Many people shy away from prepping healthy foods outdoors out of fear of it being difficult, but it’s easier than you think! In fact, many outdoor cooking options are extremely easy, healthy, and versatile.
Read on to learn about easy outdoor food prep options.
1. Grills
One of the most popular healthy outdoor cooking options is the grill. Grills are great because they are extremely versatile, inexpensive, and create beautiful flavors on your food. Depending on your preferences, you can get a gas, charcoal, or electric grill, but most people prefer gas.
How you prep your food using a grill is very easy. First, make sure that all food is safe and clean to eat. For vegetables, make sure to wash them first. Then, cover your food in any desired marinades, sauces, or wrappings. Finally, place the food on the grill and cook away.
Meat and vegetables are the best food types for grilling. The grill will cook them thoroughly while giving a beautifully smokey and charred flavor. This charred flavor will eliminate the need for using excessive amounts of sugary sauces, butters, or oils, which will make the food more healthy.
When cooking meat, make sure that it is cooked all the way. Cooking the meat thoroughly kills the harmful and unhealthy bacteria inside the meat. You can learn about how to make sure your meat is thoroughly cooked here.
2. Campfires
Campfires are also a great option for healthy cooking. A campfire will allow you to cook or roast food over an open flame, simple stove top, or Dutch Oven, making this option extremely versatile.
The most obvious way to use a campfire is to roast food over the open flame. Meats and vegetables are the most ideal for this cooking method. All you will need is the fire and some stick for roasting. Roasting over a campfire is extremely healthy because it will eliminate the need for oils or butters.
If you would like, you could place a metal tray over the fire top. This tray will allow you to grill or cook via an open stovetop. Similarly, you can place a Dutch Oven over the campfire. A Dutch Oven will be helpful because it will allow you to cook an assortment of foods ranging from hearty meats to savory soups.
To make campfires even more versatile, you can start a campfire from a few different fire sources. Wood, coals, or charcoal are the three most popular heating sources for campfires.
Regardless of which heating source you use, you will need to build a safe and manageable fire. If your campfire is too small, it will be difficult to cook food to a healthy degree. If the fire is too big, though, it could be a danger to you and your surroundings. Make sure to practice safe fire habits when using a campfire.
3. Solar Ovens
Another great healthy outdoor food prepping option is a solar oven. Solar ovens use reflective panels to utilize the sun’s energy and create enough energy for baking, roasting, dehydrating, and heating food.
You can cook vegetables, breads, and just about anything else using your solar oven. Similar to the other methods, you need to make sure that all food is safe for consumption before cooking and eating. So, wash any fruits and vegetables and make sure that the meat is cooked thoroughly.
The best part of this cooking option is that it can cook a lot more food types than the other methods. With the other options, you could only roast, heat, or boil food. This option, however, will give you the option to bake and dehydrate food so you can make your own chips.
Not only does this option allow you to cook healthy foods, but it is also great for the environment. Since it uses solar power, it is better in terms of energy efficiency and carbon emissions.
Conclusion
Prepping healthy food outdoors can be extremely easy and fun. We cited grills, campfires, and solar ovens as the best food prep options for outdoor cooking. These three options will allow you to cook healthy meals with ease in the beautiful outdoors.
