Total fail

[tjm2]

Hi,

I am new here, and while I have done lots of camping, most of it was with the military. That means I never had to prepare my own meals other than pouring water into an MRE heater or fighting over the Tuna.

So I have a small stove for backpacking that I have used to heat up soup or water for oatmeal, etc, but since I wanted to get my son out camping I thought Id try a bigger one.

I picked up a two burner coleman propane stove, which works fine, and set out to try it with my old aluminum mess kit, like this one:

http://compare.ebay.com/like/3009115...Types&var=sbar

Boy did that not work out. The pan was too small for the bacon (I think - I'm not a cook by anyone's idea of the word), and I thought that cooking bacon would create enough grease on its own. (I never even got to the eggs.)

Well, I have a few ruined strips of bacon and one steel wool scrubbed aluminum pan telling me I was wrong. Also, the aluminum cup was too hot to hold with hot cocoa in it, same with the bowl when I poured in some soup. All in all this kit was not ideal for hot food.

Can you recommend a cook set for family camping? And maybe some resources for beginners? In the mean time it's sandwiches and oatmeal!

Thanks.

[05Kingquad700]

Re: Total fail

My favorite recipe site is allrecipes.com Buy a decent set of pans to fit your stove. I prefer cast iron, put a any pans/skillets that fit your stove will work. If you want to save some money go to a thrift store or goodwill. Practice cooking on the stove at the house, so you will be used to it when you camp. Keep It Simple, Sir Grilled ham and cheese is easy. Hamburgers and hot dogs are simple. Anything that just requires boiling water is easy. Rice, Pasta etc. The best thing to do is practice, practice, and practice. Consider it training for your next campout.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Total fail

tjm2, you've received good advice above.
The way I see it anything you cook at home can be accomplished outdoors.

Here's some more websites you might find of use:

http://www.rachaelray.com/food_search.php

and this page is filled with several other links to cooking sites with lots of beginning cooking recipes:

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/7-helpf...beginner-cook/

Oh and just a hint... when the bacon (or anything) is too big for the pan....cut it in half.

Have fun out there and welcome to the site.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Total fail

Forgot to post this link and she's soooooooo my grrl!:o

http://saramoulton.com/2013/02/my-banh-mi/

HTH!

[tjm2]

Re: Total fail

thanks all! I will be looking into those sites for ideas... for starters Im trying to find a good iron skillet at goodwill. I need to practice with my propane stove in the backyard.

As I read more about camp dining, it seems that pre-made meals is often a good idea.

[markkee]

Re: Total fail

@HogSnapper You are so correct about dehydrated foods being loaded with salt. I started making my own dehydrated food for camping trips. We don't vary the amount from our day to day cooking. We eat a lot of spicy food like habanero pepper, cayenne pepper, etc. My wife spent all day dehydrating onions, bell peppers, garlic, etc for flavoring.

[ContinualHarvest]

Re: Total fail

I always cut bacon slices in half. They seem to fit in my camping skillet better that way. Cast iron is the way to go. If you only buy 2 pieces of cookware, go for the Lodge 5 Quart Dutch Oven and the Cast Iron Skillet

[05Kingquad700]

Re: Total fail

I would just pick up a lodge cast iron from wally world. I think the 12" start at $20 and it is pre seasoned.

8" for $11. 12" for $19. my cast iron is still new, as I have had it for less than ten years.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Lodge-8-Ca...killet/5969627

[swebob]

Re: Total fail

What ive been using lately is 2 Coleman fry pans with folding handles, A large Imusa aluminium cup you can get at Walmart. All that serves me well since i only camp with a friend or my girlfriend

[Mike]

Re: Total fail

Hi,

I am new here, and while I have done lots of camping, most of it was with the military. That means I never had to prepare my own meals other than pouring water into an MRE heater or fighting over the Tuna.

So I have a small stove for backpacking that I have used to heat up soup or water for oatmeal, etc, but since I wanted to get my son out camping I thought Id try a bigger one.

I picked up a two burner coleman propane stove, which works fine, and set out to try it with my old aluminum mess kit, like this one:

http://compare.ebay.com/like/3009115...Types&var=sbar

Boy did that not work out. The pan was too small for the bacon (I think - I'm not a cook by anyone's idea of the word), and I thought that cooking bacon would create enough grease on its own. (I never even got to the eggs.)

Well, I have a few ruined strips of bacon and one steel wool scrubbed aluminum pan telling me I was wrong. Also, the aluminum cup was too hot to hold with hot cocoa in it, same with the bowl when I poured in some soup. All in all this kit was not ideal for hot food.

Can you recommend a cook set for family camping? And maybe some resources for beginners? In the mean time it's sandwiches and oatmeal!

Thanks.

Skip the camp cook sets. They don't offer much advantage other than space savings - and some don't even offer that.

Use the pots and pans you are accustomed to from your home kitchen OR, if your wife doesn't like that idea, get sometihing similar.

IF you are coooking exclusively over a propane stove, it is just like cooking at home. Just like at home, when you are camping, aluminum and stainless steel are not good for cooking.

If you will be cooking on an open fire, then cast iron is really nice.