Packable Beach and Picnic Recipes

Summary

The Wirecutter Show: Packable Beach and Picnic Recipes Release Date: July 4, 2025

In this engaging episode of The Wirecutter Show, hosted by Christine Cyr Clisset, Kyra Blackwell, and Rosie Guerin, listeners are treated to a delectable exploration of packable beach and picnic recipes. Joined by Tanya Sicinski, an editor at New York Times Cooking and author of the weekly newsletter The Veggie, the conversation delves into creative and practical food solutions to elevate your outdoor dining experience.

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1. Essential Principles for Packing Beach and Picnic Foods

Tanya Sicinski kicks off the discussion by outlining key strategies for selecting the right foods for outdoor settings. She emphasizes the importance of avoiding soggy foods and choosing items that are both packable and stackable to prevent crushing and maintain freshness.

Tanya Sicinski [02:22]: "It's trying to avoid really soggy food... you want stuff that's really, I'll say, like packable and stackable."

2. Innovative Cooling Solutions

Addressing the common challenge of keeping food cool without bulky coolers, Tanya shares a simple yet effective hack: freezing water bottles.

Tanya Sicinski [03:58]: "A great hack is just water bottles. Put it in the freezer the night before and put it in the bag."

Christine adds a practical tip to ensure the water bottles don't burst in the freezer.

Christine Cyr Clisset [04:04]: "Leave like an inch always at the top... so that the water can expand in the freezer."

3. Smart Ingredient Swaps for Lasting Freshness

To maintain the integrity of salads and dips, Tanya suggests substituting mayonnaise with more stable alternatives like tahini or yogurt, which hold up better at room temperature.

Tanya Sicinski [05:19]: "If you're not really a mayonnaise person, you can do like half and half yogurt tahini."

She further elaborates on creating vegan mayonnaise using aquafaba, highlighting its ease and shelf stability.

Tanya Sicinski [06:01]: "Use aquafaba... white vinegar, salt, sugar, lemon juice, some dry mustard and then a really neutral oil."

4. Salty and Healthy Snack Options

When it comes to satisfying salty cravings, Tanya introduces BjornKorn, a vegan cheesy popped popcorn made with minimal ingredients like nutritional yeast.

Tanya Sicinski [07:15]: "BjornKorn is vegan cheesy popped popcorn... made with nutritional yeast."

She also shares a beloved beach staple: hot dogs topped with pico de gallo. By butterflying the hot dogs and griddling the buns, she ensures they remain intact and flavorful.

Tanya Sicinski [09:15]: "Butterflying the hot dog... it holds the pico de gallo in the hot dog. It's not going to just roll off."

5. No-Cooler Lunch Ideas

For days when a cooler isn't an option, Tanya recommends robust and flavorful options like:

• Green Pasta Salad: Featuring shortcut pasta, snap peas, and a loose pesto-like sauce made from greens and basil.

  Tanya Sicinski [10:38]: "Extra green pasta salad... shortcut pasta, snap peas, and a looser pesto."

• Ham and Jam Sandwich: A sophisticated twist on the classic ham and butter sandwich, elevated with a touch of fruit preserve.

  Tanya Sicinski [11:37]: "Ham and jam sandwich is like a sexy, dignified cousin... ham and cherry jam on a nice baguette."

6. Recipes for Cooler Enthusiasts

For those with ample cooling space, Tanya highlights versatile and refreshing recipes such as:

• Variety of Pasta Salads: Incorporating robust flavors and hearty ingredients.

• Dips like Fresh Ranch and Dill Pickle Tzatziki: Perfect for pairing with vegetables or chips.

  Tanya Sicinski [12:42]: "Dill pickle tzatziki is just garlic, Greek yogurt, olive oil, finely chopped dill, and grated pickles."

7. Healthy and Fun Snack Alternatives

Beyond traditional fruit, Tanya showcases frozen grapes with a twist. By tossing them in citric acid and a touch of sugar before freezing, these grapes offer a tangy and refreshing treat.

