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Family Involvement!
Outdoor Cooking!
Outdoor cooking can and should be a family activity. It makes an otherwise mundane chore something special. Eating is fun, as should be fixing the food you eat. However, to do this takes time and a-little effort; plan food preparation that will include the entire family. This activity will not only be educational but extremely rewarding.
Even cooking a hot-dog or marshmallow can be a real challenge to insure that it’s cooked just right and not burnt. Cooking, as you well know, is a learned skill; especially cooking outdoors with charcoal, wood, or a portable cook stove. This activity will require some hands-on training. Take time to talk about what you plan to cook, discuss safety, and practice fire building.
It can be fun to beat eggs, mix pan cakes, make milkshakes, or cherry cobbler providing you have the proper camping cookware, stove and/or campfire. Don’t be too ambitious, at first; but, based on the kid’s ages , do give them tasks to complete with each receiving an acknowledged task ownership. These type of experiences are character building – the memories will never fade away!
Storage of Heating and Cooking Stoves!
Before Storage "PM"!
Several times each year, I discuss the importance of taking care of your equipment. This not only includes maintenance but proper storage as well. The following tips might be useful to insure your heating equipment and cooking gear continues to provide the dependable service as expected:
- Clean all camping stoves and lighting equipment before storing for a long period. Make sure each item is working properly and if not, get it fixed before storing. If possible, place each device in its own protective case/storage container. This will insure protection, especially those items that have brittle glass parts.
- Check all cooking gear for possible damage and remove those that are completely useless. Take inventory and compile a list of missing items/components. This list will help you determine what is needed before your next camping trip.
- Clean all camping tools and utensils before storing. Care should be taken to insure all iron cook ware has been properly oiled. This must be done in-order-to prevent rust/corrosion. If possible, store items in separate containers. This will prevent cracks and scratches.
Point being, if you take care of it, it will take care of you. I still have the hunting knife used to skin my first “Mule Deer” buck over 50 years ago!
Cast Iron Cookware Seasoning!
Must Be Seasoned!
Cast Iron Cookware seasoning is a must. This is a gradual process where oil is baked into the pores of the iron to prevent rusting, and it will eventually add a non-stick cooking surface to the cookware. This thin layer of oil must be consistently applied before each use, or it won’t cure properly. The more use, the better seasoned it becomes.
Tips:
- The best oil to use when seasoning is vegetable oil. Slight inconsistencies may appear in the seasoned finish, but it shouldn’t effect its cooking performance.
- Do not use soap or detergent to clean your cast-iron cookware; it will breakdown the seasoning process.
- Use wood or silicone utensils to avoid cookware scratching.
If properly taken care-of, this durable camping cookware will last forever.
Cast Iron Cookware Rust Removal!
Rust Removal!
Rust on Cast Iron Cookware indicates that the seasoning/curing needs to be replenished or replaced:
- Flash Rusting – Normally, slight rust on a new piece of iron cookware is flash rusting. Put some vegetable oil on a cloth and rub the area briskly. This should fix the affected area.
- Profile Rusting – This is rust that can be seen and felt on the cookware. To remove it, you should use a very fine grade of steel wool or abrasive pad such as SOS, Brillo, etc. to scrub the affected area. When the cookware has been scrubbed down to the raw/bare cast iron, re-season/cure immediately.
- Severe Rust – If the rust covers most of the cookware’s surface, it is considered severe. To salvage the cookware, you must take it to a local machine shop or auto body shop and have it sandblasted back to the original form. Once done, the camping cookware must be seasoned/cured immediately (see article (this blog) for seasoning)).
Open-fire Cooking Refresher!
You can almost smell it!
You don’t really need a large fire to cook your food. Smaller is probably better than larger. Think about your flame producing stove at home, how much flame do you need to fry that chicken or even boil water. The key is the amount and proximity of the heat source to the item being cooked. Cooking on an open fire is not an exact science and will require some trial/error.
With corn, potatoes, and other hard vegetables – you can wrap in aluminum foil and place directly in the hot coals, turn periodically and remove when done. A medium size potato or ear of corn will take about 30 minutes. If it’s cooking too fast, you can always remove the item and place back in the coals later for final cooking.
When using a grill, don’t place it too close to the fire. This will keep you from burning-up your cookware and what-ever you’re cooking. Simply add a few twigs/wood when needed to keep the flame constant but not blazing. Cooking with your camping cookware over an open fire definitely requires a little experience. Do not be too disappointed or hard on yourself if you have problems – PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE will make it perfect!
Cherry Cobbler!
Scrumptious!
