10 Outdoor Cooking Essentials for non-campers
By: Santosh Koshy
Tags: Survival Guide, Gear, Camping Tent, Outdoors, Camping Gear

So you’ve decided to finally go camping. Maybe it’s the work stress or you just needed some personal time off. Either way, camping trips can be the perfect getaway and a chance for the entire family to break loose from technology, together, and enjoy the great outdoors for what it is. But, chores you’d be doing at home — like cooking and washing up — are unavoidable and, without the right appliances, this can prove challenging.

What if you’re unprepared? What if your checklist is missing something crucial?

Worry not, because we’ve researched to give you an upper hand, so camping can be made as easy, simple, and basic as possible, so you get to spend more time bonding with the family and less time stressing over the little things.

Outdoor cooking should be breezy, fun, and stress-free. So take some of the weight off your shoulders, because we’ve rounded up our top 10 must-have camping cooking essentials to lend you a hand. Read on to find out more.

1. Collapsible water container

When it comes to camping, being prepared is essential to ensuring that you have adequate water for drinking, bathing, and dishwashing. Having a supply of clean drinking water is essential in an emergency, and a collapsible container may let you store as much as you need while saving room when the bottles are not in use. Water-filled collapsible containers can be useful in a variety of scenarios, both emergency and ordinary, so keeping a couple on hand is a good idea. They come in a variety of patterns, shapes, features, and sizes to choose from to customize the activity.

Tip: You’ll need to boil some water to prepare camping meals like rice, pasta, or potatoes. Fill a collapsible water bottle with water from your campsite’s faucet and keep it at your pitch for your evening meals.

2. Camping kettle

The kettle is your perfect match if you’re on the lookout for light, efficient, and adaptable camp cooking gear. To avoid any pre-coffee mishaps, kettles are fitted with solid handles, no-drip spouts, and tight lids. Anyone who has tried to pour a steady stream of water out of a pot first thing in the morning and splashed hot water over themselves knows how useful an easy-pour spout can be. Without squandering that hard-earned hot liquid, easily transfer water to your mug, french press, oatmeal bowl, or dried meal package. Lids keep campfire ash and creatures out while reducing boiling times, making them ideal for melting snow on winter expeditions.

They also allow you to put dishes, utensils, ingredients, or fuel canisters inside your bag for maximum space efficiency. Kettles aren’t only for water; they may also be used to heat soup, porridge, hot chocolate, or coffee. Needless to say, a stainless steel camping kettle is a must-have.

3. Cookware

Cooking when camping is entirely different from cooking in your own home. Many of the items you’ll need for camping are similar to those you’d use at home, but you won’t want to carry your kitchen pots and pans with you in case they get damaged. You’ll need the right equipment if you’re new to cooking outdoors.

Most campers like cast iron cookware because of its durability, flexibility, heat retention, and dispersibility. A good investment is a cast iron pan or dutch oven, which can be used to cook meat, heat soup, and more. Alternatively, use a stainless steel saucepan of sufficient size.

4. Reusable dinnerware

Reusable utensils and plates are a must-have for camping, and they’re a terrific way to decrease trash at your site. The ideal camping cutlery should be light and devoid of bisphenol-A. (BPA). BPA is a chemical molecule present in many plastic items that has the potential to interact with and disrupt your body’s hormones. Reusable silverware and plates are an excellent choice. They can be used year after year with no negative impacts on the environment.

Invest in reusable tableware and follow the camping guideline of “leave no trace.” Instead of wasting paper plates, cups, and plastic utensils or attempting to pack the kitchen crockery, reusable dinnerware will also save you money in the long term.

5. Oven gloves/hot pad

Always put safety first!

A pair of oven gloves will protect your hands while placing down hot pots and pans, while a hot pad will protect your camping table. Having a pair of campfire gloves on hand can be a lifesaver, whether you just want a hot dog around a good campfire or you’re looking for forests to set up camp.

When you think about it, almost every kitchen contains oven gloves or hot pads, which prevent countless kitchen burns and disasters. It’s no different when you’re cooking over a campfire. If you’re going to be working with open flames, you’ll need the proper gloves.

Remember, hand protection is the thin line between enjoying a hot cup of cocoa between your palms and nursing burn wounds.

6. Camping lighters

Not all lighters are created equal. Ordinary lighters aren’t designed to withstand the test of time or the demands of outdoor use. This is where you should research comes in. To put it another way, when looking for the best survival lighter, you should think about what features are most essential to you. When picking the best survival lighter for your needs, keep the following factors in mind:

Quality: Survival lighters should be strong enough to withstand being dropped to the ground. Even if it falls at a distance, rugged survival lighters should still be able to start a fire. Choose strong lighters that can readily handle weight and impact. A stainless steel lighter is ideal for this since it is sturdy and rust-free even after extended usage.

Survival lighters should be strong enough to withstand being dropped to the ground. Even if it falls at a distance, rugged survival lighters should still be able to start a fire. Choose strong lighters that can readily handle weight and impact. A stainless steel lighter is ideal for this since it is sturdy and rust-free even after extended usage. Usage: A decent lighter should be able to ignite a fire in a short amount of time, but you should still account for unplanned events that may occur through an emergency. Before you start looking for a survival lighter, you must decide how you intend to use it.

