Post
by Kelsier » Fri Feb 19, 2016 9:47 am
Granted I am still a Birgin, so take my advice with a grain of salt, but I would suggest you consider how you want to spend your time on the playa. Personally, I love to cook, and enjoy doing one elaborate meal over the fire while camping. However my guess is with everything else going on around me, I don't see myself wanting to spend my time cooking at camp, with all the cleanup that entails. My chronic case of FOMO will most likely not want me to spend much time eating as well. That's why I like the idea of cooking ahead of time. Once the items are defrosted all you have to do is reheat. And you can even take them with you to consume straight out of the bag.
I would definitely freeze the food as stated above. Vacuum sealers will prolong the shelf life of food, but not indefinitely. I'd much rather have frozen food that I can defrost in another cooler. And if for some reason all my best laid plans end up sucking and my food doesn't stay frozen the entire time, at least it will be colder and last longer than if it had not been previously frozen.
Some meals I'm considering making and bringing:
Chicken Shwarma - Chopped Chicken Thighs and onions cooked in oil & spices. Freeze. Defrost on playa and put on Naan or Pita bread with some tahini sauce, hot sauce, pickles, tomatoes, and cucumbers. I'm currently researching ideas to keep the fresh veggies fresh the majority of the trip - Vacuum sealing (minus the freezing) might be an option for this as well, but I believe fresh veggies might need the gas exchange (as do I after eating shwarma).
Breastfast Burritos - Freeze and reheat very well, and are great for on-the-go. A good way to get your eggs, bacon, potatoes, veggies, etc. without all the prep and cleanup. These are actually what prompted me to ask about food floating. Breakfast burritos float like a cork. But simply flipping the bag might be enough.
Pulled Pork / Carnitas - Make a big batch of Carnitas and freeze some with BBQ sauce, some without. Makes for good sandwiches or wraps.
Bean and Cheese Burritos. - Easy to make, portable, and necessary for more gas exchange
Smoothies & Gazpacho - I figure these will be a great way to make sure I get enough nutrition in the draining environment. Both Freeze really well, and if consumed shortly after being defrosted, will be nice and cooling.
Anyone else have any ideas for good make-ahead-meals? I've already trolled the boards on this topic, but always looking for new ideas.
It seems that this is my circus, and apparently those are my monkeys.
I'll get the net.