These are times of calm travel, away from the madding crowd, as Fray Luis would say. To seek new destinations and change trends for old habits.The arrival of the coronavirus has brought with it the resurrection of camping as a form of tourism away from crowds and with nature and the outdoors as a protective shield against a virus that, as far as is known, does its job much better in the big cities than in the countryside.
Going camping has many advantages, in addition to the one mentioned: it takes away stress, it facilitates direct contact with nature, it’s cheap… but it also has its small drawbacks. The main one: you have to know how to go camping . ride abell tent, knowing how to sleep in a sack, knowing the accessories that are needed and, importantly, knowing how to cook . Or more than that: knowing how to cook when camping. It is not easy to be a chef in the middle of nature. Not all products are within reach, like at home, we do not have the good equipment that we handle in the kitchen, nor its comforts.
Making food in our camps can become a nightmare if you do not know how to manage it . To avoid this, the first thing is to plan well . Do it even days before going on an adventure. Knowing the menu will help us to know the ingredients that we will need and what quantities, what utensils will be needed, which ones are not and even what type of packaging we will need.
Of course, you have to know what elements we have to cook with: a frying pan, a pot and a portable barbecue can be good choices, always according to the chosen menu. Another common recommendation is to cut the vegetables that we are going to use . It is much more comfortable to do it at home than on the ground in the middle of the field and it will speed up the cooking process.
To store liquid elements, such as dressings, oils or beaten eggs, it is always advisable to have some empty bottles that we can reuse, and if meat is planned on the menu, it is not a bad idea to freeze it to have the portions that are needed at all times without fear of spoiling.
Once at work, you have to try to protect the kitchen area from the wind so that it does not end up being an endless task. The pots and pans, covered whenever possible if we do not want to season the broth with flies and bugs, and the food, well kept and protected from indiscreet animals , whether wild or domestic. Watching the fire, whether in a bonfire or a camping-gas, is a must for any camper, as is keeping the area clean of debris and dirt.
As for the choice of menus , there are, as in everything, more or less easy ways to eat without complicating your life. The simplicity of grilled meat and fishWhen possible, it is always welcome, but if we put them on skewers it will be easier to cook them. In camping , aluminum foil is a great ally because it allows you to cook practically anything inside without getting lost and very comfortably: potatoes, minced meat, vegetables… papillote is one of the camper’s best friends.
And if you have to use a pot or pan, an important recommendation is to wet them with dishwashing soap before putting it on the fire if you don’t want them to end up covered in soot.
