Every year, more and more of us are hitting those campsites and connecting with the great outdoors. 

There are 86 million households across America that identify as active campers. The pandemic inspired 10.1 million to get out and camp for the first time in 2020.

But although we might be willing to rough it a little, there’s something many of us just won’t compromise on. Cooking in camp might not be haute cuisine, but it needs to come pretty close. Otherwise, you won’t get us back out there next year.

Let’s take a look at how to combine gourmet cooking with camp ovens and stoves. 

Preparing for Cooking in Camp

Creating gourmet delights on a camp stove begins with assembling your camping cooking gear. You will need:

• Camp stove with fuel (propane is ideal)
• Camping lighters
• Cast iron skillets
• Cast iron dutch oven
• Camping kettle
• Various utensils (a selection you regularly use at home, including knives and a can opener)
• Oven mitts
• At least one cooler

You can do a lot with these basic tools.

But you’re going to need some outdoor dinnerware. Enter Barebones camping dishes. Oh, and don’t forget to throw in some silverware unless you love eating with your hands.

Food Preparation

Camping used to be all baked beans but that doesn’t cut it anymore. Create a meticulous meal plan based on using only one or two pots.

Unless you want to spend your whole vacation camp cooking, it’s a good idea to keep it classy but simple.  

Prepping your cooler is key. It’s a good idea to keep a separate one for drinks so you can keep your meats and dairy products cool for as long as possible. Ideally, freeze your meats ahead of time so they also help to keep the cooler as cold as possible.

We suggest skipping the appetizer and focusing on entrees and dessert. Here’s a little entree inspiration:

• Shrimp boil foil packets
• Campfire beef tacos
• Dutch oven lasagna
• Campfire Thai egg fried rice

These are classic, luxurious dishes that you can create from ingredients that won’t go bad in a hurry. They are low prep so you won’t have to spend a lot of time awkwardly preparing vegetables.

Remember, spice mixes are your friend. Think Old Bay for the shrimp boil foil packets, fajita seasoning for the fish tacos, and Italian seasoning for the lasagna. The egg fried rice just needs soy and fish sauce, both small bottles you can fit into your provisions box.

Gourmet Desserts

Obviously, ice cream is not an option. But classy cakes in cast iron skillets? Oh yeah!

Dutch oven apple pie is well worth the effort. You can take some shortcuts, like storebought ready-rolled pastry and even canned fruit fillings. But nobody will care that you cut corners when you present apple pie!

Throw a box of cake mix in the trunk and you’re halfway to a skillet upside-down cake! With a little forethought, camping cooking can be seriously gourmet without a lot of effort.

Ready for Some Gourmet Camping?

Cooking in camp doesn’t have to be hot dogs and beans. With the right camping cook set and a little preparation, you can whip up luxurious meals in the middle of nowhere!

For more helpful hints and tips on getting the most out of your vacation, head over to our Travel section today!