Car food (no cook, no fridge)

[mert6706]

More later if you're interested.

More please, refrigerated and non-refrigerated foods, preferably cheap!

 

[user 2252]

can of pork and beans with the top cracked open a little bit to vent and sitting on the engine manifold as you drive to your next destination.

 

[Moxadox]

Digestion....yikes! I have both Crohn's Disease and gluten intolerance, with a side of hypoglycemia, so food has become a problem. Before I got it figured out I was living on those little packets of Thai rice noodle soups. So easy! Just boil up some water in the ol' JetBoil https://www.jetboil.com/, throw in the noodles, add an egg for protein and some spinach for veggie, and voila, food! But the rice kept crashing my blood sugar. So I tried keto and, voila! Better. Much. So I paid the $60 for a Costco card and now I live on eggs, cheese, and avocados, plus blueberries. OK, you don't have room for a cooler...So maybe you can buy your fruit at the local whatever, but cheese, avocados and fruit will get you a long way in the car "kitchen."

I now have keto hacks for almost everything, but I would kill for a plate of real toast from the bread I used to make.....dripping with butter and the blueberry jam I used to make....

The Dire Wolfess

 

[wasanah2]

I was just watching a youtube yesterday about 21 shelf stable items that last indefinitely.  I was surprised at some of them.  Here's the URL: 

Today I was in Dollar Tree and picked up a small can (smaller than the usual can) of sweetened condensed milk.  It can be used in a lot of things like in your coffee or oatmeal or any time you need a smooth sweetener.  You'd need to cook, I guess, but just water.   I had a relative that used it in sweet tea and also with a few drops of maple flavoring, used it as a thick syrup for pancakes.  When I saw the regular cans, I thought, no way would I use enough of it before it would go bad after opening, but this can (made by Nestle) is only 7 oz. and you could use that up in a few days, before it would go bad, and it's a dollar.   The sugar content would extend the life of it after opening.

I don't know if anyone mentioned it, but FRESH MRE's often have their own heater.

 

[Dingfelder]

FWIW, rice noodles don't have to be boiled. Hot water will do to soften them up for a stir fry, and they can even be softened in cold water for use as a base in a cold salad with sliced or grated raw veggies, sprouts, onion, anything pickled, and Asian flavors like cilantro, ginger, lime juice, or rice vinegar, add any meat hold or cold if you feel like it. Add a shock of fresh fruit like pineapple or mango, if you get the urge. Other kinds of dressings or flavorings would work too, if you like, or don't care for the Asian theme.

 

[wasanah2]

And from the same woman that gave us the 21 shelf stable items, she has made me want to try Kipper Herring snacks. 

She makes this food sound so delish.  She's a prepper and preppers might be able to give you more ideas.  Seriously, after seeing that video, I'm going to go out and get me some Kippered Herring tins and try it.  I've never even considered tin fish other than the occasional tunafish and when I was small, my grandmother made salmon patties out of canned salmon.  I loved that.  She put a cream sauce over it too.  I wonder how she made the sauce.  Anyway I liked that as a little kid.  Haven't had salmon patties since she made them.

At any rate, you don't have to cook that tinned fish.  Just eat it right out of the can.

 

[Dingfelder]

I love kippers.  Been eating them since I was a kid.  They have a ton of flavor.  On sandwiches, I think they go especially well with mustard and raw onion. A slice or two of tomato if you want to lessen the intensity and maybe make it a bit less dry, and the crunch of some sprouts or lettuce goes well too.

The Brits have been eating them forever with their morning eggs instead of bacon.  When i first heard that, I thought it was the weirdest thing ever and a completely disgusting idea.  Then I tried it, heating the fish up, and thought it was great!  Actually now I like that better than bacon and eggs.

Two things:

1.  It's often sold at maybe a third or more than you can find it elsewhere.  I used to get it regularly for a buck a can at the Rite Aid dollar foods section couple of years ago, and now I often see it around the $1.80 or $2/can mark in supermarkets.  If I look around, though, I can often still find it at around $1.20 a can at Grocery Outlet and the like.  All kinds of places have it and the price is all over the place.

