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Cooking Tips For Travelers
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Cooking Tips For Travelers
I've been mostly cooking for myself on this trip.
I keep my food in a small travel refrigerator that charges while I'm driving the car and runs off of a battery at night. I have a small inside grill for when I'm in a hotel and a small gas grill for campgrounds.
I've never been much of a cook and cooking while traveling has been a true adventure. I have learned some things the hard way and thought others might be able to benefit from my lessons.
Tips:
Some hotels will let you use a gas grill on the patio. Ask.
Close your hotel window if you grill. Smoke alarms are very sensitive.
The metal on the inside of grills gets very hot. Don't touch it!
Keep some kind of burn ointment handy.
Don't try to lift the food off of the grill with a plastic fork.
Perishable food stays good longer when you remember to put it back in the fridge/cooler.
Places that sell camping supplies also sell seasonings in compact and air tight containers. Kenyon Multi-Spice has 6 different spices in one small airtight container.
Hot bacon burns through Styrofoam plates and leaves a "bacon shaped" hole on the plate. You don't die if you eat the bacon anyway (at least not right away, apparently).
Some hotels give you a microwave and dishes that are not microwave safe. Read the back of the plate before microwaving. You could die if you eat broken glass.
I may have mentioned this before but bugs don't flavor food.
It really is OK to eat meals in courses while it is hot. You don't have to wait until everything is cooked.
Ziploc bags are a necessity.
Remember to put new water and soft drinks in the fridge when you finish the last ones.
You don't die if you drink water and soft drinks hot.
You remember to restock water and soft drinks if you keep them near the fridge/cooler.
Many people in Europe deliberately drink water and soft drinks hot.
Omelets don't have to be round.
Apples last a long time but will roll out of a fridge every time you open it. You don't die from eating bruised apples.
Grape tomatoes refuse to stay inside their container when you travel. They are very rebellious.
They make plastic egg cartons that protect eggs. They are in the camper section of stores.
Broken eggs are a mess.
Clean up broken eggs right away.
Sponges are important.
Gas cooks faster than electricity.
It is almost impossible not to burn bacon on a gas grill.
You don't die from eating burned bacon.
Most hotels will warm something up in their microwave for you. Ask.
Some hotels will let you put things in their refrigerator. Ask.
Some hotels get grumpy if you cook in the room. Shhhhhhhhhhhh
It is easier to ask forgiveness than permission.
If you store sealed food in the same plastic container where you store your laundry detergent, this sealed (and unopened) food will take on the taste of the detergent.
It is OK to throw away new and other wise perfectly good rice cakes that taste like detergent.
It is healthier to cook for yourself. You feel better while traveling.
It isn't a requirement to gain weight while traveling.
It is quicker to cook for one person than it is to go to a restaurant.
Food cooked on a grill tastes better.
If you warm milk in a pan, you should rinse it right away.
Uneven flames means you are about to run out of gas.
It isn't good when you smell rotten eggs coming from your gas canister.
Wal-Mart Super Centers have every thing you need for cooking while traveling.
If you are cooking with gas, saying a blessing before you light the grill instead of before you eat is probably a good idea.
My mother has always told me I could do anything if I put my mind to it. I actually prefer my cooking to restaurant food. There really are miracles.
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