Is There A Good Thread Out There Already for Bad Cooks?.......

[JumpJ]

I'm a lousy cook at home, forget it off in the woods! Some people are great at art-others fixing a truck-some at sports and yes cooking as well. No matter how hard I try I just suck at cooking. If it can be burnt-done that. If it can be under cooked-Yup! Too much salt-Oh yes! Bland-of course! Forget, forgot, left, too much, and then there's the reaction. "Oh my god that is revolting", "Dad can we do take out", "Thank god I did not marry you for your cooking", "Good thing we brought our own". Yes I'm afraid it is that bad. I was looking for a thread on a list of a week's worth of food items and easy to create, tasty meals so I don't have to find a chef to follow me around the globe cooking meals. MREs are not an option I'm working on an Amazon Overlander Drone Food Delivery...............Just kidding on that one before rabid critics start a thread of abuse about Amazon delivering to the edge of the Grand Canyon. Thanks and looking forward to hearing from all of the Chefs and great ideas out there........

 

[krick3tt]

I suppose you can even burn jello? Anyway, following a recipe is not that difficult. There has to be something in here that will build your confidence enough to be able to at least make toast. Bon appetite.

www.camp-cook.com :: Index

 

[09Busaman]

Get you some recipes and follow them to the letter. Whether it is biscuits and gravy or sausage and onion quiche. After a while you will be able to remember the recipes and modify to taste as needed. You can do a lot with just a few ingredients. Keep a little book of recipes and add to them every time you go out. My wife will freely admit she married me for my cooking, and of course being good looking helps. LOL.

 

[JumpJ]

Great input-Thank You both.

 

[krick3tt]

also
https://www.amazon.com/Gourmet-Camp...=the+one+burner+gourmet&qid=1581872224&sr=8-1
and

Cooking the One Burner Way: Gourmet Cuisine for the Backcountry Chef, 2nd Edition: Gray, Melissa, Tilton, Buck: 9780762706709: Amazon.com: Books

Cooking the One Burner Way: Gourmet Cuisine for the Backcountry Chef, 2nd Edition [Gray, Melissa, Tilton, Buck] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Cooking the One Burner Way: Gourmet Cuisine for the Backcountry Chef, 2nd Edition

www.amazon.com

after awhile you be the woodland chef

 

[JumpJ]

Awesome thank you. Just ordered it-Julia Child here I come

 

[krick3tt]

You could always make French toast, easy and fun. Amaze your tent buddies.

 

[NatersXJ6]

Take cooking classes. There is much more to being able to cook than just read and do a recipe. I’m teaching my oldest to cook now, and if you think about everything communicated, it is amazing. You involve sight, sound, smell, touch, taste...

How to know if the pan is hot? Too hot? Too cold? Is it done? Burned? Need Stirring? Stirred too much? Forming or separating properly? Safety and hygiene? Did you cut in the right order? Cross contaminate? Did you time stuff close to properly?

Add outdoor conditions, crappy cook set pans, and wind and life can get crazy fast. Fortunately, lots of camp food tastes good just because it is hot and ready.

 

[AbleGuy]

One of my all time, can’t fail favorite easy to make camp recipes....
GORP Pizza



(Oh, come on! I thought this was pretty good!)

 

[krick3tt]

Try this, not really difficult

 

[alia176]

My ex-wife gave me this for my 50th

https://www.amazon.com/Man-Can-Plan-Great-Meals/dp/1579546072/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3ENAZP9I7QG64&keywords=a+man+a+can+a+plan+cookbook&qid=1582216930&sprefix=a+man+a+can,aps,241&sr=8-1

I'm not a bad cook, just not a confident one. I'd rather rebuild a transmission than cook a meal but I try to push myself every now and then. So, I can relate to OP's post 100%.

Don't forget that you can cook stuff at home, then re-heat it on the trail. This takes some of the pressure off and you don't waste ingredients. You can practice until you perfect recipe at home vs doing it out on the trail. Also, this method of cooking uses less fuel on the trail. Things like sphagetti/meatballs can be cooked at home then re-heated on the trail.

Living in the SW has taught me the value of making burritos for EVERY meal if needed. You can eat the damn plate, yo! Seriously, you can make breakfast burritos with tortillas/bacon/eggs/cheese/potatoes. You can then eat the same thing for lunch or just make wraps with tortillas, lettuce, lunch meet and cheese. Both of my rigs have underhood baskets for heating up food and burritos make this easy. For dinner, just throw some ******** in a tortilla with cheese, throw on a pan then add salsa. Your family will think you're a ********** genius.

