Creating Your Campsite Kitchen

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

So you’ve finally made it into the great outdoors with a full campsite: you’ve got your fire ready, chairs set up, your tent ready to protect you from the elements, and even a warm place to sleep. You sit down to enjoy the just-beginning sunset, and it suddenly hits you.

Your stomach grumbles.

Oh yeah! After all of that work, you’re still going to have to eat once you’re out in the wild.

For many people, being outdoors is an unappetizing thought, let alone eating outdoors. But it’s not as hard as you might think to create a campsite kitchen that produces good, fresh food and fills you with energy so that you can start worrying about the more interesting activities – like camping! Here are some tips to creating your own campsite kitchen.

Tip #1: Bring your own refrigerator.

Without an RV (which literally lets you bring your own kitchen), you’ll still need a way to keep your food cool so that it lasts as long as possible. Use small coolers – they’re lighter and will require less ice. Make sure to keep cool only that which really needs to keep cool to reduce the burden on your equipment.

Tip #2: Plastics.

Giant, re-sealable plastic bags will be your best friend when you head outdoors – even if you already have another container like a cooler to store your food in. Why is this? Even inside bags and coolers, it’s easy for debris and dust to get on your food if you don’t have your items well-sealed. Plastics will also keep moisture out of your food, which is essential if you want to avoid soggy hot dog buns and wet potato chips.

Tip #3: Easy fire-starters.

Be sure to have plenty of tinder and wood near your fire so that you can easily start a fire for breakfast in the morning, and if you can, cover the wood with a tarp overnight to protect it from potential rain. Even when the weather forecast is clear, you’re never sure if a light shower might break out at four in the morning, so be prepared.

By the way, don’t bring a lighter: bring a torch. The Micro-Jet Lighter Torch will take your lighter and turn it into a flame-blowing torch that will work better in windy conditions.

Tip #4: Bring a decent cooking rack.

Tri-pod racks are popular since they’re relatively easy to set up along with a fire you have just built. Just make sure you have a rock that will be able to stand on its own as you cook hot dogs, burgers, and other meats on your grill.

Photo Credits: BaronBrian