Whipping up quick meals over a fire is one of the best experiences when you are camping outdoors. All you need is to ensure your food is nutritious enough to ensure you remain energetic the whole time you are out camping. To enjoy a healthy meal that is also simple to prepare, most campers rely on eggs.
The best way to keep eggs food when camping is by carrying them in a plastic carton or egg holder. Always check the expiration date on the box, and never carry pre-cracked eggs in bottles or camping cups.
Eggs are great for camping
Eggs are healthy foods that pack loads of nutrients, and the fact that they are easy to cook makes them the go-to food for campers. You can cook eggs by frying, scrambling, or boiling them, all of which literally take minutes to accomplish and require few ingredients.
Boiling an egg, for instance, only requires you to use water and optional salt seasoning when you are eating the boiled egg. To save time spent prepping meals when camping, you should always carry some eggs with you.
One problem that arises when you want to take a couple of eggs with you to an outdoor event is how you should transport them. This is because eggs are very fragile and can crack at the slightest collision with other camping gear that you may have in your backpack.
Another problem that comes with eggs is how to keep them fresh. The eggshell is porous and allows small amounts of air to seep through, how a chick receives oxygen before it comes into the world.
Moving the egg from the store to the camp raises the possibility of moisture finding its way inside the egg and spoiling it. This article has some tips that campers can use to keep eggs good for longer when they take a camping trip.
Keep eggs good by carrying them inside a plastic carton or egg holder
When transporting eggs over a long distance, such as when taking some eggs on your camping trip, the best way to avoid them from colliding and possibly cracking is to carry them inside an egg holder.
Egg holders are simple containers that have several ports that are shaped like eggs. Some boxes are open, while others come with a foldable top cover. Eggs holders can also be made of plastic or carton material.
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The egg holders with a cover are ideal for holding eggs when you are on the move. This is because the cover works to keep moisture from seeping through the thin eggshell. Egg holders come in various sizes that hold 6, 15, or 30 eggs. This means that you can buy just the right size for your camping needs and carry many eggs to share with your camping buddies.
Don’t crack eggs in advance.
Some campers have experimented with pre-cracking eggs before they take a camping trip. According to them, pre cracking the eggshells and putting the contents inside a jar saves them time and eliminates the possibility of the eggs colliding and cracking if they carried them whole.
We, however, advise against pre- cracking eggs because it exposes the interior content of the eggs and causes an imbalance in the normal pH level of the egg yolk and the egg white. The shell acts as a natural protective cover for the interior parts, and once it is cracked, the interior gets exposed to bacteria.
Exposing the interior of an egg to bacteria can accelerate the rate at which the egg goes bad. This limits the time that you can keep the eggs in storage. Transporting whole eggs, on the other hand, allows you to keep the eggs in storage for a longer time.
Carrying your eggs whole ensures that you can enjoy them in the morning after a night camp, on the second, on the third day, or any day after that.
When transporting whole eggs, however, you need to observe extra caution when walking or placing the bag that contains the egg holder to ensure that they do not collide and crack.
Upon reaching your camping location, you should inspect the surface of the egg for any damage. If any of them cracked by accident, consume them before the other eggs are in proper condition.
How Long Do Eggs Last Unrefrigerated
Eggs have a varied shelf life out of refrigeration, depending on where they originate from before landing in your kitchen. You can either get the eggs freshly laid from a farmhouse or buy the eggs from a store.
Freshly laid eggs have a longer life outside the fridge as compared to the eggs you buy from a store. This is because the eggs you get from the store have spent some time on the shelves after they were laid.
A freshly laid egg can remain in good condition for up to 4 weeks outside the fridge while the eggs bought from a store usually have an expiry date printed on the packaging container.
Besides eggs from a store having spent some time on the shelf, stores also clean the surface of the eggs, which removes a protective cover known as the cuticle.
This layer usually prevents bacteria from getting into the shell. Due to this, eggs from the store require refrigeration more than farmhouse eggs do. Freshly laid eggs, which have not been cleaned, still have the cuticle layer intact and are naturally protected from bacteria.
When taking eggs on a camping trip, many campers take a portable icebox with them. Storing the eggs inside helps to keep them good for longer. If you want to enjoy eggs on your camping trip and you lack an icebox, however, consider buying eggs straight from a farmhouse instead of going to buy them from the store.
The farmhouse eggs will last for longer in good condition, even without the icebox.
Are Dehydrated Eggs a good option
Eggs provide so much convenience to campers when preparing meals. Their fragility, however, has led campers to keep devising ways to carry them conveniently. Dehydrating eggs is one way that allows campers to carry eggs without risking cracking the eggshells.
Dehydration can be done right at home following simple procedures. Alternatively, you can opt to buy dehydrated eggs straight from the store.
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Dehydrated eggs are a good option because the method of preparing them is shorter than whole eggs. All you have to do is moisturize the eggs to the correct humidity and heat them for a few minutes. Stores that sell dehydrated eggs also pack them together with extra seasoning and spices, which improves the flavor when you consume the egg.
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How about liquid eggs
Liquid eggs are another option you can consider when you want to take eggs on a camping trip. The eggs are pre-cracked and placed inside an airtight container. All you have to do is open the box and pour out the contents on your fry pan.
Liquid eggs reduce cases of cracked eggs because the packaging container is sturdier than the natural eggshell on whole eggs. You also get to choose between carrying wholesome eggs, which have both the yolk and egg white, and white only eggs that do not have the yolk.
Note that liquid eggs should always be kept under controlled temperatures in a fridge and should be consumed soon after opening the container. Avoid them if you cannot store them in the recommended manner to avoid food poisoning.