If you're GF (gluten free), you're screwed, just kidding. The old Frito Pie is a standby in my camp box and it satisfies hungry kids and GF people. Coupla cans of chilli in a pot, heat, then melt some cheese and toss in Frito chips. It's all about calories, not gourmet presentations at times. Booyea bitches, eat up.

Edit: use non stick frying pans, easy to clean up by wiping after meals. No water wasting here dudes!

 

[JPaul]

I learned to cook from my mom, but also from reading the instructions in the Better Home and Garden cookbook. You know, the old one with the red and white checked cover. It has a lot of instruction on cooking techniques along with the recipes. Not sure about the modern edition of it.

These days though Youtube is a great resource. Truly, learning to cook well just takes practice and lots of it, but only if you're following proper instruction as well. If you can't afford a class or can find someone good to help you, then videos are the next best thing. Also having the right tools helps a lot. And understanding that some things have flavor that develops with each bite, so the first bite may not be exactly what you are expecting but 3 to 5 bites later the flavor has built up properly.

Case in point I tried making hot and sour soup last week. Followed the recipe exactly but it just didn't taste right at first so I added more vinegar (didn't seem sour enough). Still not what I expected so added more. And more. Then it seemed right and added some salt as well. That was all a huge mistake. I couldn't even get halfway through a bowl of it since after several spoonfuls it was way too vinegary and salty. Ended up tossing the whole batch. Next time I try to make it I'll be sure to follow the directions and leave it at that.

You'll end up with a lot of messed up meals, especially as you try to figure out something new to you. Don't feel bad and don't be discouraged. Just keep trying and do lots of learning. If you can, watch Alton Brown's "Good Eats" show. He does a fantastic job of explaining not only the how but the why of cooking methods in an enjoyable and easy to understand way. Warning. Watching that show will make you hungry!

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[JPaul]

Another thing to keep in mind is that you're far more likely to ruin a meal by using too much heat rather than not enough. That's probably the biggest culprit for bad cooking aside from using too much seasoning (especially salt). I think the only thing you can get away with using lots of heat to cook is when cooking steaks. You can even just throw them directly on a bed of coals (no grate) and as long as you don't leave them on for too long they come out great. Anything else will result in burned or poorly cooked food. So keep the heat down and just take your time. Unless it's steak, then sear away. Just don't ruin it by going past medium done.

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[PPCLI_Jim]

I took cooking as a bargain to keep my gpa at a level that I could play school sports. From there I just played around with basic recipes , and have progressed to the point that I can admit I'm decent at it. Having said that my ex wife would burn water. Start with the basics then add on from there. I've looked favorite meals up on YT then tried to replicate it exactly, from there I can change a recipe to my liking. Heck try betty crocker cooking, heck even Campbell's Soup Recipes Good luck!

 

[Bobzdar]

It's a practice makes perfect type of thing. Pick a dish you really like so you're invested in making it well, watch some recipes - I find this better than just reading them - and practice making it. Then branch out. If you want a super easy start, Gordon Ramsey's burgers are one of my favorites, super duper easy but the difference between an amazing burger and a crappy one is huge and the difference in prep and cooking it is small. There are two or three keys to it that are explained in the video (pre-form patties, season the outside, don't touch them once they hit the grill other than to flip and remove, cook covered if you can). My camping mates are amazed every time with the quality of the burger and I've simplified it even more, I just use the tubes of 80/20 burger and slice it into patties right before I cook, so they transport super efficiently and take no prep (other than cutting it up) while also being pre-formed. Getting the temp right on a camp fire is a little tricky, but that's where the practice comes in. If you use a camp stove with a griddle plate or cast iron skillet it's super easy. I've used that same burger recipe on everything from a stove top with a skillet to a campfire swing away grill to state park charcoal grills and it works like a champ every time, and people used to the hockey pucks usually served at barbeques are amazed, especially when they watch me cook it and don't see me doing anything special.


The method for cooking the meat translates very well to other meats of similar thickness, so once you master burgers you should be able to cook any meat well. Then you can start to branch out. Start with simple recipes and once you get good at them go for more complicated ones.