Headed out on an adventure in the great outdoors? Nothing goes down better to finish off the day than a satisfying meal cooked outdoors under the starry sky. But a limitation on space and equipment forces any self-respecting camp meal to be small but even more flavourful, easy and almost immediate to make. In a blink, freeze-dried snacks have come to be mainstays of a well-built camping-meal menu – and we’ve been tinkering with meals and strategies for more than 40 years. Now we’re spilling the good stuff on which freeze-dried snacks are worth buying for your next camping trip.
1. The Best Camping Breakfast: The Full English - Reimagined
Begin your day with a freezer-dried English breakfast. The perfect camping breakfast, all favourite accoutrements – sausages, beans, mushrooms, eggs – in a super simple form factor, ready to eat. Just add hot water!
2. Foil Packet Wonders: Gourmet Veggie Medley
Peak as part of a campground dinner, these foil packet beauties are a blend of seasoned veggies – quick, easy to whip up on the campfire, or even a cast iron skillet, and quite satisfying, they’ll keep you healthy and satisfied for quite awhile.
3. Hot Dogs with a Twist
Especially made for campers, when you mix a little water with these classic hot dogs, they reconstitute into edibility. They are far from gourmet, but are best teamed with an equally lovable, but free of preservatives and trans-fat, hot dog bun.
4. Tortilla Chips Fiesta
But with a packet or two of freeze-dried tortilla chips with zesty seasoning, I can get my fix when I need it most: halfway up the trail. They’re light, crunchy and everybody loves chips.
5. Dutch Oven Delights:
Beef Stew Ultimate comfort food! Add hot water to freeze-dried beef stew for a warm, delicious meal in about 20 minutes with just a dutch oven.
6. Classic Chili Con Carne
This camping recipe will spice up your dinners. Quick and easy to throw together, this hearty dinner will keep you warm on cool nights.
7. Cheesy Macaroni
This epic camping staple has long been a drive-through standby for our hungry range crew, who leap at the opportunity to chow down on this quick, easy, and tasty dish. Cheese macaroni has long been a camp staple for hungry kids of all ages, and escape.
8. Thai Green Curry
If your usual dinner fare consists of beans and boil-in-a-bag meals, add some kick to it with this Thai green curry. This mild concoction of spices and herbs will be a treat for your taste buds.
9. Savoury Mushroom Risotto
Freeze-dried mushroom risotto: taste this and die. Time to rethink your strategy. Freeze-dried and ready to eat (above and below) Mushroom risotto freeze-dried (left) and prepared (right). Both photographs courtesy the author’s book The Silo Cookbook. The author was supported by the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
10. BBQ Chicken Delight
This dried whole-chicken is so BBQ-ready, it’s practically mess-free. It might take a while to rehydrate, but the finished result is worth the wait: with the right blend of smoke and sweetness.
11. Hearty Vegetable Soup
And for something a bit more lightweight, this vegetable soup is nutritious, filling – and dead simple to make. It’ll give you energy for a clear night out stargazing.
12. Apple Crisp Dessert
Serve this lovely apple crisp to round out your homey meal. It’s so simple and tasty, and it rehydrates perfectly – just like home!
These are also snacks that make the most of decades of expertise and commercial growth, in addition to the attention of increasingly more professors and outdoor enthusiasts; they are good enough to eat, but they’re also a quick , small bite that can sustain you between meals on the trail, rice dishes, scrambles and stews, which will take a bit more planning and time.
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Freeze Dried Providers Ranked
Look up the rankings of all the different freeze dried providers, perhaps there is one that will suit your service? They are all wonderful and pioneers in the industry, but of course some are better than others.
Not it's your turn! Let us know what Your Favorite Camping Snack is!