There’s nothing more fun than cooking around a campfire with your family. If you want to elevate your camping meals and make your family trips more memorable than ever before, these seven tips can take your middle-of-the-woods culinary ventures to the next level. These tips are easy to implement, fun for the whole family, and will save you tons of time and stress while you’re whipping up your next mid-hike meal.
Table of Contents
Update your campfire cooking gear
First things first, you’ll need to equip yourself with top-tier outdoor cooking gear if you want to create gourmet food right from the comfort of your campsite. Cast iron pans, dutch ovens, and grates will go a long way towards helping you make those delicious fire-smoked camping meals. Organize your cookware and keep it nice and clean between camping trips for the best results.
Stay organized
Staying organized will allow you to know what ingredients you have on hand and plan your camping meals accordingly. The organization will also keep you from scrambling at the last minute or wasting valuable bonding time trying to figure out what to eat. Keep your food ingredients in labeled plastic sandwich baggies. You can organize these baggies by when you’re eating the food or by meals.
Make sure that you have all of your other camp essentials before you hit the road too. Even the best campfire meal can turn sour if you realize you forgot your sleeping bags or toilet paper.
Prepare in advance
Do as much prep work as you can in advance. Nobody wants to chop vegetables or make a marinade while at camp. Instead, take care of all of the pre-cooking from the comfort and convenience of your kitchen.
For example, if you want a hearty campfire chili, mix as many ingredients as you can, so it just needs to bubble up on the stove. Then, top it with some shredded cheese, and you have a great meal to warm the stomach and stoke the body’s energy.
Bring olive oil
Olive oil is an excellent way to add depth and flavor to your cooking. You can use it as a marinade base for meat, vegetables, or fish or whip up a quick salad dressing right on the fly. Since olive oil is so versatile, it’s worth its weight on an extended camping trip.
Reuse key ingredients
The biggest secret to campfire cooking success is to reuse critical ingredients. This simple tip will save you tons of space in your cooler and allow you to make meals that go together quickly. You will also be able to make the most out of your leftovers.
It’s a good idea to pick a theme before heading out and stick to ingredients that follow those flavor profiles.
Pre-make a special cocktail or mocktail
Sometimes a special cocktail or mocktail can help make your camping experience as festive as possible. As with some of the dishes on our list, you can make these cocktails or mocktails in advance and simply serve them up around the fire.
Make campfire croissants
Kids love campfire croissants, and they’re easy to make. Simply roll pre-packaged croissants around a camping stick and cook them over an open flame. The pastries will be crispy, browned, and delicious in no time.
In Conclusion
You don’t just have to eat beans and franks on your next camping trip. These elevated camping meal ideas will take your next vacation from ordinary to extraordinary.
Featured Photo by PNW Production from Pexels
