What tools do you bring on a picnic?

marchdesign

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Hi all,

After learning much about knifes, seems like any knife would really do the trick.

I’m considering to bring a date out on a picnic, what are the tools to bring on the trip? Obviously I’m thinking to make something with avocado, and with various fruits.

I wish everyone a happy holidays and happy new year!

Hugo
 
Here's my basic picnic kit:
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The apple is there to show scale.


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The red sleeve is for wine, and I have a small thermos bottle in there right now. The little cold pack holds a pocket knife for cutting up fruit, and there's a little cutting board in there and the other knife is for that - mainly used for cheese.

There's also a bigger cutting board, and a vinyl tablecloth/ground cover, though were way beyond getting down on the ground to eat - picnic tables for us. :laugh:

We're big on picnics, and I'll add having actual proper plates and flatware really makes the whole experience much more enjoyable - no futzing with bendy paper plates and plastic cups.

Also, pack in a small trash bag, some paper towels, and I recommend getting a couple of washcloths wet, wringing them out, and packing them in a ziploc bag - great for a wet cleanup, and always a couple of bottles of water.

If I were writing a book of my life, there'd be a whole volume on picnics, with multiple chapters. :laugh:
 
Really depends on how much cooking/prep-work you want to do on said picnic and what the menu is.

Salad: If you prep ahead, you could make a salad and keep the ingredients separate so all you're doing is combining at that time into individual bowls or a large prep bowl. The only tools you would need then would be a pair of tongs and forks to eat with. Be aware that some fruits like apples/pears/avocados will go brown if you cut them up before hand (spritz them with lemon juice to minimize this color change).
Fruit salad is more forgiving and can be made in a batch and then just spooned into bowls to eat with fork or spoon. Remember to pack some cold packs to keep the food chilled.
Sandwiches seem boring, but they're a picnic cliche for a reason: you can prep and wrap ahead of time and eat with your hands so utensils/tools are not needed.
A charcuterie board is an option. If you slice the meat and cheese ahead of time, that negates the need to bring a knife, serve with nice quality crackers... maybe bring a bottle of wine (as long as you're not going to a state park that prohibits alcohol).

While I was writing I saw TastyRueben's very detailed response; some great advice there!
 
Picnics are a big reason I save various glass jars. They're great for holding salad dressings, or making little gelatin desserts, other condiments, and you'd be surprised how much salad you can fit in a bonne maman jam jar.
 
Also, you don't need to buy a purpose-made picnic hamper, you can just assemble your own.

The first picnic I ever put together, in 1988, I just bought a giant plastic cooler and used that. It was a super-deluxe model with removable trays and in-lid storage, so it worked really well, even if it was overly-cumbersome.

Sometimes, we'll use this:
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Just a soft-sided cooler I got from work, and if it's a smaller picnic, we go with that. I went to a discount store (probably Big Lots) and bought some individual plastic plates and single-piece flatware for probably $5 total.

I much prefer the wicker one, though. Feels much more like a proper picnic.
 
Last time I went on a picnic was 1980, Hampstead Heath.
There´s no point in doing picnics in Venezuela. You´d get sunburned in 10 minutes.
 
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