A decent lighter should be able to ignite a fire in a short amount of time, but you should still account for unplanned events that may occur through an emergency. Before you start looking for a survival lighter, you must decide how you intend to use it. Water Resistance: Some lighters include a waterproof shell that prevents moisture and air from entering the device. This is one of the most crucial qualities to search for.

Some lighters include a waterproof shell that prevents moisture and air from entering the device. This is one of the most crucial qualities to search for. Direct Flame: When selecting your survival lighter, keep this in mind. A conventional lighter will not function in the rain or through strong wind, but a survival lighter will. Direct flame will need to be considered because it may be handy in an emergency.

When selecting your survival lighter, keep this in mind. A conventional lighter will not function in the rain or through strong wind, but a survival lighter will. Direct flame will need to be considered because it may be handy in an emergency. Reliability: When you walk outside, you may encounter a variety of weather and climatic situations, such as snowstorms, rainstorms, and floods. When you flip the switch, your survival lighter must be able to function for the majority of the time.

When you walk outside, you may encounter a variety of weather and climatic situations, such as snowstorms, rainstorms, and floods. When you flip the switch, your survival lighter must be able to function for the majority of the time. Portability: A lighter is designed to be used as a portable fire starter. The total weight is something you should look into. It’s one of the few items you should have on hand at all times, preferably in your bag and pocket.

A lighter is designed to be used as a portable fire starter. The total weight is something you should look into. It’s one of the few items you should have on hand at all times, preferably in your bag and pocket. Wind Resistance: Using a lighter may be difficult, especially when you’re in the mountains and the wind is howling. In cases like this, a Wind Resistant Lighter comes in useful. Always remember to have a lighter that you can rely on in any weather.

7. Camp stove

Whether it’s cooking a hot meal or boiling water, a camp stove should be your top essential item on your camping trip. Whether you’ve got your eye on ultralight canisters, four-season, or multifuel options, the right stove can make all the difference on the trail. Don’t get us wrong, you could settle for a handful of trail mix or the indispensable can of tuna, but a hot meal after a long day on the trail is hard to beat. As a side note, you want to try to keep your pack weight low. The good news is, there are plenty of backpacking stoves on the market today that make quick work of heating up dinner without weighing you down.

If you plan on spending a lot of time camped out in the backcountry, having a reliable, long-lasting stove is nonnegotiable. Single and dual burner camp stoves are most commonly used on camping trips. They’re compact, portable, lightweight, and perfect if packing space is at a premium.

8. Fuel

On your next trip, how much camping stove fuel do you need to bring? If you pack too little, you’ll be famished, to say the least. If you carry too much, you’ll be burdened with unnecessary weight, which will only slow you down.

Don’t let this bring you down. It’s a fairly simple process. Start by calculating how many people will be on your trip and how many hot meals and hot drinks the group will require. This will serve as a baseline for fuel usage in the wilderness. For example, you’ll use less fuel if some people eat their breakfast cold, but heating up the stove for a morning cup of coffee will save you money in the long run. Multiply the number of guests at your party by the number of hot meals served, then add the number of hot drinks served. This can help you estimate how many liters of water you’ll need to boil.

Quick tip: If you’re cooking a meal that doesn’t require boiled water, still count that as a liter — the stove use time is likely about the same.

Needless to say, camp stoves need fuel, and to get your stove to light, you’ll need a lot of fuel, depending on the sort of stove you have. Stoves that run on alcohol, butane, gasoline, kerosene, or propane are common. A butane or propane-fueled stove, on the other hand, is arguably the safest and cleanest. These fuels come in portable, pressurized canisters that are easy to transport.

9. Cooking utensils

While there are many camp cooking utensil sets on the market, we found that most of them are poorly built and contain a lot of unnecessary stuff. The same is true for silverware: camping versions are just more costly and perform the same functions as regular cutlery. Consider the utensils you’ll most likely use and buy a specific camping set of each.

Here are a few items to consider:

Silverware (forks, knives, spoons)

Sharp knives, including protective sheaths

Tongs (metal and/or silicone)

Spatula (metal and/or silicone)

Ladle

Wooden Spoons

Can Opener

Bottle/Wine Opener

Flat Metal Skewers

Box Grater

Cutting Board

Slotted spoon

Ladle

Spatula

Cheese grater

Bottle opener

Colander

Scissors

Tin opener

10. Honorable Mentions

Camping in the woods is a great vacation option, but without the conveniences of home, things can get pretty tough. In recent years, there’s been a host of interesting products that have appeared on the scene. Here are some of them:

Hand-Cranked Blenders

Outdoor Ovens

Portable Espresso Machines

Kitchen unit

As a general rule, only bring the essentials to limit your camping cooking equipment to a bare minimum. Camping can be a way to get away from it all and get back to nature leaving behind our modern amenities. Don’t let the thought of outdoor cooking deter you.