Thread: Basic kitchen & food stuff list

Lots and lots of eggs, then you wont need a porta loo. Just watch out after about three days

Ok Mrs Possum, a meaningful contribution.
As I see you too like to cook in a wok; I have a cast iron wok I bought from I think Target for $40 a few years back. It is heavy but...
It takes some serious stupidity to burn your meal so no big hassle to clean it. It can be used straight on the coals. It can be used on gas of course including safe use on one of those handy butane cookers due to the shape of a wok not trapping heat. Yet it is a big vessel so can cook a BIG feed and less chance of spillage.
And it can handle a mean steak, one of those big b*****d rumps you take 3 days to digest

Hmm ...agree with the wok. We bought a cheap one years ago and now always throw it in to go camping.

Our kit has decreased over the years. We use to carry so much stuff it was ridiculous. I got worried about carrying gas bottles in the car after a few horror stories, so now we are totally gas free.

We carry only this kit now :

2 X Coleman portable camping stoves - the small round ones. These use Shellite or can use unleaded petrol. These do all the cooking.
2 X stainless steel billies. The camping stoves fit inside these to save space.
1 X small Wok does all the frying and can be used as a bigg suacepan if needed.
One of those picnic backpacks with all the cutlery, plates, knives cups etc init - most of the original stuff has been replaced with better quality stuff.
Round plastic basin for washing up etc.
Plastic sieve thing.
Gauze toaster
Camp oven

For food, it varies but we always have pasta, rice, tinned tomatoes, tinned tuna because those basics can make a meal anywhere. We pick up fresh stuff whenever we can.

As for a quick meal when nothing else is available, cook a bit of pasta in one billy. In another billy fry some onions ( and garlic if you have it ), throw in a tin of tomatoes, small tin of tuna if you want, dried herbs, cook for ten minutes, throw it over top of the pasta and you're ready to eat. If you have cheese to grate over top, even better.

I like my meat too, but making something tasty when you're down to tins or packets is a challenge.

Originally Posted by oldzook

Coffee, tobacco, meat, beer and..
no that's it

I would add just a few more items to your diverse list - bourbon/scotch for those cold nights, bacon, eggs, bread.
Now that is a balanced list including all the food groups

Well, I made my tongue-in-cheek recommendation regarding the old outback cure-all, rum. Now this one is for real. Take rice, and the makings of damper. Tins of meat. Corned beef, camp pie, luncheon beef, ham, tinned pies, tinned veges. tinned fruit, all good emergency rations if bogged or broken down. We used to take this stuff on the more remote mail runs. Also take long life hard veges. of the sort that dont need refrigeration. Curry powder, salt, pepper, mustard powder, pickles, sauces,tomato soup, tomato paste, cooking oil, tea, coffee, long life milk if you use it. Can you still get butter in tins? Above all, think heavy. Dont take light bulky stuff, or stuff that falls into crumbs with the bouncing and shaking. A couple of nests of billys, camp oven, coffee pot, the iron wok and a lid sounds good to me, iron frying pan and/or grill plate for the fire/stove. Enamel plates and mugs live well and are easy to clean. Tripod or similar for hanging a pot over the fire. If you are getting really serious, go to a TAFE course and learn to kill and dress a sheep. If you have to acquire a sheep, then leave the skin on a fence. This is traditional. Few cockies got cranky about someone taking a sheep for food as long as they took it all, and left the skin.

when planning a prolonged trip this is what l do

work out the number of days going to be away
work out the number of meals per day
make up a plastic bag for each meal containing the non perishable contents for that meal
label each bag for meal type and day
pack the plastic bags into a box in the order that the meals are going to be consumed
pack the perishable contents for each meal in labelled bag and stacked in freezer/fridge in order of consumption

Have found that by doing this you can plan your meal variety, your not looking or rummaging through boxes for ingredients when preparing meal you dont have problem of travel removing identifying labels from cans etc and you know for certain all you need is in the bag you removed from box

Besides that the coleman 3 burner duel fuel stove, bbq hot plate which covers 2 burners leaving 1 burner free for pots tos team/boil vegs or make coffee, coleman stove for burner for baking and roasting.

Varies size pots which fit inside one another wok

2 Cutting boards, sharp knifes assorted kitchen gadets

Plates Bowls cups knifes forrks etc ina ccordance with number of people in trip

Buy fresh veg and fruit according to trip eg if travelling across state borders only buy when in new state and only for number of days in that state avoids the fruit fly quarantine regulations

I based my recommendations on the assumption of remote area/outback travel, and from experience living and working in & around Winton. The tinned stuff would go in a sugar bag, and behind or under a truck seat. The spuds, onions, pumpkin, turnips, could go in another bag and be slung under the truck's tray or the wagonette in the case of the droving plant.These are the sort of provisions that were found in our trucks and in my grandfather's droving plant. No stoves, only camp fires. No refrigeration. Maybe a kerosene light, and a couple of flashlights for moving around in the dark. A drover's cook who could make good damper and tasty meals with this equipment and provisions was a treasure. In a LR station wagon you could sling bags of the roof inside with a few hooks and holes.

i pre-cut and prepare my salads and store them in plastic containers.....or the wifes tupperware when shes not looking........
the size of each serve depends on how many people will be eating......

as long as there is no dressing on it.....these will last a week in the fridge.....the conatiner serves as a salad bowl....just add dressing on top......


with my meats....same thing.....into containers.....
if im gonna need beef strips...they are cut up at home and put into a container......

if im gonna cook some chicken nuggets/schnitzels....these are cut up and crumbed at home.....and placed into a container.....ready for the frypan....

another container will have the sausages.....one for the steaks....a small one for the mustard......bacon.....mince meat....rissoles.....you get the picture.....

of course i have some idea of what i will be cooking for each meal.....so i just have all the cutting and preparing done at home.....
in the kitchen with all the space and comfort i need.......and without the flies and bugs.....

basically....all i do at camp is mix and cook......and rinse a few containers.....

these are better in the fridge and dont break or puncture like the foam trays of meat with the gladwrap.....or leak......
i have no rubbish as all the packaging is taken care of at home.....and the empty containers are great for any leftovers........

also.....if you need to stop things from bouncing around in the fridge as it empties.....the containers can be put back in....
even though they are empty....just to take up some space.....and best of all.....they stack neatly.......