Important Outdoor Cooking Tips When Camping

Cooking in the outdoors when camping is very different that cooking in your kitchen. Here are important outdoor cooking tips to help you bring your skills from the kitchen to the camp out.

Cooking and camping in the open is a refreshing way to enjoy the outdoors. It's also a great way to impress your family and friends by showing them how well you can cook outside the comfort of your home kitchen. The following outdoor cooking tips and ideas will help you have a good camp cooking experience.

Home Tips

We will begin our outdoor cooking tips with what to bring. Remember that once you go out to camp you won't be able to go back easily if you forget something at home. Here's a handy checklist to make sure you don't forget anything:

___ Heavy duty aluminum foil
___Zip-loc freezer bags in various sizes
_ _ _ Disposable plates, bowls, cups, flatware
___ Drinking cups
___ Salt, pepper, sugar, spices
___ Powdered milk can of evaporated milk,
_ _ _ Coffee, cocoa, tea filters, bags
___ Paper towels
___ Trash bags
_ _ _ Can and bottle opener, corkscrew
_ _ _ Cutting board
___ Metal cooking utensils like tongs, spatula, grill forks, serving spoons, knife, roasting sticks
___ Measuring cups, spoons
___ Serving bowls
___ Plastic table cloth
___ Storage containers for leftovers
___ Pot or pan with lid, skillet
___ Foil cooking tins
___ Non-stick cooking spray, oil
___ Pot holders & mitts
___ Dish pan, dish soap, towels, sponge, scrub
___ Strike anywhere matches
___ Butanelighter
___ Firestarters
___ BBQ grill, smoker
___ Propane, charcoal
___ Firewood (if needed)
___ Grill top for campfire
___ Dutch oven
___ Crockpot
___ Propane stove

It's important to leave the campsite clean so always remember to bring enough garbage bags. Bring biodegradable and environmentally-friendly cleaning agents. Leftover food should be placed in containers and brought home or disposed properly. Clean up is as important as preparation.

Now you're ready to cook! The cooking method you decide on will determine the food you can bring or cook. Common camper favorites are:

• Barbequing or grilling burgers, hotdogs, chicken, ribs, steaks, fish, veggies, and even fruits.
• A variation for grilling is using foilpouches. Place your seasoned meat, veggies, or fish in the foil, add a pat of butter or oil. Seal tightly and place on the grill. The pouch contents will retain their moisture and flavor.
• Dutch oven. A Dutch oven is a deep cast iron or aluminum pot with a tight lid that doesn't allow steam to escape, much like the tin foil method, making for a flavor-filled dish.
• Crockpots. Cooking with the crockpot is nothing more than placing all your recipe ingredients in the pot and leaving it all to stew.
• Box oven. Feel like a boy scout? Make an oven with a cardboard box, aluminum foil, and some metal rods. When done correctly, will let you bake almost anything.

Things to remember:

• Pre-chop, peel, or measure the needed ingredients for meals ahead oftime and pack in zip-loc bags. Label them correctly.
• Pre-cook meats
• Block ice will last longer than cubed ice.
• All items in coolers should be packed in watertight containers.
• Don't light fires near tents or other flammable objects.
• Empty zip-loc bags can double as garbage bags.
• Clean up after every meal.

There are more outdoor cooking tips but these are essential-the rest you will have to experience for yourself. Have fun cooking and camping!

Important Outdoor Cooking Tips When Camping