Cooking Outdoors
When you are out in the great outdoors, cooking over an open fire can be an extraordinary experience. A well cooked meal done the time tested way over a camp fire is a true source of pleasure and adds to the whole hiking/camping experience. Camp cooking requires more time and patience, but a little planning can help make cooking outdoors less intimidating and a lot of fun. All you really need is a campfire, the right cooking supplies and some creativity.
Cooking Essentials
No matter what you have on the menu for your next camping trip, there are some cooking essentials that you shouldn’t forget. Top of your cooking checklist should be your lighter fluid and matches. There are other more primitive ways to start a fire but you want to keep it simple. As for utensils, disposable plates and forks, a medium lightweight pot and pan, some aluminum foil, and a portable grate that can be positioned over a fire pit. With these cooking paraphernalia you can prepare just about anything from sausage and eggs to baked potatoes and chilli. Lastly, keep your mitts, spatula and tongs handy. You’ll need them for handling hot food and burning coals.
Cooking Methods
When cooking outdoors on a camping trip, go for simplicity. No need to build a spit for roasting a whole pig. Save that for the backyard get together in summer.
Check out the features of camping cookware available on the market and find something that you are comfortable with. Keep in mind that campfire cooking makes use of direct heat. Food items can be wrapped individually in aluminum foil and placed on hot coals. Regular potatoes or sweet potatoes are always good to have on hand. These will require frequent checking, but is a very effective method for foods that require high heat. Another method is to place a grate over an open fire and place a pot on the grate or simply lay your food directly on the grate and grill like you would in the backyard. The heat from this method is more suitable for soups, stews, and pastas as it is less intense and more controllable but cooking time will be longer.
Once you have learnt how to manage the intensity of your fire, camp cooking can be just as easy as cooking on a stove.
Of course, there is also the obvious roasting fork. It will help make a lunch, dinner or dessert super quick and easy. All you need is some hotdogs to roast and maybe a bun, toppings too, if you want to get really fancy. The roasting fork will also help make a nice dessert, if you bring along some large marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate you will have everything needed for the iconic s’mores.
Granola bars are great, but sometimes it is nice to have a little something special to look forward to after a long hike.
