Where Should I Cook When Camping
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Camping is a great way to spend time outdoors and bond with family, but it often begs the question: what’s for dinner? It’s possible to enhance any outdoors experience by whipping up something quickly and effectively, but it all comes down to finding a heat source and having the right cookware as well as utensils on-hand. The location of the cooking stove or fire also makes a big difference, and for health and safety reasons, it’s never something to do inside of a tent.
What To Avoid
As mentioned, it’s important to cook outside of the tent in a properly ventilated area. Tents contain fire-retardant materials, but that still doesn’t make them adequately safe for cooking. Additionally, the lack of ventilation within the confines of a tent could cause a buildup of carbon monoxide and put campers at risk.
The only exception to this rule is if a tent has a specialty cooking pod and has been manufactured to allow for indoor cooking. The open canopy design of these dwellings ensures that the area gets plenty of ventilation, therefore, it is safe to cook.
Outside of the tent is by all accounts the best place to carry out food prep and cooking while camping. Creating a camp kitchen is fairly simple and campers have the ability to customize the area completely to their own specifications.
How To Set Up The Cooking Area
As the cooking is done outdoors, it’s still beneficial to have some type of coverage. A kitchen shelter is a great way to protect foodstuffs from the elements and it’s easy to do with a tarp. Additionally, tarps come in many sizes that make them easy to accommodate a wide range of areas when camping.
After the tarp is erected, a windbreak is necessary to control the wind. Apart from controlling the wind and keeping it away from the flames of the cooking fire, it can also deter campers from wandering near the kitchen area.
Once the tarp and windbreak are properly placed away from the tent, it’s important to set-up the gas camping stove or campfire. Though a single hob stove is acceptable, a two hob stove makes cooking outdoors much easier. It’s a convenient way to prepare foods, but some campers may prefer an old-fashioned campfire.
Campfires are able to infuse prepared foods with a smoky flavor, but as such, fires are harder to control and some campgrounds don’t allow them any longer. A much safer and better alternative to traditional campfires are fire pits or barbecues that still provide great flavor while adhering to strict campground rules.
Read this article to see how to clean your camping stove.
Storing Foods And Perishables
A table is by all accounts necessary to carry out food prep and a storage place is needed to store all of the cutlery, plates, and utensils. Metal or plastic folding tables are both affordable and sturdy options. For the food itself, many campers also prefer to bring cold storage options such as a cooler to prevent spoilage and to store finished foods away from wild animals.
If you want more tips on how to cook in bear country then read this article.