Tanya Sicinski [13:09]: "Frozen grapes tossed with a little citric acid... it's a really easy, simple, healthy snack."

8. Conclusion and Access to Recipes

As the episode wraps up, listeners are encouraged to explore the detailed recipes Tanya discussed, available in the show notes and on the New York Times Cooking website. Tanya also invites them to subscribe to her newsletter, The Veggie, for ongoing culinary inspiration.

Christine Cyr Clisset [14:49]: "If you want to try out any of the recipes Tanya talked about today, you can find them in our show notes or on the New York Times cooking website."

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Key Takeaways

• Avoid Soggy Foods: Opt for items that remain intact and fresh without refrigeration.
• Frozen Water Bottles: Serve dual purposes as hydration sources and cooling agents.
• Ingredient Flexibility: Substitute traditional dressings with more stable or dietary-friendly alternatives.
• Innovative Snacks: Explore unique options like vegan cheesy popcorn and creatively topped hot dogs.
• No-Cooler Solutions: Embrace robust and flavorful meals that withstand warmer environments.
• Healthy Treats: Incorporate fun and nutritious snacks like citric acid-coated frozen grapes.

This episode of The Wirecutter Show offers a treasure trove of practical and inventive food ideas to ensure your next beach day or picnic is both delicious and hassle-free. Whether you're a seasoned outdoor enthusiast or planning your first picnic, Tanya Sicinski's expert advice provides the tools to pack smarter and eat better under the sun.

Transcript

[A]

I'm Christine Cyr Clisette.

[B]

I'm Kyra Blackwell.

[C]

I'm Rosie Guerin and you're listening to the Wirecutter Show. Hey there, it's Rosie. Earlier this week we published an episode all about the gear you might want to consider to help with level up your beach experience. This summer we talked about shades, chairs, coolers and more. We didn't talk about one super important thing and that's food. Everyone has their own ideas for what makes a great beach snack. Ice cold fruit from the cooler, delectable lunch of salads, dips, or maybe just.

[D]

A bag of chips.

[C]

Well, no matter your style, our friends over at New York Times Cooking have some ideas of ways to elevate your beach snacking game. And today bringing you a conversation about just that with Tanya Sicinski. Tanya is an editor at New York Times Cooking who writes the weekly newsletter the Veggie. And she recently wrote a piece for the Times that included a bunch of great recipes for a beach day or picnic. Tanya Sachansky after the break.

[B]

The Wirecutter show is supported by Intuit QuickBooks. Do you own a business that's ready to thrive? It's time to let Intuit QuickBooks take things like unpaid invoices and tracking expenses off your plate so you can take things to the next level. QuickBooks is a powerful AI driven, all in one business solution that can help with day to day tasks like invoicing expenses and taxes. QuickBooks can help you unlock the growth in your business so you can get back to enjoying your business, manage and grow your business all in one place. Intuit QuickBooks your way to money. Get 90% off for 3 months, limited time only. Terms and conditions apply. Tanya, welcome to the show. Hi guys.

[D]

Thanks so much for having me.

[C]

Thanks for coming. Well, so obviously anyone can bring anything to a beach, a park, a picnic. We know that. What are your general rules, Tanya, for the kinds of recipes and foods you want to pack for a day at the beach for a picnic?

[D]

Obviously this is all incredibly subjective, but if you're asking me which you are, I'm gonna tell you. It's trying to avoid really soggy food. Like you don't want something that's gonna get real wet in a cooler or in a tote bag. So nothing like super mayonnaise Y with soft bread like that to me is ripe for sagging. You want stuff that's really, I'll say, like packable and stackable. Whether you're working with a cooler or a big tot, you want stuff that Will kind of Tetris into your, you know, vessel of choice and not get crushed. So, you know, if you're talking potato chips, you actually shouldn't decant your potato chips into a Ziploc bag if you can help it. Cause all the air in the bag will protect it. Like that kind of stuff. I think part of it is like cooler versus tote bag. Will tell me what kind of recipes I want to pack.

