I was going through my bike gear and dreamed of camping and cooking food on the road. The question came to me about the top considerations for motorcycle cooking.
So here are my 6 best motorcycle camping food ideas for taste and clean up.
1. Pick Canned Food Or Dehydrated Food
First this topic can be dry, pun intended. I found this topic fascinating because it reflects how pioneers must have traveled as they moved across the United States as our country began.
Specifically, think about how they would have had to treat meat and fish by drying it in the sun. Perhaps they learned some of these techniques from the native Americans as they went along the way. It would interest me to learn more about how salt was used to dry food.
So what do I mean by canned food?
I’m talking about those items you buy at the grocery store. Baked beans seem to be a common item for bikers while camping. One of my favorite canned meals includes spaghettios.
We can purchase canned food at just about any grocery or convenience store. It’s those items that are really kind of grab-and-go. They require little prep other than opening the can.
Dehydrated food are those items that come in a pouch and usually require the addition of some water. Most commonly, when you think about hydrated food, people associate that which astronauts take into space.
Comparing Canned and Dehydrated Food.
The most obvious comparison between the two is the initial weight. Canned food will be much heavier than the dehydrated food.
Depending on how much food you take, dehydrated food can save lots of weight so you can pack your bike with other items and not exceed its gross weight limit.
The second item that we already hinted at is the food preparation. Assuming that you want warm food, putting the contents over some stove or heated source is a given.
Canned food does not require any prep other than placing it on the heat source. Now I’m sure some of you out there have a gourmet approach to canned food. I’m not here to get into the extravagant high biker life eating. We’re talking about a simplified approach to biker camping.
Dehydrated food requires you to add water. Usually, you put the contents of the package in the water and into a pot for eating and cooking.
Dehydrated food takes longer to prepare. At the end of a long day, this may not be an attractive item to take.
The other challenge with dehydrated food is finding a reliable source of clean water. If you’re camping in common places that are not remote, this shouldn’t be an issue.
For those individuals camping in remote places, you will need to take a salutation water bottle. Here are some examples from Amazon you may want to consider.
This is just one more thing to add to the bike. There’s a give and take on this additional item. First, it can serve a dual purpose, and it will give you something to hydrate your food. It’ll also give you clean water to take while riding to keep your body hydrated for the day.
This latter feature is something you need to consider anyway, whether you take canned food or dehydrated food.
Storing Canned And Dehydrated Food On Your Motorcycle.
One thing I am considering for the up coming riding season, it’s how will I store my food among my gear and clothes.
The third difference between the two food methods is the space they take up.
Dehydrated food takes up less space than canned food. However, you won’t use all of one type of food on your trip.
My thought is to consider my route and how long of a day I’ll have on the bike. I know whether I need the convenience of a canned meal or if I’ll have more energy to prepare the dehydrated meal.
I will also consider how these items fit together in my bags, so it makes the motorcycle Tetris easier to play for all of my gear.
Price Considerations.
You have been to the grocery store and you know that canned food is much cheaper than dehydrated food.
If you are a biker on a budget, different canned food will probably win the day over the dehydrated food.
Healthy Eating
Stop and consider the healthy eating aspect of canned food versus dehydrated food.
We know processed food contains lots of unhealthy items like high sodium or salt. Dehydrated food does not have this problem. However, it will be meal specific, so make sure you check the contents before you eat.
We also know that dehydrated foods has more protein. This is helpful on long trips.
Clean up
Cleanup is easier with tin cans. Wash it out and you can put it in the recycling bin.
With dehydrated food do you need to wash out the pot, and maybe the packaging. You also need to put the packaging into a trash can or recycling ben if appropriate.
The tin can, once cleaned, may be used for other purposes. As an example, turn it into a micro stove. You do not have this kind of flexibility unless you’re MacGyver for dehydrated packaging.
2. Selecting A Cooking Device
You need to take something along to cook your food. There are many options out there, so let’s look at a few of them.
FireBox Stove
The first option to consider the Firebox stove. Here is a small one found on Amazon. And if you’re looking for a larger selection, check these out on Amazon.
Your Firebox stoves can burn just about anything. So if you’re out camping in the bush and you don’t enjoy carrying twigs, lumber, and a host of other things, this might be a good option for you.
You need to be careful about creating a fire hazard for the environment. One downside to a firebox stoves is that they can be messy to clean up. Once your fuel is burnt there will be ash sent everywhere.
This can get all over your clothes or your gear, depending on how you pack it.
Campfire Grill
Next option for cooking and Grilling is a campfire Grill. You want to get a small one of these. A can be rather large and heavy.
Packing them on a bike is rather cumbersome too. One of the great things about these grills like the Firebox Grill but you don’t have to carry wood or other kinds of fuel. Just pick up twigs and start your campfire.
Like the Firebox Grill, you need to be careful about getting soot in the cleanup aspect of these types of cooking tops.
Another downfall to these grills is that not every camp spot will allow you to have a fire or a fire pit. So you have to strategically pick your camping spots if this is the unit you choose.