As I have stated previously, a Dutch Oven can be used to prepare just about any and all food products. This recipe for Cherry Cobbler has proven to be popular with both kids and adults:
Ingredients:
- 3 cans of cherry pie filling;
- 1 can of biscuits;
- Brown Sugar;
- Non-stick cooking spray.
Preparation:
- Spray the inside of your camping cookware (Dutch Oven) with non-stick cooking spray;
- Pour the 3 cans of pie filling into the Dutch Oven;
- Open your canned biscuits and place over the pie filling.
- Sprinkle with brown sugar;
- Place over hot coals and cook for 20-30 minutes or until the biscuits are flaky and brown.
You should try this on the first day while the ice cream is still frozen. Nothing tops it off like a scoop of ice cream sprinkled with diced pecans, do ENJOY!
Dutch Oven!
Multi-Purpose!
The biggest advantage of a Dutch Oven is its versatility. It can be used to cook a variety of dishes in many different ways. Most folk do not know that you can fry bacon and eggs; roast meats; make soups, stews and casseroles; even bake a cake, cobbler, or biscuits in a Dutch Oven. Actually, there aren’t too many things you can’t cook in one.
This unique addition to your camping cookware can be used to cook with a variety of cooking sources. Whether it be indoors or outdoors, the Dutch Oven can be used to cook on top of the stove, in the oven, or over an open fire/charcoals. It’s use is perfect in the coals of an outdoor fire, on an outdoor grill, or even on top of your wood stove. The Dutch oven is a critical must for the outdoor cooking enthusiast. It will simplify the enjoyable task of preparing food and give you more time with less effort, ENJOY!
A Good Outdoor Chef?
Good enough to eat!
The mark of a good Outdoor Chef is one who can anticipate needs, do more than one thing at a time, and above all MAINTAIN THEIR COOL! But, in compliance, they never reinvent the wheel.
Over the years, outdoor cooks have figured-out ways to cook meals using a campfire. The most basic method used is direct heat. This can be done by wrapping food items in aluminum foil and placing in the hot coals; but, it will require frequent checking to keep from burning. However, it’ll do the job for those things needing high-heat. The second and most frequently form of direct heat is to configure and place a grate/grill over the fire. Putting food or cookware on the grate/grill will result in less direct heat than placing items in the coals, but it’ll take longer to cook. The following supplemental tips should make the job a little quicker, more enjoyable, and less stressful:
- Bring a good supply of aluminum foil – there are many uses!
- Cover pots whenever cooking outdoors; it’s not only cleaner, but it cooks faster and saves fuel.
- Use fireproof camping cookware; keep the handles away from extreme heat and flames.
- Safe-guard matches and keep them in a water-proof container.
Cowboy Coffee!
Good, Strong Coffee!
I do recall some of my earlier childhood camping trips, most included extended family members – grandparents, aunts/uncles, and some cousins. They were always eventful affairs and never short on drama. I remember Granddad’s thing was his coffee and nobody could make it like he could. Granddad claimed that it was given to him by his father, who had been a working cowboy and county sheriff in the wilds of eastern Arizona.
I remember asking the difference between Hobo and Cowboy coffee. As I recall, he said that the basic brewing process and ingredients were the same. The desired result was that it be strong, would wake you up, and get you going for the day. Each requires a camping cookware pot, coffee grounds, and water.
- Fill pot/can with cold water;
- Add one rounded tablespoon of ground coffee for each two (2) cups of water (add grounds directly to water);
- Bring water to a rolling boil and then take off heat;
- Add a tad (couple tablespoons) of cold water.to settle coffee grounds;
- Allow coffee to set a couple minutes;
- Pour and enjoy.
Quick and Easy!
Usable, Durable, Easy-to-Clean!
Finding-out at the camp-site that your cookware will not provide the services needed is a real bummer. I’ve always been an advocate for thorough thought/preparation and if applied, not normally dully rewarded. Good camping cookware must be usable, durable, and easy-to-clean:
- It should be simple, uncomplicated, and easy-to-use under all kind of weather conditions. Ideally, it would be multi-purpose: silverware that doubles as a fork/spoon; or, a bowl that is shallow enough to also be used as a plate.
- Buying paper/plastic for each and every camping trip is not the solution. Purchasing something that is durable, last a life-time, and won’t be effected by the rigors of packing/unpacking and hard travel.
- Non-stick and easy-to-clean camping cookware is the way to go. No one likes spending an inordinate amount of time cleaning dishes when the fish are jumping. Plus, if you’re camping in the rough, there might be a limited amount of water.
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