Cooking With Aluminum Foil

When we are enjoying the great outdoors and making the most of our camping trips, the true nature of "roughing it" often makes it necessary to improvise when it comes to preparing our food. Even though most RVs come with sophisticated ovens and cook-tops, sometimes it is just more fun to rely on simple methods to cook our dinners when we camp. I have already featured a number of Campfire Cooking articles that utilize aluminum foil in the cooking process and I plan to share more in the future.  So today, I thought I would explain what type of aluminum foil you should use when cooking in your campfire, talk about the benefits of cooking with foil and last but not least, share some healthy recipes that you can enjoy.

It is proven that foods cooked in aluminum foil are actually easier to digest than those cooked in conventional ovens.  These foods are often healthier for our bodies since cooking in foil helps to retain more vitamins and minerals.  As for what type of foil to use, most savvy cooks know that foil comes in all purpose and heavy duty versions and you can purchase both types of foil at any supermarket.  When cooking with aluminum foil, if you are using heavy duty foil, you really only need single thickness, but if you are using all purpose foil I would recommend using a double thickness. When cooking in your campfire, heavy duty aluminum foil is best - you'll waste less, it will be easier to use and it will hold up better in your campfire. That's all there really is to the benefits of cooking with foil as well as what type to use, so how about we move on to the recipes?

Cooking vegetables in foil:

Corn on the Cob:

• First make sure to remove the husk and any hair from the ear of corn.

• Brush with butter or margarine and add salt and pepper to taste.

• Wrap each ear of corn in a separate sheet of foil.  I recommend using heavy duty foil, lightly greased.

• Place in the coals of your campfire for about 30 minutes and be sure to turn occasionally.

Carrots:

• Slice three carrots and place in the middle of a sheet of lightly greased heavy duty foil

• Add butter or margarine and salt and pepper to taste.

• Wrap and place on coals for about 15 minutes and check occasionally to make sure carrots become nice and tender.

Baked Potato:

• Clean the potato, remove any eyes or bruises and pierce with fork in a few spots.

• Wrap the potato in lightly greased foil and place on coals for about 45 minutes or until soft and mealy.

• Be sure to add your favorite baked potato toppings: sour cream, bacon bits, cheese, salsa, etc.

Tomato:

• Wash, halve your tomato and place on a sheet of foil.

• Add butter or margarine, salt and pepper to taste and if you wish, some shredded mozzarella cheese is a nice addition.

• Wrap in foil and place on coals for about 20 minutes.

• When the tomato is done, if you wish, sprinkle a little more cheese on each half.

I hope you enjoy your healthy vegetables!  I had fun sharing with all of you happy campers a little of what I have been reading about on cooking with foil over the fire - please share some of your favorite aluminum foil recipes below.  Until next time, this is SJ from Lakeshore RV wishing you Good Eating and Happy Camping.