cooking (and cleaning) for one

PNWtabber

I have good friends who eat beautifully when camping -- but one cooks and the other cleans up.  I love to cook at home, but when camping it feels more like a chore.  I've taken to eating very simply when camping or making food ahead and reheating it at camp, to cut down on prep/cook/clean time while camping.  Curious how other solo campers manage kitchen duties.  AND if you have any recipes to share (either for making in camp or make-ahead) that would be great!!

On a recent trip, I made ahead one of my favorite recipes for braised pork roast and just had to reheat for dinner, worked great:
 https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/succulent-braised-pork-recipe-1948814

Chopin

The game changer for us was using a spray bottle of alcohol for doing most kitchen clean up. It saves water, it’s simple and sterile. With some alcohol and one or two sheets of paper towel I can do all the dishes for two of us. We also often cook at home, bring the food along and just reheat it. We also use compostable paper plates sometimes. Those are all tips to make cooking quicker and simpler. 

CrabTab

We frequently precook and vacuum seal meals. At camp we'll warm the food in the pouch using warm water on the stove, sotra' Sous Vide style. Cut the pouch open and place on the plate. This cuts way down on clean up too since the pan only had warm water in it.

PNWtabber

Chopin said:

The game changer for us was using a spray bottle of alcohol for doing most kitchen clean up. It saves water, it’s simple and sterile. With some alcohol and one or two sheets of paper towel I can do all the dishes for two of us. We also often cook at home, bring the food along and just reheat it. We also use compostable paper plates sometimes. Those are all tips to make cooking quicker and simpler. 

Wow, never thought of that for cleaning dishes.

PNWtabber

@CrabTab -- great idea.  I may have to invest in a vacuum sealer.

Sharon_is_SAM

Short trips we prepare dishes and reheat at camp.  My DH is the cook and would take the whole kitchen if I let him.  For our recent 2 months out west trip, we thought we would use a rotating, repeat menu plan, but we ended up making a list of 10 different 1 pot dinners and punted based on local availability.  A few things that saved time included instant Idahoan potatoes, boil in bag rice (NOT minute rice), granola and fresh bananas for breakfast, cooked overnight steel cut oats, pre-cooked breakfast sausage - heat and serve, and everything using tortilla wraps - sandwiches, scrambled egg wrap, etc.  Grilling saves a pan.  We also use sandwich “thins” instead of bread loaves as they pack well and hold up better.  

We alternate between using paper vs hard plates.  If trash is close by - use paper, otherwise, we wiped the plates before washing for water conservation.

We were in a couple small towns in Utah that had very limited produce, so we had to be flexible.

Verna

For a vacuum sealer while traveling, there are zip-lock type bags and a manual pump (can buy a battery operated, but it doesn’t take many pumps to seal). Food Saver is the name of the bag I use. This is for leftovers, separating quantities of chicken (or other meats & fish) into smaller quantities. While I have the electric vacuum sealer at home, this allows me to freeze individual meals as I’m on the road longer than my frozen supplies from home last. 

Search Amazon for “Food Saver Bags” as there are quart and gallon size available. And I am unable to find the manual pump, but here is the link for a battery operated pump. 

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08N3XB32Q/ref=psdcmw_1090768_t2_B002TMRMHG

As far as washing dishes, I put a couple of inches of water in the sink, with minimal dish soap. Then I have a quart spray bottle with fresh clean water in it. I wash the dishes and then I spray the dishes with the clear water to rinse them. The spray bottle water lasts for a couple of days, so I am really conserving water when rinsing the dishes. 

I normally use my normal dishes, although I occasionally use paper plates when I know I can dispose of them soon. Paper towels suffice for a dish for a sandwich, plus use the paper towel to wipe my mouth and hands. 

PNWtabber

@Verna, thanks.  Much as I hate to generate a bunch of plastic waste, the vacuum sealers do seem convenient.  I am perusing the FoodSaver options on Amazon and Costco.  
Sounds like a spray bottle is a great idea for saving water while washing up.  Will add those to my next Costco trip.

Verna

@PNWtabber, there are reusable plastic bags that you wash after using. I wasn’t sold on them as a “new product”. I gave them to my brother, he gave them back, and I still haven’t used them. Just another idea. 

PNWtabber

Verna said:

@PNWtabber, there are reusable plastic bags that you wash after using. I wasn’t sold on them as a “new product”. I gave them to my brother, he gave them back, and I still haven’t used them. Just another idea. 

I wonder if they would stand up to being heated in a hot water bath, without melting.  There are also the silicone "zip lock" bags, but I've read they tend to leak.

pthomas745

I travel mostly by myself, so my cooking on the road is very very simple.  Sandwiches, cans, pasta, rice, toast.  The last thing I want to do around the camper is cook and clean.

I do use the famous Verna Pressure Spray Bottle mod idea.  I use this for every purpose that calls for water. Cooking, cleaning, showering.....one bottle can last me mostly all day.  And, hardly anything in the gray tank.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00002N8OB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

SusanD

Another mostly solo camper. I love to cook but on my own I keep it simple. Didn't think I wanted to microwave that came with the tab; turns out I love it!  Burritos, wraps, pasta, salads, BBQ.  And very good friends/family providing me with meals and leftovers for the past 3 weeks.  Will try the spray bottle trick next. Whatever I do, I clean up before bed.  No room for dirty dishes in here.

gande

@Chopin… I like the alcohol spray bottle idea. What ratio of alcohol to water do you use?

Gary

Chopin

gande said:

@Chopin… I like the alcohol spray bottle idea. What ratio of alcohol to water do you use?

Gary

I just use 70% isopropyl alcohol from the drug store. It’s already diluted with water to the optimal proportion to provide sterilization. I would not add more water as you will no longer be guaranteed that it is effective as an antiseptic. It goes a long way in a spray bottle and is pretty cheap.