What’s the best problem you’ll come up towards on a tenting journey?
In the event you ask me, maintaining your meals contemporary and chilly is certainly a prime contender. When tenting out within the scorching summer season solar, perishable meals can spoil tremendous shortly if you happen to’re not cautious.
Don’t fear although, there are many methods you possibly can keep away from this state of affairs.
On this article, we’ll share 13 nice suggestions that’ll inform you precisely easy methods to maintain meals chilly whereas tenting. We’ve additionally included some security recommendation, to ensure you don’t find yourself with meals poisoning in your journey.
Let’s get straight into it.
Cooler Methods and Preparation
You may suppose that maintaining your meals chilly is so simple as maintaining it in a cooler. It could be, however in sure situations, like when it’s actually scorching out, it may not be sufficient.
Your ice (particularly if it’s the gasoline station selection) may soften very quickly in any respect. As soon as that occurs, it received’t be lengthy earlier than micro organism begin to take over. Rotten meat, anybody?
To maintain this from occurring, you’ll need to take some further measures to make sure your meals stays contemporary for so long as potential.
Get Your self A Good Cooler (Or Two)
Before everything, I undoubtedly suggest investing in high quality cooler.
Higher but, put money into 2 coolers. Having one on your meals and one other on your drinks is the way in which to go, however extra on that additional down.
You’ve mainly received 4 choices in the case of coolers:
These are listed from the least, to the simplest.
In fact, fancy electrical coolers aren’t usually funds pleasant.
Fiberglass and metal coolers will do a superb job at maintaining your meals contemporary for as much as 3 days. Be warned, nonetheless, that they’re fairly heavy.
Styrofoam coolers aren’t as efficient, however they’re significantly better in the case of portability. In the event you go for a styrofoam cooler, be certain that it’s a top quality one with good insulation.
Chill Your Cooler Earlier than You Head Off
In the event you’ve received a big sufficient freezer, it’s a good suggestion to pop your cooler in there for a couple of hours earlier than you’re taking off in your tenting journey.
Chilling the cooler will enhance the time it takes your ice to soften by fairly a bit. This may maintain your meals contemporary and chilly for longer.
Pack Your Cooler Properly
This one ties in with the earlier tip.
Packing your cooler correctly means you received’t need to open it as usually. Once you do need to open it, you’ll know the place all the things is right away, so that you received’t need to maintain it open for lengthy.
Rummaging via your cooler looking for one thing is a good way to let scorching air in, so that you undoubtedly need to try to maintain it to a minimal.
- Put your ice on the backside of the cooler.
- Subsequent, stack your meat on prime of the ice.
- If in case you have sufficient house, add one other layer of ice over your meat.
- Dairy objects go subsequent
- Every part else ought to go on prime.
Something you’ll want regularly must be on the prime for straightforward entry.
Yet one more factor you are able to do is fill any pockets of air with ice packs. This may assist regulate the temperature contained in the cooler, maintaining the objects in the direction of the highest simply as chilly as those on the backside.
Meals Preparation Tricks to Preserve It Colder for Longer
Freeze Your Meals Earlier than You Go
A extremely nice strategy to maintain your meals contemporary for longer is freezing it earlier than your journey.
You may freeze all the things from meat to veggies, fruit and even total pre-cooked meals. Your frozen meals can even maintain the remainder of the contents of your cooler chilly for longer.
If nothing else, not less than freeze any uncooked meat you’re taking. Uncooked meat will go off unbelievably shortly within the warmth, and freezing it’s going to maintain it contemporary for approach longer.
Pre-Cook dinner Your Meals
One other helpful tenting meals trick is to pre-cook your meals.
Cooked meat received’t spoil practically as shortly as uncooked meat will. It is because whenever you prepare dinner meals, you kill off quite a lot of the micro organism that may trigger it to go dangerous.
You may also pre-cook total meals, so that each one you must do is warmth them up on the campsite and also you’re good to go.
