Tap to Read ➤

Cold Food Ideas

Puja Lalwani
Thinking of cold food ideas are necessary for occasions where you need to prepare food in advance, so that you can spend more time with your guests, by reducing your cooking effort. Here are the different cold foods that can be served at parties, or carried to camp or picnics.
Preparing tasty and healthy cold food can help you to throw a party and actually be involved in it, instead of sitting and preparing the food at the last minute, so that it is served hot.
You can also use cold food ideas for camping or picnics, as it is easier to prepare in advance and carry to the picnic spot. Whatever the reason, there is a whole variety of simple, easy, and delicious cold foods that you can prepare.

Cold Food for Picnics and Parties

Given here are some of the many cold foods that you can prepare and carry for a picnic, to camp, or to serve at a party. This is not an extensive list and there are a many more ideas that can be used for such events. However, the recipes mentioned here are simple and do not take much time to prepare.
✦ Raw vegetable sticks and pita with hummus are simple and easy cold appetizers for an outdoor party, or when you want to go on a picnic. This dish tastes better when eaten soon after preparation.
✦ Boiled egg sandwiches with pickles and mayonnaise are great for a picnic. Moreover, this filling can be had as a hearty and filling egg salad too. To have it as a sandwich, carry the bread separately and spread the mix on the bread only when you are ready to eat.
✦ Homemade salsa with tortilla chips or raw vegetable sticks are again a wonderful choice for a picnic snack.
✦ Potato, macaroni, or three bean salad, and coleslaw are all excellent recipes that can be prepared and enjoyed on a picnic.
✦ Tuna sandwiches, shredded chicken sandwiches with mayo and lettuce, or cream cheese, cucumber, tomato and lettuce sandwiches are the most convenient sandwiches for picnics.
✦ Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are tasty and easy choices for those of you with a sweet tooth.
✦ Cream cheese on banana bread makes for a deliciously appetizing cold food idea.
✦ Cut fruits served with a yogurt dip is a great dessert.
✦ Muffins, cakes, candy bars, granola bars, are fast and yummy snacks for your picnic.
✦ Cream cheese spread on smoked salmon, rolled and sliced up, can easily be carried on a picnic, or served cold.
✦ Cold soups such as Mexican bean soup or potato soup can be enjoyed at a picnic, or the canned versions can be carried to camp, for those of you looking for cold camp food ideas.
✦ Canned options such as sausages and tuna are great choices for camping trips.
✦ Button mushrooms stuffed with cheese and some chopped vegetables is an extremely tasty appetizer.
✦ A fruit salad is the perfect dessert for a party.
✦ Strawberries dipped in chocolate are another great idea.
✦ Cubes of different meats and cheese, combined with olives, pickles, and crackers, make for perfect cold appetizers for a crowd, that can be enjoyed on the go.

✦ Pickles or cheese cubes wrapped in salami, held together with toothpicks are wonderful cold finger foods.
✦ Cold grilled chicken, packed with barbecue or honey mustard sauce for added flavor makes for the perfect picnic lunch.

✦ Cherry tomatoes stuffed with cheese or bacon, mayonnaise, and parsley, glazed with a vinaigrette dressing make for great finger foods.
While some of the aforementioned options are good for camping, there is one important thing to keep in mind. Foods carried when going camping require to be long-lasting, as the duration differs from a picnic. As such, carrying as much packaged food as possible is better. If you wish to carry fresh food, then carry an ice cooler for storage.
With these simple ideas at hand, you too can be a part of all the fun and frolic, and enjoy your party or picnic to the fullest along with everyone else. Have a great time!