Whether you are a beginner or expert caravanner, everyone seems to have a particular way of preparing food for the trip. Some like to go minimal preparation and enjoy the foods available from the local area while others cook for months so they have a range of foods to defrost and heat up. We’ve collated some useful tips for meal preparation when hitting the road.
- For those that are taking meals and food with them, a meal plan is essential to ensure you have enough food for the trip. Work out how many main meals you need for the trip and work around that. You need to account for at least one main meal a day whether it is a big lunch or dinner and then plan a light meal for the other meal to save on budget and food consumption. As we all know, lazy, relaxing holidays may revolve around afternoon nibblies so you need to add this into the meal plan.
- All meals don’t need to be a la carte. A jaffle iron or toasted sandwich maker can create some great meals and can be used for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Egg and bacon waffle for breakfast, bolognaise waffle for main and hot apple pie waffles for dessert. So many options using the fillings you have on hand. Need some inspiration…check out these fabulous recipes.
- For the planner, creating meals prior to leaving and freezing them is perfect on the go when you get to your destination late and just need to heat up something quick before bed. You’ll need a good freezer to accommodate the number of meals you have prepared for the trip. You can pick up a Brass Monkey fridge/freezer from 22L-75L in our spare parts and accessories shop.
- Cryovacing food is very popular in the caravanning community. This not only preserves the food for longer but also allows you to portion your meals and saves on space when packing. Big Tupperware containers are bulky and take up a lot of room in your fridge and freezer. Some meals can be cooked, stored and then heated in the cryovac bag which saves on time and cooking appliances.
- Summer is the perfect time for easy meals. Salads are easy to prepare and store and they can be as basic or as elaborate as you make them. Vegetables are always on hand and depending on where you are travelling, you may be lucky and be able to pick up fresh produce from vendors selling from market stalls on the side of the road.
- With so many cooking appliances available for cooking outdoors, the world is your oyster when planning what you will be eating on your road trip. But nothing is as quick and easy as the great Aussie BBQ. From snags to spit roasts, the possibilities are endless if you are cooking on a portable BBQ or over an open fire.
- For families with small kids, make sure you have enough snacks for the journey. Healthy snacks can be a great distraction particularly if your destination is a few hours away. It limits the number of breaks having to stop for food and also saves money on your holiday. Small containers with fruit, biscuits and popcorn are great to pull out on your journey.
- When preparing your van with food for your journey, the one thing we usually tend to forget about is seasonings. Make sure your pantry is packed with salt, pepper, dry herbs and anything you can add to a meal to make it especially tasty. Dry goods are the perfect accompaniment to any pantry as they are easy to store and have an extended shelf life.
- For more caravan cooking and meal preparation tips, check out Jayco Australia’s ambassador Dan Hawkins’ video with his suggestions on meal planning when hitting the road.