The number one piece of cooking equipment to take to a camp site (according to me) is not a camp stove, or a hotplate or a kettle, although all of those items will help to make your trip a delicious one.
If you are headed somewhere that has access to a camp kitchen with an electricity supply, then don't forget to pack this key essential item that will handle a multitude of meals quickly and with minimal fuss.
A sandwich press.
“But I want to eat more than cheese toasties every day?!” I hear you cry as you wave a loaf of bread at me; and I do too. This is where the sandwich press becomes a blank canvass to let your imagination run wild.
Comprising two hotplates that heat evenly, the humble sandwich press can be used for far more than a toasted ham, cheese and tomato panini.
Most items that come in frozen boxes are already pre-cooked, and can easily be blasted in a microwave. This generally adds a high degree of sogginess to your dish, which is where the beloved sandwich press comes to the fore.
If you buy a box of golden delights in the form of fish fingers, chicken tenderloins, or some other breaded patty, give them a good zap in the microwave until they’re piping hot all the way through.
Then add the magic of the sandwich press.
You can line your sandwich press with baking paper, or you also don’t have to with the Teflon surface most presses possess. By finishing off your crispy food parcels in a sandwich press you get that take-away touch that will make all the kids come running from other campervans.
Potato gems work a treat in a sandwich press, as do chicken nuggets. I should know- I press often.
You can even get the workings of a bacon and egg muffin happening on the plates of your press. Pro tip: bring egg rings with you to stop them spreading all over the hot plate.
Other dinner options include cooking steak, and chargrilling veggies for a healthy dinner that bypasses the line-up for the communal BBQ.
For anyone that has ordered takeaway pizza, the sandwich press is great for re-introducing that crispy base that day-old-pizza sorely lacks. A genius tip for pizza re-heating is to layer one slice topping-down on top of another slice, and press between your lid and base. Not only does this speed up your cooking time, it reduces the amount of pineapple that can get stuck to the top grill.
In order to make the most of your sandwich press, it's best to take one with a big cooking surface and with a floating lid to ensure your three-course-pressed-dinners are heated evenly. And also to make sure your Chiko Roll fits.
Step aside cheese toasties, we’ve got some serious cooking to do.