How to Prepare Food Ahead of Time for a Camping Trip

Summer is the perfect time to enjoy the great outdoors. One of the best ways to really do that? Camping! Few sports immerse someone so intensely into nature. And while it is great (for some people) that you’re isolated in the beautiful wilderness, it does mean that you’re disconnected from a lot of things, too. Like, for instance, an easy means to prepare food. If you’re not prepared to hunt all your food yourself, you’re going to need to bring along some pre-made meals that will travel well and keep you nourished. The next time you and your friends are getting ready to enjoy the great outdoors, try preparing some of these camping-friendly meals ahead of time!

America’s Test Kitchen has given some examples of easy-to-prepare meals that you can get ready before you leave civilization!

Note: Most of these will require a fire (which we hope you have on your camping trip, anyways!), so make sure you know what you’ll have at your camping site before you prepare these meals.

1. Hobo Packs – This tin foil meal involved potatoes, onions, garlic, salt, pepper, oil, and green onions, wrapped in a tin foil packet. Pop it over your campfire for 45 minutes and enjoy a nice hot meal!

2. Coffee Cake – This works for any baked good! Prepare the mix in a plastic bag, then label it with what it is and how much liquid you need to prepare it.

3. Steaks – While you can’t prepare these ahead of time, they’re still so simple to bring. Keep your steaks in Ziploc bags, put them in a cooler surrounded by ice packs, and then just grill them up when you arrive! Make sure to bring your grill grate to cook even easier.

4. Eggs – Bringing eggs in shells? A mess. But if you crack your eggs into a container with a firm lid, you have no mess and as many eggs as you want! Bring your cast iron skillet or Dutch oven to make these.

Which one of these prepared camping meals will you make? Do you have go-to foods you rely on when you’re camping? Share your ideas in the comments section below.