Camp Cooking Essentials

If gourmet dining is more your thing & camp food doesn’t really excite, then you will be pleased to know, cooking outdoors isn’t all about Baked Beans, sausages & spuds cooked in coals…. it’s all in the preparation.

Whether you are using a barbecue grill & hot plate or camp oven & tinfoil over an open fire, packing a few key ingredients & essentials will go a long way to making your next alfresco experience a lot more enjoyable!

Cooking equipment

  • Stove, camp or Dutch oven, portable barbeque, cooking plate or grill.
  • Aluminum Foil, baking paper.
  • Pots, saucepans, frying pan, camp kettle.
  • Cooler, esky or fridge.
  • Small cutting board & cooking utensils such as tongs, skewers, baking trays, toasting rack, vegetable peeler, spatula.
  • Cups, plates, bowls & cutlery.
  • Dish cloths, sponges, environmentally friendly detergent, plastic tub for washing dishes.
  • Zip lock bags, rubbish bags, paper towels.
  • Heat proof glove for removing items from the fire.
  • large water jug or container.

Key pantry items

Whether you prefer your food fresh, tinned or packaged, you need to be prepared. Bread, milk, butter & meat can usually be bought along the way, but you will need to take the basics with you. Here are some suggestions for pantry staples:

  • Small bottle of olive oil
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Vinegar (for jellyfish stings as well as cooking)
  • Cereal
  • Pasta, Vermicelli, Noodles.
  • Flour – Plain & Self Raising.
  • Bi-Carb of Soda.
  • Golden Syrup, Honey, Rice or Maple Syrup.
  • Rice, Quinoa, Couscous.
  • Tinned beans - Cannellini, Aduki, Garbanzo, Red Kidney, Black beans.
  • Tinned tomatoes, sweet corn, lentils, chickpeas.
  • Small bottle of tomato ketchup &/or paste, barbecue or hot sauce.
  • Portions of dried herbs & spices in small zip lock bags.
  • Tea bags, coffee, sugar or sweeteners.
  • Lite cartons of fruit juice, frozen to use as ice packs in the cooler or esky.
  • Bottled water (some campsites have drinking water available but it pays to check before you get there).
  • Fresh Garlic, Turmeric, Ginger, Potatoes, Carrots & Beetroot.
  • Long life, condensed or powdered milk.
  • Condiments – Mustard, pickles, mayonnaise, Soy Sauce, Tahini.
  • Rice cakes & crisp breads (Salada or Rivita).
  • Tortillas & wraps (longer lasting than conventional breads).

Note:

Plastic air tight storage containers & zip lock bags are ideal to pack most of your cooking essentials, including your favourite pasta sauce, pre-made foods such as our Omelette in a Bag Recipe (link), meat rubs, Herb & spice blends (link), etc., they’re dustproof, waterproof, easy to store, durable enough to handle a few knocks and are transparent so you can quickly & easily locate the right contents.  

With these helpful tips, you will be making gourmet meals by the campfire friends & family will be talking about for years!

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