The Best Must-Have Camp Cooking Gear: Utensils and Kitchen Aids

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Most experienced campers know that mealtime is a lot easier when it is pre-planned and organized. This tip includes having the right cooking utensils and kitchen aids.

Naturally, the best tools will vary with each camper’s cooking style. However, here are some items that most campers will agree are must-have camp cooking gear and kitchen tools that will make cooking while camping the best experience.

Must-Have Camp Cooking Gear: Utensils and Kitchen Aids

This isn’t about price. It’s about those items that are bigger than a bread box, such as ice chests and storage containers, essential to an enjoyable camping experience.

Big Kitchen Items for Camping

Novice campers will likely learn quickly because being well-organized means not ending up at the campgrounds without a necessary cooking utensil. Using some type of storage system allows campers to keep camping gear organized when not in use, but it also comes in handy when packing the car.

Plus, by keeping like items together with one section for things such as paper towels, napkins, heavy-duty foil and trash bags, another part for cookware and utensils, and so on, it means that a quick inventory of sections tells campers what kitchen items need to be replaced.

Other large kitchen items that campers will likely find essential to their trip include coolers (check out the Coleman Party Stacker Cooler), a camp stove, and fuel (the Texsport Dual 2 Burner Propane Stove with Matchless Push Button Piezo Ignition Starter is lightweight and starts with a push of a button), charcoal and fire grate for cooking over the fire pit. Let’s not forget an assortment of pots and pans.

New campers may want to borrow cooking gear from friends before investing in many new cooking items. However, for those ready to take the plunge, don’t be without a cast-iron Dutch oven. This tripod wonder comes in several sizes and makes all the difference when cooking over an open fire.

And for campers who are really into the whole camp kitchen scene, for $100 to $200 Cabela’s Standard Camp Kitchen just might get their juices flowing.

Small Kitchen Items for Camping

Now that the large items are out of the way, cooking while camping is all about the small stuff; those things that most campers overlook.

From a strict preparation point of view, there is a variety of kitchenware that could come in handy, depending on the cook’s skill and technique. However, here are a dozen of the most critical pieces campers should have in their cooking arsenal:

•   Measuring cups/spoons*
•   Coffee pot/thermos
•   Water container
•   Cutting board*
•   Colander*
•   Tongs*
•   Knives*
•   Spatula*
•   Cooking fork & spoon*
•   Skewers*
•   Peeler*
•   Cooking mitts/potholders*

*Our budget-friendly tip? Hit your local dollar store for these items. Also, campers will want a set of dishes and eating utensils to enjoy their culinary accomplishments. Plus, don’t forget a good can opener (a personal favorite is the Kuhn Rikon Auto Safety Lid Lifter).

And there it is. Camping is all about being prepared. Whether that means the larger storage items or the smaller prep items, creating a camp kitchen that includes having the right camping cooking utensils and kitchen items is essential to creating a positive camping experience.

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