Want concepts? Listed below are some nice concepts of meals you possibly can convey tenting.
Take Non-Perishable Backup Meals
Lastly, as with all the things in life, ensure you have a backup plan.
If something goes improper and your meals finally ends up spoiling, the very last thing you need is to be left with nothing to eat. Going hungry is not any enjoyable, particularly after a day packed filled with tenting actions.
Fortunately, there are many meals objects you possibly can take that don’t require refrigeration. So, be certain that to have loads of these available, simply in case issues go south.
Maximize Your Ice
Use Frozen Water Bottles
A terrific various to ice packs are frozen water bottles.
The wonderful thing about utilizing a frozen bottle is that when it thaws out, you’re left with a bottle of ingesting water.
Gotta love 2 in 1 options that save on house whenever you’re tenting.
Use Massive Blocks Of Ice
In the event you do resolve to make use of ice, be certain that to make use of giant blocks of stable ice, relatively than free ice cubes.
The ice you possibly can decide up at your native gasoline station will soften approach too shortly.
Massive blocks of ice will take for much longer to soften, maintaining your meals contemporary for for much longer. Place them on the backside of your cooler, and stack your meals on prime.
Use Ice Packs
Once you use regular ice in your cooler, it melts.
Melted ice will flip into an enormous puddle of water that may seep into your meals, turning it right into a soggy mess. It might probably additionally contaminate it, making your meals unsafe to eat.
You by no means know what sort of water was used to make the ice, except you made it your self. If it wasn’t pure (which, if you happen to purchased the ice, it most likely wasn’t) you don’t need it stepping into your meals.
One strategy to get round that is by utilizing ice packs as an alternative.
You should purchase them, or you can also make your individual ice pack by filling a freezer bag with water and rubbing alcohol at a ratio of two:1 and freezing it.
In the event you resolve to purchase the ice packs, ensure you get good high quality ice packs. (Trace: a budget ones crammed with blue gel aren’t the most effective.)
Strive Evaporative Cooling
In the event you’ve received contemporary fruits and veggies, you possibly can truly maintain them cool with out even utilizing a cooler.
How?
Evaporative cooling!
All you must do is put your produce in a mesh bag (or some other porous materials), moist it and dangle it up within the shade. Simply be certain that to maintain it moist by wetting the bag at any time when it dries out.
The breeze, together with the moist bag, will maintain your fruits and veggies contemporary for days.
Notice: this may solely work with fruit and veg – don’t try to make use of this methodology to maintain meat contemporary.
Use Dry Ice
Generally determined occasions name for determined measures. Within the case of maintaining your tenting meals chilly, determined measures means dry ice.
It’s not as simple to come back throughout, however dry ice is approach colder than common ice, and it takes approach longer to soften.
You may also use a dry ice pack. These will maintain your meals contemporary and chilly for ages!
Remember that dry ice is so chilly that it’ll truly freeze your meals and drinks. That is nice in the case of maintaining them contemporary and chilly for longer. However, it’s not so nice whenever you go to seize a chilly beer, solely to seek out it’s been changed into a beer popsicle.
Notice: whenever you’re utilizing dry ice in a cooler, carbon dioxide will construct up inside because the ice melts. Be very cautious to not inhale an excessive amount of of it whenever you open your cooler, to keep away from carbon dioxide poisoning.
Throw In Some Salt
Certainly one of my favourite tips to have up your sleeve is salt.
Cautious, although. With this one, timing is all the things.
Placing salt instantly onto your ice cubes will make them soften faster, so that you undoubtedly don’t need to try this.
What it’s best to do is wait till the ice begins melting, after which add salt. This may make the melted water colder than the ice itself.
Superb, proper?
Don’t overdo it, although. Half a handful of salt is greater than sufficient for a big cooler.
Some Further Tricks to Preserve Your Meals Chilly
Preserve Your Cooler In The Shade
Yet one more simple strategy to maintain your meals chilly for longer is ensuring to maintain your cooler within the shade.