Small Camping Outdoor Stoves
The ast option to consider, and perhaps the most popular, the small camping outdoor stove. For the motorcyclist, a burner unit with small propane style bottles acting as the fuel is enough. In most cases, each bottle burns for 2 hours, give or take.
There are many kinds of units, check these out on Amazon. Most of them are economically priced but I question the quality of many of the units.
I have found the Amazon reviews have not been the most consistent when ordering products from small companies.
The nice thing I like about these small cooking units is that you can use them anywhere. Easy to clean up and there are many kinds as I just mentioned. So you’ll be able to try different styles without breaking the bank.
No Prep Eating
A favorite thing to do while riding is taking the no prep eating route. While not the most fancy name, it is effective by taking fruit and maybe some vegetables along the way.
This is great for snacks or breakfast first thing in the morning. I’m not a big breakfast eater, so this fits in with my natural habits.
Other things I have found in the no prep category include granola bars, the small package of peanut butter cheese crackers, and small bags of chips.
This option depends on how healthy you want to be. In all honesty, I’m hit or miss and when I pick up. Most of the time it’s a matter of convenience.
Is the fruit easily accessible? Otherwise you end up grabbing crap food like the chips and crackers. Perhaps with a little planning this summer I can lean more towards the healthy side and take along some carrots, cauliflower, strawberries, and grapes.
3. Pre-Package Your Meals
One of the best ways to keep clean up simple is to always be organized from the start.
The easiest way to do this on a motorcycle is by putting meals together in the bigger Ziploc bags before you even leave the driveway. specifically put you are breakfast in a baggie then put your lunch in another baggie and your dinner in a third baggie.
This can also help save you time as you go to unpack your motorcycle for the evening or for a little while. As you pack things up for the next jaunt on your ride, put your next meal in a convenient location, it’ll prevent you from having to unpack the entire motorcycle.
Being eco-friendly with your pre-packaged meals.
One thing my wife turned me into or is a new style baggy. They’re not the traditional one use items. They’re thicker, and they seal similar to a ziplock bag.
But they’re different in that you can wash them and use them many times.
Pro tip: make sure you do not put these in a dishwasher. They will end up wilted and not last as long because of the heat from the wash cycles.
Another best practice that you can do with pre-packaged meals is put them into one bag.
Let’s say that you were planning on making a ramen noodle stew with special seasoning. But putting it all in one bag all you have to do is open it up and dump it, and heat it up. While your top shelf Ramen is warming up you can perhaps put up the tent or relax.
The last advantage of preparing your meals bags days in advance is the grab-and-go technique. If you’re smart, you can have several meals planned at one time. When the last second ride develops, all you have to do is grab a breakfast lunch and dinner or however many meals you need throw them in your saddle bag and go.
There is no fumbling around or extra stops to grab food, you’ll already have it.
4. Consider Utensils you’ll need on your motorcycle camping trip
Have you ever been on a trip and realized that you forgot special items at home like your spoon, fork or knife?
Yeah, that sucks. Make sure you spend a bit of time and have the utensils packed along with your meals.
In the course of my reading and conversations with fellow bikers, some of them like to carry items like spatulas, bigger serving spoons in specialty bowls.
While I am not a fan of carrying unnecessary items, I can understand and appreciate the desire for having them on your trip. I am a fan of taking only what you need. But if you don’t have it, it’s just as bad as taking too much.
In my Harley cooler, I keep two spoons, two forks, and two knives at all times. On special trips you may even catch me with small plastic glasses. Other than that, I don’t have special spatulas or a large serving spoon. My cooking setup comprises one or two small bowls in a cooking device.
There is one small item that may be worth bringing and that is a specialty heat glove. Chances are you may already have riding gloves with you that can serve this purpose.
Pro tip: In the event you take a spatula, tongs, and maybe a large serving spoon, one neat little trick is putting all of those items inside the glove. This saves room and helps keep you organized while you travel.
5. Spices
As they say, variety is the spice of life. We don’t want to have boring meals regularly on our motorcycle trip. However, we must balance the little room that we have in our bags.
Limited space means that we should use multi use spices. One favourite of many of the riders I speak with is Mrs. Dash. Put It on many items to give you flavor.
I also recommend very simple packaging for your spaces. An old Tic Tac container serves well for many of the spices you might take. Some spices already come in a user-friendly bottle.
Make sure you avoid small glass bottles. If they will bust, you’ll end up with glass shards all over your bag. When this happens, it’s very easy to end up digging glass out of your stuff and yourself. There is a problem with gas glass being clear. It is hard to see when you have to dig it out with a needle or a knife. Don’t ask me how I know.
6. Home-Cooked Biker Meal Considerations
Sometimes we want home-cooked meals on our trips. This can seem rather difficult considering all the limitations I’ve outlined in this post. I must also note that I’m not a very good cook but can truly appreciate a nice meal. As proof you can see it in my round tummy.
I will not pretend to sit here and give you cooking advice. I think we should leave it to somebody who knows what they’re doing.
The best thing to do is yield to the recipes noted on dirty girl’s blog where she outlines several great recipes.
Make sure you get out there, pack everything diligently, and give yourself a rock and roll ride.