What are your best tips for cooking at the campsite?

[themcvays]

What are your best tips for cooking at the campsite? My best advice is to do a little preparation before the camp trip. here few things you can do to make cooking at the camp site a little easier. Wrap corn or potatoes in foil before you go. chop any vegetables or fruits while you are at home and store in ziplock bags or plastic containers. partialy cook bacon and store in foil. reheating it will finnish it off and take less time to cook. This will also save you from making a greasy mess on your griddle. You can also finnish cooking it on your grill so you can leave your griddle free for french toast or eggs to be cooked.

 

[blissful]

Those are all great tips!
Bring foil, and zip lock bags, S&P, herbs and spices in small ziplock bags.
Freeze your meat before you go, it will thaw, and keep the cooler colder.
Before you put a kettle or dutch oven over the fire, rub it down with pure dishwashing detergent on the outside, it makes it easy to clean when you are done.

 

[Jeff G.]

OK.. quick and easy breakfasts.. Pre-make sausage gravy and freeze in ziplocks. Just reheat and serve, you can use English muffins or take pre-baked biscuits(they freeze well too).

Plan foil meals. Season and wrap your meat and veggies in foil, drop directly onto coals to cook. No clean up and tastes great.

Do not over season the foods. Cooking on open fires opens up a lot of flavors. If you over season the foods you can cover some of those up.

Look around for local ingredients. Often wild foods are in the woods around you. They can really add to your pantry when cooking. Just be sure of what you are eating.

By shelf safe milk. Irradiation does not change the flavor of the milk but you don't have to keep it cool until you open it. Often sold in the baby food isle in small boxes. Its great for breakfast cereals or making gravies.

Hang your veggies, fruits in mesh bags. Most will last a very long time out in the air. After all, that's where they grew. It saves space in the cooler.

 

[Snoop Puss]

My best tip is to be the cook. Someone else has to wash up.

 

[CasperImproved]

My best tip is to cook as much as you can before going camping, and freeze in ziplock bags. They can act as the ice in your cooler, and take no work to make ready to eat. chili, soup, stew, etc., All are good candidates. No work, and still provide the ice function for the fresh stuff.

Bob

 

[the A Cappellan]

Unless your going to camp and camp often, borrow from a Boy Scout Troop or seasoned campers the items you need. If you break it, they can fix it or you can replace it instead of shelling out a lot of cash. Your first trip should be as simple as possible. Learn and evolve like a caveman.
#1 Spread your work area, eating area out. #2 always have hot water ready for anything from cooking to doing dishes. On the opposite side of the cooking/prep area is the cleaning area. Clean as you cook so you can all eat together. That is the point. #3 Make a check list for each meal #4 know how to use all equipment before leaving home. #5 What is the 1st thing you need on Survivor? Fire, Water, Shelter, food. Fire. Learn how to start it, respect and maintain a fire. Always have water nearby. Everyone has mishaps, minimize this hazard. Can you do these things in the rain. Dry run in the back yard with a grill is easier than warming hot dogs at 2AM with a lighter.

 

[Snip 13]

I would say the following items are essential if you go camping for longer than 2 days.

Instant coffee, sugar, powdered milk or long life, rusks or biscuits, a few tins like tomato, tuna, beans, instant oats or other porridge for hungry kids, bottled water, protein bars, a few garbage bags, foil, tongs (I always forget mine ), insect repellent, paper plates, disposable dish rags, grill brush, toiletpaper, lighter, can opener, first aid kit, rain coats, charcoal or firewood in waterproof containers.
Then obviously your fresh foods and drinks!

 

[Zhizara]

Don't forget the can opener!

 

[roadfix]

KIS(S)....keep it simple. Don't bring your kitchen sink to the campground.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

KIS(S)....keep it simple. Don't bring your kitchen sink to the campground.

My first aid kit takes just one person to carry...as long as they don't have to carry anything else.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Find a nice hotel and order room service.

 

[Oldvine]

Don't fry anything greasy in the RV, especially bacon (spatters grease and makes your hair stink). Costco has good pre-cooked bacon to quick cook over a campfire. Let your family know beforehand that they might be enjoying lots of sandwiches. Use disposables. It's supposed to be a fun outing not a trial for the cook. I used the Aunt Bea method myself.

 

[the A Cappellan]

Hey, now that is a list.

