The picnic is one of the annual joys of warm-weather (and sometimes cool-weather) eating, and this guide to packing the best picnic ever will ensure you have a perfect time, wherever you are.
We love nothing better than to lift the lid of a cooler, flip open an old-fashioned hamper, and pop the lids of an abundant array of storage containers to lay out a feast.
Planning a picnic is more than just dragging outdoors the food you’d already be cooking. Throwing a great picnic is the result of a few factors: the setting, the weather (obviously), and the ease of serving and assembly (grilling marinated chicken skewers or portobello mushroom caps on coals is one thing; assembling and cooking panini on site, in a cast iron skillet precariously perched on cinderblocks over a fire, is another).
Still, we’re living in an era of peak picnic. Whereas in the 1970s and ‘80s opening a pack of Ballpark hot dogs and untwisting some supermarket buns would’ve passed for a fine outdoor meal, we’ve gotten more sophisticated, both in our creativity with food and our eye for serving pieces (big thanks to Pinterest for upping our collective game when it comes to the latter).
10 Practical Tips for Perfect Picnics
1. Go Enamel
Enamel plates are light, easy to pack and carry, and practical—you can load them up with baked beans and salad, let it sit for 20 minutes, and they won’t sog out and collapse. They also look and feel cooler than plastic, and are way better for the environment than disposable dishes. See some of our favorite handy-dandy eco-friendly picnic gear here.
2. Bring Something to Do
Even scintillating conversation can lag after a while. Plan for boredom by bringing activities: board games, sand castle construction gear, books, and coloring books, adult or otherwise. These are easy to pack in and out, and easy to make an afternoon of delicious food even tastier.
3. Take Food You Can Pick Up Easily
Stuff with built-in handles, like chicken drumsticks, fruit on skewers, and corn on cobs, is all inherently picnic friendly. As much as you can minimize forks, spoons, and knives, you want to.
4. Have a Bug Plan
Flying critters and creepy crawlies will assail even the most urban picnic. Plan for this. Have a strategy. That could mean packing and/or serving food and drinks in containers with lids (Mason jars, for instance), packing mesh covers, and toting plastic wrap. Shower caps can even come in handy for both covering bowls and keeping them chilled.
5. Don’t Skimp on Salads
We all like something seared and crispy off the grill, but the spirit of most picnics is sylvan, meaning that salads are always appropriate. Make and pack as many as you think you’ll eat: green and grain salads for sure, but don’t forget fruit salad, chopped salads, corn salads, or potato salad either. A whole spread of salads is fresh, colorful, light, and versatile. Bring any dressings in small jars and add them when you get there.
6. Travel Light
Sure, folding tables and camp chairs and hassocks and tents and dishes look cool in the movies, but those were scenes of millionaires or Roman generals, with an army of servants to carry and set up. Keep your picnic swag as concisely edited as possible. When you find the perfect spot, all you’ll need is a blanket and your portable feast.
7. Shell Out for a Good Cooler
A Styro cooler might be a good option when you’re in college, but come on: Nobody wants to tote a fragile, unwieldy container of plastic foam filled with ice and beverage bottles onto a beach. Pay a little extra for a great cooler—you’ll use it year after year. In other words, it’s an investment that delivers dividends.
8. Pack More Wet Naps and Garbage Bags Than You Think You’ll Need
They’re effortless to haul home, and when you need them…you need them.
9. Bring Blanket Weights and Other Wind Deterrents
Few things are as annoying as setting up the perfect al fresco spread, only to find the weather conspiring to scatter stuff. Have weights and tethers in mind: nearby rocks you can weight blankets with, stakes, simple napkin holders. Mother Nature can be cruel.
10. Don’t Even Think of Packing Anything Messy
You’re in the woods. Or on a picnic table in a city park. Even if you can run to a public restroom to wash your 8-year-old’s face of BBQ sauce or cake frosting, you’re not going to want to have to play scrub-down. Think of un-messy picnic foods: sandwiches, frittatas, oven-fried chicken. (Still, refer to #8 and pack plenty of napkins.)
Source: Greatist
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