[A]

So like a tote bag meaning you're not going to keep it cool?

[D]

Well, I'm so glad you asked. I know that we want to talk about like no cooler recipes, but I will implore anybody if they plan on being outside for a really long time. A great hack is just water bottle. Put it in the freezer the night before and put it in the bag. Because by the time you get to where you're going, the water will be semi thawed, mostly thawed. You will have insulated the bag in some way by just packing a bunch of stuff into it. And it will keep some element of your meal cool. So if you're going with like a couple people, just throw three frozen water bottles in there and you'll stay hydrated and your food will stay semi cool.

[A]

Ooh, I love that tip. And also, if someone's going to freeze a water bottle, remember to leave like an inch always at the top.

[D]

Right.

[A]

That is not filled so that the water can expand in the freezer. Yes.

[D]

It's multi use in some ways.

[B]

And just throw it in the trash when you're done.

[D]

And just throw it in the trash. And also a lot of beaches. Well, that's what I meant.

[B]

Just don't throw it in the ocean.

[D]

That was my point. No, there exactly. We're recycling it. And then really for me, it's just like, what am I not going to turn my nose up at if it's been outside for two hours? We are not. At least I'm not right now talking about like, is it adhering to the FDA standards of like not outside for more than 90 minutes? Look, we've all eaten weird stuff off a picnic table that we know that has been there for more than a few hours. More than the window. But what won't you feel a little bit icky about eating? So that kind of brings me to the mayonnaise of it. All right. Which is like pretty shelf stable. I don't worry about it too much. But if I'm doing say a chickpea salad or a pasta salad, maybe I will cut the mayonnaise down significantly. And use more tahini or something like that, Something that is okay at room temperature. It's essentially a nut butter, it's a seed butter. So if you're gonna lug a peanut butter and jelly and you feel cool about that, you probably would feel good about tahini or something like that in a chickpea salad. I love that.

[A]

I never think about swapping tahini for mayonnaise, but I should probably do that more often.

[D]

We have over at New York Times cooking a lot of salad recipes that are like chickpea based salads that have some sort of configuration of tahini, mayonnaise yogurt, more or less of each. And really it's completely. Most of those recipes are really amenable. So you can just modify them to your tastes. If you're not really a mayonnaise person, you can do like half and half yogurt tahini. That rules if you don't like tahini or you're allergic to sesame mayonnaise yogurt. If you are vegan, maybe you're using a combination of vegan mayonnaise or tahini. I've made vegan mayonnaise before. It's actually quite easy.

[A]

What is it, just oil?

[D]

Yeah. You use aquafaba, which is all the stuff at the bottom of a can of chickpeas.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

So let's say you're making a chickpea salad. You have regular mayonnaise that makes you feel icky, you don't want to use yogurt, you have tahini and. And you obviously have the can of chickpeas because you're putting it in the salad. You drain the aquafaba, which is the liquid at the bottom of the can. And with an immersion blender, which I'm sure there is a wire cutter pick for. Oh, we do have a pick. Oh, yeah. It's just the juice from the chickpeas, White vinegar, salt, sugar, lemon juice, some dry mustard and then a really neutral oil. So we used like a sunflower oil. And I'm telling you, it was like doing a magic trick when we did it. It immediately emulsifies, it tastes like mayonnaise.

[A]

And it sounds like the ingredients in vegan mayonnaise, at least that recipe. Those are pretty shelf stable. Like you could take those out for a day without them turning bad.

[D]

Absolutely right. Absolutely. And again, if you have a little bit of a. I'm holding up a water bottle for the folks at home, an insurance policy of like semi frozen water bottles, you, you know, it will be cool enough, like even if you did want to use regular mayonnaise which tons of people will take to the beach and it's never an issue.

[B]

I am a salt and vinegar chips girl for life. Is there a salty snack that you would take to the beach?

[D]

Okay. I'm a sucker for Bjorn corn.