2.  Try to find it packed in a decent oil. It is often packed in cottonseed oil.  Because cotton is not for human consumption, farmers can put any and every kind of chemical on it, and they do.  I think it's worth a premium not to have it in that kind of oil.

 

[ClassyGlobal]

This could be a good option if you are a cereal eater like I am

I've moved from regular milk and order shelf stable Almond Breeze Unsweetened Original Almondmilk. I am currently deployed and they only have soy as an alternative here (not a soy drinker). So I get 10 cartons of 32oz per for less than 30 bucks. I don't know if there are 16oz shelf stable cartons. But I normally use one carton within 5 days. The label says AFTER OPENING KEEP REFRIGERATED AND CONSUME WITHIN 7-10 DAYS. The USE BY date is MAY 2019...

 

[wasanah2]

This thread has gotten me to want to try a new experiment.  Next adventure out, I want to try a no fridge, no cooler trip.  It seems that if you can get rid of the refrigeration issue, it may extend time at camp without having to go into town.  I wouldn't go without cooking facilities in my car though.  But I would be persuaded to go without refrigeration.

It seems to me that smaller portion cans and jars are a big plus, and they are everywhere!  Also for veggies that need to be somewhat cool in the FL summer, I'll maybe put together what they call these days, a smallish zeer pot.  I'd really like to make a Coolgardie safe, but it would have to be a lot smaller than any design I've seen.

What a great exercise to do this.  Even if you have a fridge or cooler, someday you might be in a situation without one someday.  It might be nice to know how you'd fare.  (What an awesome pun.)

 

[wasanah2]

I love kippers. 

Two things:

1.  It's often sold at maybe a third or more than you can find it elsewhere.  I used to get it regularly for a buck a can at the Rite Aid dollar foods section couple of years ago, and now I often see it around the $1.80 or $2/can mark in supermarkets.  If I look around, though, I can often still find it at around $1.20 a can at Grocery Outlet and the like.  All kinds of places have it and the price is all over the place.

2.  Try to find it packed in a decent oil. It is often packed in cottonseed oil.  Because cotton is not for human consumption, farmers can put any and every kind of chemical on it, and they do.  I think it's worth a premium not to have it in that kind of oil.

My local Publix had a lot of sardines and they had the canned salmon in oil in a flat tin like she mentioned in the video, BUT there was only one type of kippered Herring Fillets.   AND it cost me 3.47 for 3.53 oz.  I suppose I should go to Walmart or some place like that and get them cheaper, but I hate Walmart and I was at Publix, and I was only buying one can to see how it would taste.  So it's too soon after lunch to try it now, but I will try it tonight.

I'm happy to be introduced to tinned fish.  The only kind I've had was tuna and salmon in the big can.  So this will be an experience for me.  I LOVE fish, especially the sort I catch myself, super fresh.  I'd eat it every day if I were so lucky, so I'm guessing I will like this.  I have no idea why I've never tried it.  Seriously.  I stop and buy tuna and then go on and ignore all the stuff in that section.  Maybe it's like Dingy said and it's an English dish and I'm not English.

They had clams and oysters and anchovies along with the sardines.  I didn't see anything in cotton oil.  It was mainly olive oil.   It was a world of seafood, but only one kippered Herring type.  I was hoping to try some of the spicy ones.  Oh well, next time.

This fish has no added oil in the ingredient list.  Here's what it says:  Herring fillets, water, salt, natural smoke flavoring and Sodium Hexametaphosphate. I hope that's not a suspect chemical.  Anyway it's made by Brunswick, which is a division of Bumblebee Seafood and it's a product of Canada.  Dang, we can't even catch and can our own fish any more.  That's sad.  The other cool thing about this kippered herring is the use by date.  It's Sept 2020.  That's really far out.  This would be an ideal stock up item if you can get it a lot cheaper than I did.  I'm sure I overpaid, but that's Publix for you.

On the back, they also had a serving suggestion that says:  Delicious on crackers, bread, toast, sandwich wraps or straight from the can.  Add to your next dip or spread or to your favorite fishcake recipe.  Mmmmm, fishcakes.  That sounds awesome.  Well, I'll try it out of the can first.  But I love taking leftover fresh cooked fish and making fishcakes out of it the next day.   I want to try it heated up with eggs too if I like this stuff out of the can.   Mustard and raw onion in a sandwich sounds good too.  I have a feeling I'm going to love these kippered herring.

