Tasty Meals without Refrigeration

[BigAl]

I searched briefly and couldn't find any thing on this topic...

I spent 4 days camping semi remotely this summer in 80-90F heat with high humidity. On day one I realized that my cooler was lame and I would need to buy ice every day which turned out to be a major hassle. The obvious solution would be to buy a portable fridge or even just a better cooler, but I'm thinking slightly differently. Why not bring food that requires no refrigeration? Obviously, I could live off peanut butter, spam, ramen noodles and canned raviolis, but what if you wanted to get fancy and really enjoy the meals???

Give me some ideas, post the recipe of your best tasting dish that requires no refrigeration of any component and no keeping live chickens around camp. I know from reading this section that there are some true outback gourmets here, if your Engel dies, what's for dinner?:chowtime:

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

Dishes that just add water, oil, or whatever..... Rice-a-roni, and a few other things. Go through the grocery store.

My favorite are Aunt Jamima just add water pancake mix and the like... some thai dishes too...

 

[Haggis]

Al, do you do any canning? One of our favorites is taking a can of itailian stewed tomatos, adding chopped green peppers, onion, garlic, olive oil, season to your preference (mine is rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley, salt, black pepper), cook down to a good simmering "stew" and then add canned venison or moose and let simmer a bit more. Then dish onto noodles or rice. Filling, fast and no refridgeration needed, It'll lay your ears back.

Also you can add barbecue sauce to the canned meat for a quick hot sandwich (it's awesome!), or just eat it out of the can. Also try canning some suckers or carp. You would not beleive how good those things are after they've be canned.

 

[paulj]

Mainly it's a matter of coming up with alternatives to fresh meat, such as:

- canned meats
Spam - ok as an occasional, salty meat item
canned corned beef - Asian markets sometimes carry better quality brands from New Zealand or Australia
canned chicken, turkey meat - I prefer the foil pouch versions
fish - I'm not a big fan of canned tuna, but a good quality tuna in olive oil makes a good base for tuna salad; foil pouch versions are pricier but better.

- dried meats

- boil-in-the-bag Indian dishes; taste at home to see how you like the spiciness.

- canned soups - on one trip through the southwest, we used quite a number of the chunky ones. They were most welcome when we had to fix supper as it was getting dark.

I travel with a small cooler that mainly holds lunch meat, cheese and mayo for lunches. I don't like to keep much raw meat in there, to minimize the chances of cross contamination. If passing through town I may buy some meat for that evening's meal, but stick with preserved meats (smoked, sausages etc) for longer term use.

Pasta, instant mashed, rice, etc does not need a cooler. Dried spice packets and mixes make up for sauces that have to be kept in the cooler. I also try to avoid having leftovers that need to be kept in a cooler.

Minimus is a mail order place for individual size food packets:
http://www.minimus.biz/

Backpackers often talk about drying their own foods.

paulj

 

[Otto Von Squiggy]

slightly off topic but what about dry ice?

 

[BigAl]

Thanks for the ideas guys, i hadn't considered canning. I'll have to hit my mom up for some lessons, i remember as a kid, her turning the kitchen into a factory. I'm also going to try and find the indian boil in a bag, i like hot:chowtime: I like chunky brand soups too but they are really salty. I'm thinking more along the line of fresh foods that can be somehow managed without refigeration.

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

A great carb and protein meal is Macaroni and mix in tunafish. Some people think it sounds nasty, but i've gotten to where I dont eat macaroni without it. Tuna's some good stuff for you.
​

 

[calamaridog]

slightly off topic but what about dry ice?

Dry ice and a decent cooler. Not really off topic at all. Seriously, a good cooler isn't expensive. Freeze the meat you plan on using after the first day. Chill all the items before placing them in the cooler. Don't open the cooler often.

I've also been thinking of trying this product:

http://www.techniice.com/english/index.htm

As mentioned, prepared meals in foil pouches and stuff like that will work but after a few days it will get real old. Same with canned meats. It works but will get old fast.

Some cheeses and cooked sausages (summer sausage, etc.) will last for many days as long as it isn't really hot.

 

[Jacket]

A great carb and protein meal is Macaroni and mix in tunafish. Some people think it sounds nasty, but i've gotten to where I dont eat macaroni without it. Tuna's some good stuff for you.
​

Yea - we're big fans of macaroni and tuna! Good stuff! If I'm lucky and can add Mayo or oil and seasoning, Yum!

Also dry salami keeps pretty good, peanut butter, and any of the dry, "just add water" kinda meals.

 

[outsidr]

I was going to respond with some of my favorites but now I have an overwhelming need for tuna fish. Gotta run get some....:chowtime:

 

[Lynn]

Back when I was in college I used to collect up the single-serve mayo and relish packets (that don't require refrigeration), and use them for an unrefrigerated, cheap-and-easy, tuna salad.

Add a packet of mayo and a packet of relish to a can of tuna and eat it with saltines.

'Course my co-workers thought I was crazy, since I also cooked ramen noodles (the good ones you get from an oriental food store, not 'top ramen'!) in the office coffee maker (with some cheese and diced ham).

Another way to avoid refrigerated stuff is to use 'ButterBuds' in place of the real stuff. 'Course, it doesn't taste like the real stuff, either...

 

[dlbrunner]

My buddy in college brought a jar of his special peanut butter spread.

It was a peanut butter jar about half full of PB, he added a bannana and some jam and mixed it all together.

We were climbing one day and he busted out bagels and the PB spread, it was good stuff.

 

[jim65wagon]

Al, Al, Al...how are you ever gonna get your steaks and escargot to the camp without a good cooler? Of course the escargot comes packed in little cans already, but you still need a cooler for the butter...:chowtime:

 

[Haggis]

Another option is smoked meats and cheeses. We do our own brines and smoking, anything from venison to goose and anything in between. We don't really use the smoked stuff in recipies, but it makes a good meal on its own. Smoked swiss cheese and venison on rye bread, Yum!

 

[VikingVince]

Pasta, pasta, pasta...and all its variations. :chowtime:
Muir Glen (brand name) organic diced tomatoes in a can are of excellent quality and taste and make an easy, chunky light tomato sauce. (I know Whole Foods carrries the brand...hands-down the best canned, diced tomato I've found)...suggest use with mostaciolli
Or I love pasta (linguine) with olive oil...add some sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, kalamata olives, and crumbled feta (oops I guess the feta requires a fridge...okay, use the parmesan from the grocery store shelves that comes in the cardboard-type can-shaker...since it sits on the shelf it'll last a good while w/o refrig)...or create your own versions
A half-way decent meal (emphasis on half-way!) is canned beef, instant mashed potatoes, a good canned sweet corn (or other vegetable), and instant gravy poured over the beef and potatoes.
Oh...and dont' forget the Rice-a-Roni Express Rice (comes in a foil packet)...you only need two tablespoons of water to heat the rice...and it's tasty!
You can also make chili with canned beef/chicken/turkey and have it over spaghetti...pretty good!