Camping Cooking Supplies Guide

I've written quite a few Hubs on various camping topics and it shouldn't come as a surprise that it's one of my favorite hobbies. I've been camping in just about every situation possible - from freezing cold to boiling hot temperatures, wind, rain and clear skies, mountains, valleys and rivers. You name it, I've probably been there.

One of my favorite things about camping is sitting around the campfire as we cook our food. There's always something extra special about eating the food you packed into the woods and then managed to cook over a couple of burning logs.

In this article we'll focus on the supplies you should bring on your camping trip to be able to cook all of your food, and we'll also talk a bit about what to expect when you try to cook food over a campfire or using a camping stove.

The first thing you need as far as camping cooking supplies is something to do your actual cooking in. A simple pot or frying pan will work fine. If you're going to be cooking for just one or two people, I'd probably just bring one pot, but if I was cooking for four or more then I'd bring a pot and a pan.

You want to bring as few things as you think you can get by with, so that you're not lugging unnecessary equipment through the woods. You also don't want to bring anything super heavy duty or expensive on your trip. The old and beat up pots and pans you have in the back of your pantry will work just fine. If you want to buy some new pots and pans to have specifically for camping, that's fine, but I wouldn't spend too much money on them. Cheap stuff works fine for camping trips.

The next things you need to bring are some utensils to do the cooking with. A nice sized spatula and some tongs will generally handle just about everything you need when you're cooking. Longer handles are generally better, since you don't want to have to get super close to the fire to flip or stir your food.

Some other supplies that can come in handy, but are non-essential, are camping tables, wire clothes hangers, and a small box of wet wipes. Camping tables are great for giving you some additional space to prepare your food. I couldn't even begin to tell you the number of times I've had to try and balance a pot or plate on a log while I'm trying to get my food ready to go onto the fire.You definitely want to try and avoid having your food get dumped into the dirt, and having a table to prepare your food on is a good way to keep that from happening.

Wire clothes hangers can perform a number of functions. They can be used as a cooking utensil to, say, cook hot dogs over the fire, and they can help you retrieve things (food, pots, pans) that have accidentally fallen into the fire. Lastly, a box of wet wipes will help keep things clean and sanitary (or at least as sanitary as possible when you're out in the woods). You can obviously use them to clean your hands before you eat, but they will also help you clean your pots and pans after you use them for cooking.

Another thing that works great for camping cooking is a Dutch oven. These ovens are great for a number of things and can sometimes be the only pot you need for an entire trip. You can fry food in them, like eggs or tortillas for quesadillas, you can use them like a skillet and cook pancakes in them, or you can use them like a slow cooker and cook a stew in them. The possibilities are endless.

The only good material for a Dutch oven is cast iron, so they are not suitable for every camping trip - you wouldn't want to bring one on a backpacking trip, for instance - but if you're going car camping and won't have to pack your gear in, they can be a great addition to your camping kitchen.

Here are some things to look for if you're going to get a Dutch oven to take with you. The wire handle, like you see in the picture, is an absolute necessity. Having that handle will let you move the oven into and out of the fire with ease, and you won't have to worry about burning yourself. You may still need a hotpad or a glove to move it, but the handle will be much cooler than the oven itself.

Another thing to look for are the models that have a flat lid with a lip around the edge. These ovens allow you to stack some coals on top of the oven, which not only helps your food cook more quickly, but also serves to even out the heat in the oven, helping your food cook evenly.

The main thing to remember when you're going camping is to keep your meals simple. There are lots of food options in grocery stores that are ready-made, or just-add-water, or that have been cooked already and all you have to do is heat it up again. Those are the things you want to look for when preparing for a camping trip.

Some good options like these are the just-add-water pancake mix bottles that have the flour all ready to go, chicken fingers that are cooked already and just need to be reheated, and the powdered mashed potatoes that just need a bit of water to be ready.

The main thing to keep in mind, though, is just to have fun on your trip. If you want to try some crazy new ideas, knock yourself out. If you want to try and cook some filet mignon, go for it. If you want to prepare a four-course meal for your family, feel free. Maybe you'll become an expert on it and get your own show on the Food Network.

For more reading on related camping topics, check out the links to my other Hubs below.

• Camping bed guide
  
• Buying a lantern from Coleman
• Camping chairs guide
  
• Camping in Vendee, a region in France