The Guide to Camp Cooking Essentials
As much as we’d love to live entirely off roasted marshmallows and afternoon sundowners, all campers should be equipped with a few basic camp cooking essentials for camping in Queensland. Just because you’re roughing it for the weekend, doesn’t mean you need to skimp on taste. If you’ve got the basics and all the right gear mixed with a little bit of planning, you’ll feel like you’re back at home in your kitchen. Ensuring that you are able to cook a decent meal whilst in the outback can be the difference between an enjoyable and crappy camping experience if food is high on the priority list. Make sure that you have enough food to last you for the duration of your camping trip and also consider a backup stash incase you loose some of your food along the way to any cheeky animals wanting to score a quick snag.
These days, you can get your hands on everything from camping pan sets, dinnerware and cooking utensils to reusable tablecloths and the most important item of all – the marshmallow roasting stick. Luckily, this is our area of expertise, and we’ve got enough experience to know exactly what you need to keep yourself fed on a getaway. Murphys Creek Escape has been around for a number of years and well we know our traditional bush camping. So here is a little guide that any beginner camper, tourist, weekend camper, backpacker or local families needing camping advice to get you started on your way to a more enjoyable camping cooking experience.
Basic Camp Cooking Essentials
Here are all the camp cooking essentials that you need to ensure you can focus on the important stuff. A.K.A kicking back and relaxing:
Cutting board and sharp knifes
Unless you’re going to wow us all by being super prepared and bringing all your meals chopped and ready to go, you’re going to need at least a couple of sharp knives and a chopping block. It’s also a great idea to consider picking up a knife with a protective sheath so that you can keep any wandering fingers out of harm’s way!
Cooking utensils
So, you’ve prepared all the food, and you’re ready to go, but what are you going to use to actually cook it all? Cue: cooking utensils. We find that most people can get away with just a few simple items, and you might be surprised just how creative you can get with what you’ve got. Consider packing a stirring spoon, spatula, tongs and a roll of heavy-duty aluminium foil – and that’s probably all you’ll need to get started.
Camping Cookware
There are so many fancy camping cookware gadgets and gizmos out there; it’s hard to know what’s worth it and what’s not. There are also some amazaing traditional Aussie camping staples that you can’t go wrong with! If you ask any Aussie, The real MVP in this department is undoubtedly a cast iron skillet with a lid. With one of these on hand, you can cook just about any camping recipe that you can find. The beauty of these is that it can be used on a camp stove, over a campfire or even on top of a bed of charcoal. The naturally non-stick surface, incredible heat retention and durability means it will last for years.
Seasonings
Whether you’re a budding MasterChef or you tend to stick to reheating packaged food, it only takes a few simple seasonings to really dress up a meal. The most common spices that we see our campers bringing along are salt, pepper, cayenne and chilli flakes. And these are typically accompanied by cooking oil, chilli sauce and mustard.
As these spices tend to last for quite a long time, we see plenty of people using bulk packages of their chosen condiments that they can leave stored with all their camping gear and then have ready to go when they set out on a trip. It’s also pretty easy to find all-in-one containers that will hold multiple seasonings and help you cut down on packing space.
If you are an avid fisherman then you may consider bringing a lemon, garlic and possibly some dill seasoning.
Colander or strainer
Some people may argue that you can get away without bringing a colander or strainer, but we do find that they make life a whole lot easier. Whether you’re draining your spaghetti, airing your rice or rinsing your veggies, this is hands down a must-have item on our packing list.
Reusable dinnerware
After you’ve prepared and cooked everything, you’re going to need something to serve it upon. Given our beautiful location and the abundance of wildlife on our doorstep, we encourage our campers to avoid using plastics where possible – and that includes dinnerware. Disposable plates, bowls and cutlery may save you time on washing up, but it’s going to be a hassle when it comes time to getting rid of your rubbish at the end of your trip. BYO a set of reusable dinnerware and you’ll be looking after the environment and reducing the rubbish that you’ll need to dispose of at the end of your trip too.
Reusable tablecloth
The beauty of camping is that you’re in the great outdoors and truly immersed in nature. That does mean things aren’t always going to stay as clean as they do when you’re at home – especially when it comes to cooking. For only a couple of dollars, a reusable tablecloth is an absolute lifesaver and the easiest way to ensure you’re eating in a clean space. And you might find you can use it in more than one way too. Picnic table covered in bird poo? Tablecloth. Unexpected rain? Cover your cooking gear with the tablecloth. Find a tear in your rain jacket? Use your reusable tablecloth to protect yourself from getting drenched.
Lighters and matches
When we say pack a lighter, we don’t mean just one. From our experience, these handy tools are just like socks. They always seem to go missing, and you can never find the one you want when you’re looking for it!! Bring a couple of lighters and throw in an extra box of matches too for when all your lighters eventually disappear. That way you’ll never have any struggles when it comes time to light your campfire.
Camp stove
As much as we love cooking food over the fire, packing a camp stove is great for a quick and easy feed or when you’re facing wet weather. There are plenty of basic two-burner set-ups that you can pick up for a bargain at your local camping store, as well as stacks of more expensive and upmarket options if you really want to go all out. We suggest finding a stove that packs up compactly as it won’t take up too much room in the car and will probably require less cleaning too!
Firewood
If you have access to bulk firewood then consider loading up your car with enough firewood to get you through a few days. If you aren’t so keen on packing in some firewood with all the camping gear, then most camp grounds who allow fires should have firewood bundles available for purchase.
Marshmallows and roasting stick
If you love the experience of cooking marshmallows over the fire as much as we do, you can make it even better with a specialised roasting stick. These telescopic tools are typically made from durable stainless stress, with a rubberised handle for comfort, which means you can use them again and again and again. Deigned to be hygienic and easy to clean, it’s never been easier to have some campfire fun with the whole family. And what’s a camping trip without a toasted marshmallow?
Garbage Bags
The most important part of camping is making sure you don’t litter and leave rubbish around any campgrounds. There are 1000’s of native wild life that live in camp grounds around Austtralia. No one likes to have to clean up a messy camp ground so take as much rubbish with you as possible and ensure your campsite is left as clean as possible.