[A]

Oh, you are telling me all of the things that my kids want to eat.

[D]

You.

[A]

You all should go out on a picnic together.

[D]

I'm taking the kids to the beach.

[C]

What is Bjorn corn and why do you like it?

[D]

Okay. Bjorn corn is vegan cheesy popped popcorn. Very, very minimal ingredients. So if you are trying to like cut down on like super ultra processed foods, this is a, I think great alternative to like something like a white cheddar popcorn. Smart food. So Bjorn corn is made with nutritional yeast, which is dried edible yeast. Um, it usually comes in flakes. So good. I will make frankly a version at home of a Bjorn Corn. We have a recipe also on cooking that is a vegan cheesy popcorn kind of combination of flavors. But yeah. So Bjornkorn. Okay. I always have hot dogs from the editor. You always have hot dogs from the editor of the veggie.

[C]

Can you say more about that?

[D]

Yeah. Hebrew national all beef hot dogs. Live and die by them. I love a hot dog and I am taking hot dogs to the beach. No. Yes. Hear me out. Okay. I did this last summer. So I will split top a hot dog so like butterfly it. I'll griddle it in my little cast iron skillet or on a griddle top pan. I'll make two hot dogs a person. And then I will put the hot dogs and the buns in little aluminum foil roll ups. Right? You don't want to crush them. So I'll put them like at the top of the bag with everything. If you will eat a ballpark hot dog, some guy has been toting around through the stands of metlife.

[C]

I mean, fair, you will eat a.

[D]

Beach hot dog, but that's not the same. No, it is the same because a.

[B]

Ballpark hot dog is still hot. What are you eating?

[D]

A cold hot dog?

[B]

No, it is a.

[D]

It is a you warming it up in the sun. It's room temperature. Sometimes it's still warm. Here's the kicker though, because I brought my frozen water bottle in the bag. I am bringing a topping and the topping is pico de gallo. Oh, this is. You're.

[A]

You're hitting my heart here. I think this sounds like a delicious beach meal.

[D]

This is the perfect beach meal. And you've got like the crunchy, crisp Freshness of like tomatoes and jalapenos, onions. Maybe you want to throw some scallions in there. Definitely cilantro on top of the hot dog. Because you've butterflied the hot dog. It holds the pico de gallo in the hot dog. It's not going to just roll off.

[C]

She's beauty and she's grace.

[D]

I made us put a recipe for this on New York Times cooking. It is just a hot dog with pico de gallo. And the two tricks are the butterflying of the hot dog. I also put mayonnaise on the bun when I griddle them. So I will griddle the buns too. So also this helps with, like, if you're worried about your hot dog getting crushed, the outside might get a little crushed, but the inside, if you grill it on a cast iron skillet or, you know, a grill top, the inside of the bun will be a little bit harder and it will protect the dog.

[B]

Protect those dogs.

[C]

Protect the dog.

[B]

Well, let's say someone's at the beach all day and they're packing a lunch, but they don't have a cooler. You know, it might get a little warm in here. So what are some lunch ideas that you'd recommend for that? And, you know, just generally things that won't go bad in the sun.

[D]

So I'm saying hot dog. I'm also saying Andy Barragani has this extra green pasta salad that I am obsessed with. It is my lunch today. It's downstairs, not in the fridge, just sitting at my desk.

[A]

What's in this?

[D]

So you're using some shortcut pasta, whether it's rigatoni or a fusilli. But like, when I say shortcut, I mean like short tubes. You don't want like a long noodle here. Snap peas, English peas are the, like vegetables that are in here. And then the sauce is really, really easy to make. And it's made mostly of greens, so raw spinach, baby spinach or arugula, or a blend of both and then basil. Similar to, like how you would make a pesto. This is kind of the sauce is really kind of like a looser pesto.

[C]

Tanya, I'm looking at your article on the Times cooking website about easy recipes to take outside this summer. And I'm seeing something here called a ham and jam sandwich. Talk about it.