 

[wasanah2]

Walmart is like next door so I ran over there to see if they had the kipper snacks and indeed they did.  I saw the same can I spent 3.57 for at Publix for, get this, 1.57.  I'm a little unnerved by the gouging so I'm taking the Publix one back and will use the one I just got from Walmart.  I also got 2 made by Polar.  One is in water like the original one I re-purchased at Wally and the other is in rapeseed oil.  WHAT is that?  I've never heard of rapeseed oil. 

So it is a product of GERMANY.  I don't know why we don't have commercial fish any more.   One of the cans was 1.58 and the bigger one was 2.22.  VERY reasonable.  That one I got at Publix is going back.  It's gouging when you add 2 dollars BEYOND what others retail for. 

Anyway, I will try them, but before I eat the one with rapeseed oil, I want to make sure it's not cottonseed.  I googled it and I'm confused about what it is at all.   I've never heard of it before.  The ones in water, I'll try first.   Hey, when I was looking at the Polar info on the back of the can, it is Kosher and the rabbi who blessed the cans has the last name of Ehrenberg.  I think it's a sign that this might be great RV living food.

 

[wasanah2]

OK, this kipper herring is AWESOME.  I felt like I was having something super gourmet.  I dug in there and picked up pieces and then went to a toasted bun with cream cheese and onion on it.  I've had bagels with lox and liked it, and this kind of reminded me of it, so I broke out the cream cheese.  This was a tasty treat.  My daughter, who doesn't like anything, was like, what do you have there?  I told her it was smoked fish, did she want some.  She ate it and loved it.  She is so picky too.

One down side of it though was that because I was digging around with my fingers, I can't wash a fishy smell off of them.  I tried, and it's like in my skin.  Also the fish didn't smell fishy, but my hands do.  Not sure why.  Note to self, I shouldn't touch the juice with my hands.

Anyway, I think this could be a nice car food--no cook and no fridge.  No fridge because there won't be leftovers, it's so good.  I can't believe that something this good isn't expensive.  I'm definitely going to try it with eggs too.  Oh and I thought the sodium would be really high and it wasn't.  So this is a really good food and I'll be eating this regularly, and it'll be going out with me on my next travel.  Glad I came across this thread.

 

[Dingfelder]

Glad you found something you enjoy!

That can and lid will stink up the place, so I wash all the oil etc out of/off of it before I sit down to eat, and don't throw the can in the regular indoors garbage; outside it goes, immediately.

I peel open the lid partway, turn the can upside down with the open part dangling, and then run my fingers up and down the outside of the lid to squish the oil out as much as I can. I try to handle the fish with a small fork, but there's usually a little tidbit or two I need fingers for. I just try to handle with care cuz yeah -- it's an odor! Sure tastes good though.

Saw them at the Big Lots store just today for $1.50/can.

 

[user 15857]

I believe the more socially acceptable name for Rapeseed oil is: Canola Oil.

 

[Dingfelder]

Rapeseed is a member of the cabbage family. It is very low in saturated fat, which is good.

 

[Dingfelder]

I believe the more socially acceptable name for Rapeseed oil is: Canola Oil.

Canola is from Canada plus Oil, bred there by natural hybridization from rapeseed forebears to eliminate an acid in rapeseed that can be toxic if taken in very high doses.  It's a man-made hybrid (not GMO).

They originally called it Murder Oil, but it wasn't selling.

 

[wasanah2]

Glad you found something you enjoy!

That can and lid will stink up the place, so I wash all the oil etc out of/off of it before I sit down to eat, and don't throw the can in the regular indoors garbage; outside it goes, immediately.

I peel open the lid partway, turn the can upside down with the open part dangling, and then run my fingers up and down the outside of the lid to squish the oil out as much as I can.  I try to handle the fish with a small fork, but there's usually a little tidbit or two I need fingers for.  I just try to handle with care cuz yeah -- it's an odor!  Sure tastes good though.

