Camping Cookware:
Building Your Own Camp Kitchen

Camping cookware is a bit different than a regular
kitchen. When you’re cooking at home you always have what
you need. Got a can to open? Reach for the manual or
electric can opener. Got a pork loin that needs slicing?
Grab the appropriate knife. If the right tool isn’t
immediately handy chances are it’s residing in the
“junk” drawer.

This isn’t always true in a camp kitchen. Usually there is
a limited number of cooking tools. Often enough you have
to really improvise---such as opening that can with a belt
knife or camp axe. Even housekeeping units and camping
cabins are stocked with a minimal amount of kitchenware;
which often leads to problems cooking the dish you have
in mind.

The solution: A portable kit holding the tools and
gadgets you’ll likely need.

“Do I need to bring any camping cookware,” I asked.

We’d been invited on a three-day trout fishing trip with a local club. Idea was to set up a camp with a central kitchen, and all the cooking would be done there.

“Oh, no!” came the reply. “Charlie has a complete outfit, and we’ll be using that.”

Turns out, Charlie’s “complete outfit” was one of those chuck boxes he’d built while in the scouts. Trouble is, the box held next to nothing in the way of camping cookware. There was a set of nesting pots, a couple of mess kits, and a few other odds and ends. Nary a knife or even a barbecue fork, let alone serious cooking tools.

Sure, we made do. But cooking for eight with only a couple of six-inch aluminum skillets really made the job difficult.

That wasn’t the only time we’d run into this problem. I remember the first cabin we rented, which was supposed to have a fully furnished camp kitchen. Uh, huh! Apparently, the folks who owned it never use canned goods because the place lacked a can opener, among many other elements of camping cookware. No mixing bowls. No spatulas. And only one knife, which hadn’t been sharpened since the time it had been purchased in a discount store.

After several such experiences you start looking for ways to prevent this problem. Initially, like most people, we’d grab stuff from the house. Knowing the likelihood of decent knives ranged from slim to none, for instance, I’d bring my own kitchen knives. And a can opener. And whatever else I thought we might need on that camping trip.

Unfortunately, even with a list of needed kitchen tools, we’d always forget something. And, frankly, I always found it bothersome to rummage around in my household cookware, and then have to put it all back when we returned.

The solution was obvious. A portable kitchen kit that would always hold the camping cookware we’d need. The idea was to eliminate any reason to pack our regular kitchen stuff for a camping trip---or at least minimize it.

Such a kit, I felt, had to be large enough to hold what we’d need, but compact enough so that it took up as little space as possible. Keep in mind that it has to serve when we’re tent camping as well as when we’re renting a cabin or housekeeping unit. In addition to the everyday tools and gadgets, I wanted to include specialty items for the kinds of things we cook.

Cooking is an integral part of how we camp. So the camping cookware items would have to be high quality, not the discount store and Salvation Army junk so often found in a camp kitchen.

What actually goes into a portable camp kitchen? There are two categories: those items everybody needs, and those which fit your specific cooking style. For instance, a chef’s knife should be in everyone’s kit. But if you’re not big on fresh seafood, there’s no need for an oyster knife taking up space.

Try as you might, you won’t get it right the first time you assemble such a camping kitchen kit. So the first thing to go in it should be a small notebook and pen. As you discover things that should be added or deleted you immediately make a note of it. Trust me, if you don’t write it down you will not remember things that need to be included or deleted.

Even before the notebook, however, you have to decide on a container for your camping cookware. I’ve found that plastic toolboxes work best for this purpose. Initially you’ll probably choose one that is too small; but they’re cheap enough to replace. And you can always find a use for the smaller one. Our current box measures roughly 20 x 11 x 7 inches, and you’d be surprised how much you can cram into a box that size. For convenience sake, I prefer a one with a lift-out tool tray. Smaller items go in that tray, and everything else goes into the main box.

No two camp cooks will choose the same items for their kit. Much depends on cooking style and how much the individual is willing to use particular tools as multi-taskers. But to help you get started assembling your own camping cookware kit, here’s what goes in mine:

• Knives. For me, knives are the most important part of any kitchen, whether at home or in camp. My kit has four: a chef’s knife, a filet knife, a slicing knife, and a utility/paring knife. Don’t forget a sharpener, while you’re at it, for touching up the blades as needed. One of those plastic-handled dohickies, with the ceramic rods, works just fine.
  
  Do not keep exposed blades in the kit. On one hand, that’s a dangerous practice. But it’s also bad for the knives. If your knives did not come with a protective sleeve it’s a simple job to custom make them out of cardboard.
  
  Although strictly speaking not a knife, a vegetable peeler is also included. Sure, you can use the paring knife for that purpose. But the peeler really makes the job more efficient.



• Measuring tools. I keep a set of measuring cups and measuring spoons in my kit at all times. At home I separate cups and spoons. But for the ones in the kit I keep the rings attached, so that the individual cups and spoons do not go astray. As an alternative there’s nothing wrong with using a single graduated cup for all measurements if that’s your preference. In my experience, however, adjustable measuring spoons do not work, and you’re better off with a set.



• Opening tools. As noted, a can opener is de rigueur for a portable kit. But there are others. Don’t forget a corkscrew, for instance, if you’re wine drinkers.



• Stirring, mixing, and flipping tools. Ever try making a pot of chili for a crowd using just a soup spoon? Best that can be said is that it can be done, sort of. My kit includes a selection of mixing spoons, spatulas, and tongs to do the tasks right. I even have a set of those oversized “turkey” forks. Frankly, they’re worthless for lifting a turkey. But they’re ideal for other jobs, such as turning and lifting a pork loin.
  
  Don’t forget that the style of these tools used in the kitchen may or may not be the same as you’d use on an open fire or grill. So you may have to double up on them.



• Special purpose tools. These are the implements and gadgets you need for the kind of cooking you do. For instance, we spend a lot of time camping by the shore, and seafood is a big part of our diet on such trips. So my kit contains the tools necessary for that. Included are a fish scaler, oyster knives, a claw cracker, seafood mallets, and a set of seafood picks. My camping cookware kit also includes a set of waterproof, non-slip gloves used for shucking oysters and cleaning fish.
  
  
  
  

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