Simply ensure that because the day goes on, your cooler stays in a shady spot always. Because the solar strikes throughout the sky, the shade offered by the timber round additionally, you will shift. Transfer your cooler as wanted, to maintain it within the shade.
In the event you’re tenting someplace the place there’s sand, just like the seaside or desert, it’s also possible to bury your cooler within the sand. This may do job at defending it and maintaining your contents cool, even when there isn’t any shade round.
Keep away from Opening Your Cooler Too Typically
So, after I mentioned it’s best to get 2 coolers, that is what I used to be speaking about.
Even when 1 cooler is sufficiently big to suit all the things you’re taking, it’s nonetheless higher to have 2. In the event you’ve received your entire meals and drinks in a single cooler, chances are high you’ll be opening it approach too usually.
Opening your cooler each time somebody desires a drink will make your ice soften quite a bit faster than it will if the cooler had been left closed.
This isn’t a catastrophe if all you’ve received in there are drinks. If, then again, you’ve additionally received meals in your cooler, you run the danger of your meals going dangerous.
That’s why it’s best to at all times maintain your drinks in 1 cooler, and your meals in a separate cooler.
Use A Thermometer In Your Cooler
If you wish to be further protected, you possibly can at all times use a thermometer inside your cooler, to maintain monitor of the temperature.
If the temperature rises above 40°F, you’re within the hazard zone. So long as it’s beneath 40°F, your meals will keep simply as contemporary and chilly as it will in your fridge at dwelling.
Meals Security Recommendation For Campers
With the ability to maintain your meals chilly when you’re tenting is sweet, however it’s additionally actually necessary on your well being.
As I discussed, in case your meals goes off and also you don’t notice, you can be a nasty case of meals poisoning. Not enjoyable wherever you’re, however particularly not if you happen to’re at a campsite.
So, what are you able to do to ensure that doesn’t occur?
Effectively, following the information on this article can have you nicely on the way in which. Nonetheless, there are a pair extra issues it’s best to know to be on the protected facet.
First off, it’s tremendous necessary that you know the way lengthy your meals will be anticipated to final.
As an illustration, uncooked meat will solely final a few days, even when your cooler is stored ice chilly the complete time. Meat exterior of the cooler, whether or not it’s uncooked or cooked, received’t be suitable for eating after the primary 2 hours.
Meat is certainly the riskiest, however it’s not the one factor that can provide you meals poisoning, so try to be simply as cautious with different meals objects. You’ve received to look out for something that’s perishable, comparable to dairy, in addition to fruits and veggies.
Some veggies are simply tremendous at room temperature. In truth, quite a lot of veggies, comparable to cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant, must be stored out of the fridge anyway.
Different veggies, comparable to leafy greens, mushrooms and zucchini ought to undoubtedly be stored chilly. Leaving them out for greater than a few hours just isn’t a good suggestion.
Make certain to totally wash your entire fruits and veggies with clear water earlier than you eat them.
Keep in mind that your cooler must be stored at a temperature beneath 40°F always. Something above that’s heat sufficient for micro organism progress.
It’s a good suggestion to separate your ice from the remainder of the cooler’s contents. You are able to do this by placing it in a sealed plastic bag. Or, higher but, double wrap it.
Whereas we’re on the subject of double wrapping, I’d additionally suggest you double wrap any meat that’s in your cooler, to keep away from cross contamination.
Wrapping It Up
Now, to wrap issues up. I imply the article, however sure, your meals as nicely.
As you possibly can see, maintaining your meals contemporary and chilly whereas tenting isn’t as exhausting because it might sound.
You don’t want any fancy, state-of-the-art tools. All you want is an efficient cooler and some tips beneath your belt to get probably the most out of it.
Meals poisoning is not any joke, so I usually keep on with the rule: when unsure, throw it out. It’s at all times higher to be protected than sorry.
