Now I’m no cook, in fact some good old fashioned two minute noodles at home will do me just fine. However, when it comes to cooking at camp something is just different. There’s nothing I love more than after a big day of adventures coming back and cooking up and absolute storm. You really can’t get much better than a quality feed at camp. Although to truly pull off a fine masterpiece of a meal at camp the first thing you need is some good ingredients. So, before your next trip stop into your butcher and supermarket and pick up the necessary goodies.

One thing people do happen to forget when cooking at camp is the fact that ingredients is only half the job. Having the right cooking gear is what really makes or breaks a great meal at camp. In this post I’ll run through some of my favourite pieces of cooking gear that I love bringing to camp. However, having the right cooking gear in fact starts before you even leave home.

Before you go on your trip especially if you’re planning on going on a long trip grab yourself a vacuum sealer. The great thing about vac sealing your food and most importantly your meat is that it can make your food lasting up to five times longer. Vac sealing your food not only keeps it lasting longer it also locks in that fresh taste. So, to get the most out of your tasty meat’s vac seal them in either a reusable premade bag, vac seal compatible container or make your own sized bag from a vacuum seal roll.

Next on my list of cooking gear that I love bringing on my adventures to help me cook some tasty meals is a cast iron cooking set. Cast iron has been used by chefs in commercial kitchens for many years. The reason for this is it’s extremely durable so not only does it work perfectly for the fast pace of a kitchen, but also for the rough and tumble of a four wheel driving adventure. Cast iron is not only durable but requires minimal cleaning and maintenance. One of the key reason chefs love to use cast iron as part of their cooking gear is its ability to evenly distribute heat, allowing you at camp to cook to perfection. Although the true secret weapon of cast iron is the fact it’s known to over time hold in flavour so the more you actually use it the better it becomes.

My favourite piece of cast iron cooking gear is in fact a dutch oven. Personally, I think roast aren’t just for Sundays, I love a beautiful camp roast that’s why a dutch oven is a perfect piece of camping gear. Dutch ovens are renowned for their ability to conduct and transfer heat from all directions evenly transferring it to the food inside. Hence why they are perfect for cooking a thick roast as rather than cooking just the bottom first they evenly “roast” the meat from all direction. Most dutch ovens feature a lid lip that allows you to securely place coals on top with ease. With my quality cast iron Dutch Oven I’m always the envy of the campsite as I waft smells of a beautiful slow cook pot roast on the fire.

For the ability to cook a vast array of meals a cast iron skillet or frypan is certainly a must have piece of cooking gear. Around 26cm is the ideal size without being too large that its annoying to pack. These are extremely versatile frypans as they can be placed on anything from the BBQ to the open fire. Make sure it is 50mm deep so that cooking stews is a breeze. Plus, to get the most from your skillet get one that features dual pouring lips so that you can cleanly and easily serve onto a plate straight from the hot pan. Due to the cast iron construction these pans will not only clean easy but will provide a perfect non-stick cooking surface.

To really make the most of camp cooking you need to make use of the open fire. Sometimes things just taste better when cooked on a raw open fire. So, in that case add a griddle to your cooking gear essentials. A 50cm size is what you should aim for so it can be large enough for a good sized fire. As a quality cast iron griddle can literally be chucked straight onto the hot fire. Not only that but to get the best of both worlds get a griddle that is reversable. A reversable griddle is a great handy piece of cooking gear. One side is smooth and therefore a perfect flat surface ideal for breakfast foods like bacon and eggs or even French toast.  Flip it over, and the other side however features elevated grill ridges which is perfect come dinner time so you can cook a beautiful steak. The elevated ridges will not only give you crispy grill marks but separating your food from the grease they will also help reduce fat absorption. So, to cook tasty restaurant looking steak a reversable griddle is the ultimate piece of cooking gear.

Now some people believe saucepans aren’t necessary, in order to not only get the best meal but with the least amount of hassle you want the right tool for the right job. So, grab yourself a 19cm sized saucepan to add to your cooking gear. They’re perfect for boiling water but also a saucepan excels at cooking anything that’s mostly liquid. The design is made for simmering so for me it’s ideal for cooking my Grandma’s famous pasta sauce recipe.  

To complete your cooking gear I’d recommend some essential accessories like a lid lifter to safely remove your Dutch oven and saucepan lids plus a trivet to prevent burning your table and improve your cooking.

Hopefully you’ve found my advice helpful, so for your next camping adventure you too can bring along the best cooking gear to cook yourself up beautiful camp meal.