getting one of these cast iron griddle pans made by Invicta. It's a very small handy size ( 250x250mm) with a pouring lip. It's great for grilling meats and fish and for making deglaze sauces. The great advantage is it heats slowly so you don't burn stuff and it holds it's heat when taken off the cooker so you can regulate your cooking by taking the pan on and off rather than fiddling about with gas/cooker pressure.

That is the ultimate question , but one I fear that can never be answered.

These are great on an open fire and also a small cast iron camp oven... nothing tastes better than camp-oven damper and golden syrup!

If you don't take condiments and proper cooking equipment and try to "make do" with inferior utensils, cooking becomes a chore and you produce mediocre meals and more often than not, you begin to opt for take-aways.

If you're obsessive about weight, I'd be looking at how much lard could be lost from my waistline - although that is completely contradictory; as the more wonderful meals I produce, the more expansion occurs :nono:

Fuel
 

Camping in Africa you only need a stove in the desert regions. Any where else there is plenty of bush to chop down and burn as fuel!

Cold pressed olive oil, sea salt, and freshly ground peppercorns... these are the basic ingredients I always carry with me. The fresh veggies, the meat and the fish, I buy as I go, for the day, from the local market.

My favorite stove is the Swiss made Kuenzi Hobo Cooker. I love to make my own fire...:thumbup1:

Tinned fish (presuming you eat fish) in olive oil is great. That way you have a handy supply of oil fro frying without having to carry it separately. With rice or pasta plus a few veggies - Yum yum:thumbup1:

I always always regret not taking a wind break... I've never had one. They make such a difference.

Thanks for the reminder. Just bought one :)

Great thinking on the canned fish + oil - I'd have never thought of that as usually I buy the stuff in brine. Also the food scissors are a great idea; I guess it means you don't need a chopping board and can just 'cut' stuff straight into the pot.

:thumbup1:

They make a great support to your side-stand by distributing the weight when bike won`t stand due to loose terrain (assuming your talking about the simple aluminium sheets) :thumbup1: