Because of our common interests in the wildlife of the desert country Edmund C. Jaeger and I have camped together many times in the canyons of California's Colorado desert. He spends nearly all his weekends on such camping trips, generally accompanied by one or more of his students at Riverside College. His camp routine is simple.
Cooking is done over an open fire.
He finds two flat rocks and lays them 15 to 18 inches apart. Across them are placed two iron bars and the fire is built beneath. I know many campers object to this procedure. It smokes up the cooking utensils. But there are always old newspapers to wipe off the soot, and later the utensils are packed in old papers in his camp kit.