Outdoor cooking is not always a walk in the park, especially because one is not provided with the conventional cooking devices. However, if you are camping, here are ten tips on outdoor cooking and salads that can be of help to you.
- Acquire the outdoor cooking gear that is suitable for what you will cook. Basically, you will need pots and pans, Portable water for drinking, cooking, and cleaning, biodegradable dish washing soap, pot scrubber, hand sanitizer or soap and paper towels, mess kit, bowls, mugs, and cutlery, knives, containers to store leftover food and a can opener, among other devices.
- Get a weather report if you can, it is important to have an idea of the weather of that day. This will help you to decide where to put the fire or whether it is going to be possible to cook with firewood or charcoal.
- If you are nervous about lighting a fire, choose alternative source of heat. For instance, you may try solar stoves or cooking gas.
- Reduce smoke if you can. If you are cooking on open fire, you need to keep smoke levels low in order to keep the risk of a fire at bay. Too much smoke is also harmful to the eyes.
- Practice safe cooking with open fire and charcoal fire. If you are going to cook in the open, then you must be careful to avoid fire accidents. For instance, avoid sites with overhanging branches, steep slopes, rotted stumps or logs. If you are cooking with solar stoves, you also need to take several precautionary measures to avoid fire accidents.
- Prepare foods that are easy to cook. You may consider preparing salads due to their ease of preparation. Popcorns are also great for outdoor activities. As you choose the food to cook, you have to take into consideration the available cooking devices so that you do not get bogged down in the process.
- If you are preparing salads, use fresh ingredients. Choose the appropriate base for the salad, keeping in mind that it is the ingredient that carries the bulk of the salad. Wash the leaves of the salad before you star cooking. Adding raw and cooked crunchy veggies is the icing on the cake.
- Choose the best dressing for your salad. Remember that dressing is the most important aspects of a salad. Salad dressing links all the other ingredients and that is why it has to be chosen carefully. You can buy the dressing or prepare one for yourself.
- Add your dressing just before serving. After dressing is added, salad leaves can wither, and that is why it is important to dress the salad at the time of serving. Moreover, the dressing should be done systematically to avoid adding too much or too little.
- Practice foil cooking. Foil cooking makes use of aluminum foil, a very useful material for backpacking. Foil cooking normally reduces the cleanup time a great deal.
Indeed, outdoor cooking is fun. However, it requires the basic understanding of cooking since it is mainly done using improvised materials and customized meal ingredients.
