camping cooking

Camping Cooking

Tips for Campsite Kitchens
By David Sweet, About.com

Camping is great outdoor recreation, but even though we are at
a campsite, there are still plenty of daily chores that will
need to be done to insure our comfort and well being. With the
activities of setting up camp and exploring your outdoor
destination, appetites usually soar, but then food always tastes
better at the campground anyway.

cooking gear

Besides wanting the expert outdoor chef to prepare the meals
(you'll surely find plenty of campground experts), you'll need a
volunteer or two to clean up the mess after everyone
has filled their tummys. Here's some tips to consider:

kitchen location

When arriving at your campsite, besides eyeing the location for
your tent or RV, keep in mind where you'll cook and eat. Look
for shade where possible.

Keeping foods cold

Keep all perishable foods well chilled. Place coolers in the
shade and check the ice daily for replenishing. If you're not
sure, ask where to get ice when checking into the campground. If
any food smells bad, pitch it.

Dry food storage

With dry foods, the only precautions are to be sure the items
are securely stowed out of site and off the ground so that
birds, ants, and other critters don't get into them. Store foods
so they won't get rained on, should you be camping in such a
climate.

Washing dishes

Don't wait! Boil some water, use a bio-degradable detergent,
and then clean and dry all your dishes. Not only is this good
hygiene, but cleaning up dirty dishes helps keep unwanted pests
out of your campsite.

Disposing of food wastes

Before washing the dishes, scrape all plates, pots, and pans
into a plastic garbage bag. Don't leave any food wastes around
the campsite, dispose of it in the camp dumpster, and store
leftovers in your cooler.

For precautions for Camping in Bear country

There are many specific things people can do to avoid attracting
bears, either grizzly or black. Good sanitation is a key to many
of these. Odors attract bears to potential food items. Carefully
controlling odors associated with food and prodcuts which
humans use, prevent bears from being conditioned to being
near people.
This means that we need to store food, garbage, cooking gear,
and cosmetics where bears cannot get them. Once conditioned,
a bear is dangerous. It may approach humans closely and come
into camps or near homes to search for food..==>Read more

Return to Home Page