I hope you have a trailer or a small army for all your items. 1st What are Rusks? I think they might be Crackers?
One thing we did during our camping years. That was 5-10 times a year from 3-11 days at a time . We had a camp box. All the tools we needed. If it breaks (can openers) or the items run low (alum. foil) it was replace during the trip, on the way home or grtd by the next trip.
We also had a food box. Can goods, boxed cereal, coffee, tea bags and the same rule applied. These items were maintained year round, (we camped in snow also) but these supplies were the go to for power outages, sledding excursions and tailgate parties. You must always be prepared. Water, fuel and food. And rotation is imperative. I have been out of work for quite awhile so the food is in the cupboards as surplus till we go again. Shelf stable milk, fruits, vegs and select canned meats and meals in a pinch.

 

[babetoo]

Find a nice hotel and order room service.

in years past i did a lot of camping. i felt it was the same work from home under less that ideal conditions. everyone else hiked, etc and i worked. i hated it. didn't like being tired and dirty for days. i agree wholehearted with aunt bea.

 

[deepfryerdan]

in years past i did a lot of camping. i felt it was the same work from home under less that ideal conditions. everyone else hiked, etc and i worked. i hated it. didn't like being tired and dirty for days. i agree wholehearted with aunt bea.

I just like being outside (when the weather is nice). I do 90% of the cooking on our camping trips (for about 8-12 people) and it is way more work than when in my kitchen.

My biggest issue is my salt shaker.. it always gets clogged up because of the humidity. I've tried rice and a seal-able shaker - nothing seems to work. How do you guys get around this?

 

[Dee Jsaan]

Re:

I have to agree with the OP, prefab much of what you take with you. Depending on the kind of camping you'll be doing. If you set up camp in a camp ground with a view and there is a lake for fishing & boating with trails for hiking and bicycling, then you may not want to spend all your time cooking.

I have several Dutch Ovens I cook with and have since I was a kid. I can make one pot meals in these that are slow cooking and that will give me a chance for some recreation too.

One thing I would mention about Dutch Ovens. When William Rogers Clark and Meriwether Lewis returned to make their report to Thomas Jefferson the President inquired of them concerning what the most valuable item was that they took on the expedition. They agreed the Dutch Ovens were the most useful. I believe I read this in the book "Undaunted Courage", which is the story of the Lewis and Clark
Expedition.

Here are a bunch of good Dutch Oven recipes that are used to teach Boy Scouts:

Camping Food & Dutch Oven Recipes

 

[Timothy]

When I camp, the only cooking utensil I take is a Wok. I can cook anything in one. From breads to deserts. Bake, fry, steam...one pan to clean. One or two tools to use with it. Less firewood to gather. Cooks fast and easy.

Nomadic peoples in Asia have used Woks in this manner for thousands of years. It's the absolute best "camping" cookware to ever have. Leave all that other stuff back at the house.

Take a few Solar Coolers with you and you won't have to worry about ice either! Use as much dehydrated foods as possible. They weigh almost nothing and taste just fine when reconstituted and seasoned properly.

If you want to get fancy, buy a solar oven or two. No fuel, and they work great for roasting meats and cooking stews.

Save your packing space for fresh water. Take your own. Most of the troubles I've seen in campsite eating were water related. Not enough, using local and suffering sickness, running out...etc, etc...

 

[Dee Jsaan]

Re:

The Wok is a thought. I cook with one at home when I want Asian food.

And the solar ovens I've read about. I've seen those that fold flat even and can be set up in a few seconds to cook with.

What would really be trick is to devise one to use a wok with. Thus eliminating
the need for fuel at all. And when finished one could boil water in it to use as it's own sink for cleaning it and it's utensils. Thus you have a cooking, eating utensil that serves
as it's own sink. This could work for a single camper or hiker.

 

[chopper]

I love my Dutch oven, and wouldn't be without it camping. We also have a Coleman stove that my husband paid seven dollars for when he was a teen (he is 52 now). It still works very well. Don't forget matches. You will not be as good with the sun and glasses as they are on Survivor! I live my pie irons too you can do so much with those! Simple is good while camping, and have you noticed that everything tastes great while camping??

 

[Timothy]

The Wok is a thought. I cook with one at home when I want Asian food.

My camping foods are pretty simple. Mostly I camp when fishing. I eat a lot of fish. The rest of the day, I lay around reading and sleeping. My last day of fishing, I keep them all and take them home with me.

Corn fritters and fish for lunch and supper. Eggs and sausage for breakfast. Sometimes fish for breakfast if I get up early enough to go catch some fresh fish for breakfast.

Fishing in Florida is child's play. It's hard to NOT catch fish here.

I take my smoker with me once in awhile. Smoked fish is awesome!