Thanks for the tip.  After I opened and started eating, I was like, what do I do with this mess.  I got the oil all over everything.  So I had a used gallon sized slider bag I hadn't washed out yet, and so I put the remainder fish on a plate and then put the whole contents into the bag and slid the thing closed.  Of course I wasn't all that careful and spilled some, but it worked better to work with the fish off the plate instead of digging it out of the can as I used it.  So odd because the fish itself didn't smell that fishy, just the oil it was swimming in.

I'm still in shock that my daughter liked it.  Seriously, she won't eat much.  Pickiest eater on the face of this earth, and she loved kippered herring.

When you make them with eggs, how do you heat them?  Do you cook them with the eggs or by themselves before you cook the eggs?

 

[Dingfelder]

Two pans going at the same time would be ideal, unless you have a pretty big pan and can keep the fish oil out of the eggs. Fishy eggs isn't as good as fish plus eggs.

If using a single smaller pan, the fish isn't as time-sensitive as nicely done eggs are, so I would warm the fish through first, wiping out the pan before putting the eggs in, and keep the fish warm maybe with a tinfoil cover or an overturned bowl or cup on your plate until the eggs are done.

By the way, I always treat the fishy oil as if it will attract animals, even if it's just a friendly dog or cat who might cut its tongue on the sharp lid and can, so I never leave fish-smelling trash outside for long.

We've had bears tip over trash cans here and the mess is amazing. Plus I don't want wild predators encouraged to come anywhere near our dogs or our house or my trailer.

 

[Moxadox]

This thread has gotten me to want to try a new experiment.  Next adventure out, I want to try a no fridge, no cooler trip.  It seems that if you can get rid of the refrigeration issue, it may extend time at camp without having to go into town.  I wouldn't go without cooking facilities in my car though.  But I would be persuaded to go without refrigeration.

It seems to me that smaller portion cans and jars are a big plus, and they are everywhere!  Also for veggies that need to be somewhat cool in the FL summer, I'll maybe put together what they call these days, a smallish zeer pot.  I'd really like to make a Coolgardie safe, but it would have to be a lot smaller than any design I've seen.

What a great exercise to do this.  Even if you have a fridge or cooler, someday you might be in a situation without one someday.  It might be nice to know how you'd fare.  (What an awesome pun.)

LOL [emoji57]

So, what did people do before refrigeration? House dwellers had spring boxes and root cellars. They buried stuff. What did native people do? They dried stuff, used a lot of preserving methods that don't require coolth. Juniper berries are an excellent preservative. Sage, too. The essential oils are antibacterial.

BTW, the English kippered herring is salted and sort of dried. It's quite different from the stuff in cans.

Some of my favorite places like northern Michigan (whitefish and cherries) and Washington State (salmon and cherries) are rich with smoked fish and dried fruit that can be carried without refrigeration. Last time I was in the U.P. I think I started to look like a whitefish, I ate so many of them!

I've camped and lived outdoors all my life, and never even owned a cooler until I married a guy who had one. We're divorced now, and I admit to owning the smallest size Yeti, but I often don't bother with it. Try eating really local, buying small quantities.

The Dire Wolfess

 

[Moxadox]

OK, this kipper herring is AWESOME.  I felt like I was having something super gourmet.  I dug in there and picked up pieces and then went to a toasted bun with cream cheese and onion on it.  I've had bagels with lox and liked it, and this kind of reminded me of it, so I broke out the cream cheese.  This was a tasty treat.  My daughter, who doesn't like anything, was like, what do you have there?  I told her it was smoked fish, did she want some.  She ate it and loved it.  She is so picky too.

One down side of it though was that because I was digging around with my fingers, I can't wash a fishy smell off of them.  I tried, and it's like in my skin.  Also the fish didn't smell fishy, but my hands do.  Not sure why.  Note to self, I shouldn't touch the juice with my hands.

Anyway, I think this could be a nice car food--no cook and no fridge.  No fridge because there won't be leftovers, it's so good.  I can't believe that something this good isn't expensive.  I'm definitely going to try it with eggs too.  Oh and I thought the sodium would be really high and it wasn't.  So this is a really good food and I'll be eating this regularly, and it'll be going out with me on my next travel.  Glad I came across this thread.

Herring is an oily fish! Very healthful and yum, but forks are recommended [emoji8]

To get the fish smell out of your skin, make a paste with baking soda and water and play in it.

The Dire Wolfess