Upgrade Your Campsite Meals With A Simple Preparation Tip

One of the great joys of any camping trip is time spent around the fire. The process of building, tending, and eventually cooking over the flames is a rewarding experience. However, with the logistics of planning your camping trip, it's all too easy to default to simply grilling burgers and calling it a day. While there are plenty of excellent camping meals you can premake to bail you out when pressed for time, the world of campfire cooking truly expands when you choose to make slightly more elaborate meals. One way to elevate your food is by using marinades to deepen flavor and unlock several nutritional benefits.

For those unfamiliar, marination is simply the process of letting food — meat or vegetables — rest in a combination of liquid and herbs. Marinating food, a technique used for thousands of years, enhances flavor and complexity. This process is especially beneficial when camping, as it continues to improve with time and can be applied to a wide range of ingredients.

The beauty of marinades is how easily they integrate into your existing camping prep. If you're bringing meat on an overnight trip, packing it in a cooler or mason jar is an easy way to keep it fresh. But by simply mixing rosemary, garlic, and oil, you can also enhance and deepen the flavor as it travels with you. Alternatively, marinate your protein, then wrap it in heavy-duty tin foil to form a cooking packet. This creates an impromptu oven when placed on the coals, leading to minimal cleanup.

Marinades also provide physical benefits to the food itself. A 2008 study found that acidic marinades, in particular, can reduce grilling-related carcinogens by up to 90%. This is especially important when cooking over an open flame, which exposes meat to higher temperatures and greater risks of carcinogen formation. Marinades also tenderize proteins, making for a more enjoyable bite.

They're great for fishing trips, too — just fillet your catch and marinate it overnight for a fantastic meal the next day. Bringing along simple pantry staples like brown mustard, maple syrup, and a bit of chili heat can elevate a humble fish fry to something memorable. Vegetarians can take full advantage of marinades as well, since many vegetables respond beautifully to the same techniques used for meat. With the right prep, vegetables can easily become the star of a cozy campfire meal.