[D]

Okay. Ham and jam sandwich. Very straightforward, similar to like a French style ham and butter sandwich.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

That has been beefed up by the addition of some sort of like fruit preserve, which is just like a nice combination of Flavors. It's really, really simple. Like if you are going to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or, I don't know, a turkey and cheese sandwich. The ham and jam sandwich is just like, it's kind of sexy, dignified cousin. Like, it just feels like a fancy thing to eat at the beach when really it's just like ham and cherry jam and some butter and a nice baguette.

[C]

So let's say people have taken our advice to heart and gotten a great cooler. What recipes do you recommend? If we're bringing, you know, we're lugging a big old cooler. Cooler to the beach.

[D]

Yeah. I think this is where you're going crazy with the pasta salads and the dips. Any sort of dairy based dips, a yogurt based dip. We've got like this great fresh ranch dip from Nozdaravian, which is really just like zhuzhed up yogurt. So smart. Great use of like pantry seasonings, fresh chives. Ali Slagle also has like a dill pickle tzatziki, which is really fun. I don't know, I feel like pickles are like so summery.

[C]

My, we are a big pickle family.

[D]

Yeah, you gotta get on the dill pickle tzatziki train. It's just garlic, Greek yogurt, olive oil, finely chopped dill, and then like a ton of grated pickles.

[B]

So I know we talked about the popcorn, which is always a good, healthy snack, but what are some other things that you love to bring to the beach that won't get soggy or crunched, but it's also still healthy?

[D]

Okay. Fruit feels like a cop out answer, but I love a frozen grape. So like a Tupperware frozen grapes, a little baggie of frozen grapes. I'm popping them in the freezer. You know, if you put a little like lime juice. Citric acid. Citric acid is my goat, like a really great.

[A]

You guys, stop. What is citric acid and what is. Why are you putting it on your grapes?

[D]

It is. Okay. Citric acid is a powder that looks just like granulated sugar, but it is a powder version of the naturally occurring acid that exists in citrus fruits. So it is like a fine dusting powder that you could cover grapes with. This is what brings, like pucker to a sour patch kit. So imagine frozen grapes tossed with a little citric acid, maybe a little bit of sugar. Do you put sugar on yours too? You just do sugar? Yeah. Okay. Hardcore. So that is like. And I mean, the grapes are already sweet, so they don't really need any extra sugar. Yeah. But yeah, toss those in citric acid. By the time you get to the beach, the grapes probably won't be frozen grapes anymore. If you are, if you're packing them in a cooler with ice, they might stay frozen. But if you're using them as like the cooling element by just like tossing them into a tote bag, they'll thaw by then, but they'll still be delicious. And they, like, will hold some of their shape because they'd been frozen for most of the time and they'd. But that's like a really, really easy, simple, healthy snack. I mean, again, like fruit. Okay. You didn't bring me on here to tell you to eat fruit, but like, that's a fun.

[B]

That's a fruit in a fun way.

[D]

That's a fruit in a fun way.

[C]

Tanya Sichenski, you are a legend. Thank you so much for being on our show.

[D]

This was so fun.

[C]

This was really fun.

[D]

This ruled.

[C]

Have fun at the beach, everybody.

[D]

Thanks.

[C]

If you want to try out any of the recipes Tanya talked about today, you can find them in our show notes or on the New York Times cooking website. And if you want more of Tanya's recommendations, you can subscribe to the weekly newsletter the Veggie. That's it for us. Thanks for listening. The Wirecutter show is executive produced by me, Rosie Guerin and produced by Abigail Keel. Engineering support from Matty Mazziello and Nick Pittman. Today's episode was mixed by Katherine Anderson. Original music by Dan Powell, Marian Lozano, Alicia Be itup and Diane Wong. Wirecutter's deputy publisher is Cliff Levy. Ben Fruman is Wirecutter's editor in chief.

[B]

I'm Kyra Blackwell.

[A]

I'm Christine Cyr Clasette.

[C]

And I'm Rosie Guerin. Thank you for listening.