With the mountains beginning to shed their cold, icy layers and wild flowers bursting through their green fuses, it’s time for urban-dwellers to start thinking about returning to their primitive roots. We’ve compiled a list of essentials to keep at the ready for a backcountry cookery, campground culinary regale, or local park feast.
Our recommendations are for anyone: car-campers who venture to not-so-distant settings to breathe in the fresh air, veteran backpackers who answer the call of the wild on two feet, or romantics who surprise a partner with an open-flame meal and bottle of red.
Backpacker’s Kitchenette
Unless your grandfather is Grizzly Adams, you probably don’t have the knowledge to properly identify the hearty, oxidant-rich berry from nature’s alluring yet poisonous fruits. Make it easy on yourself and the rescue teams; bring a few essentials with you and cook up a fresh-caught trout.
When trekking with your necessities on your back, it’s best to go with a very compact canister-mounted burner like this Optimus Crux Stove. Remember you’ll need a separate skillet for boiling water, frying up a fresh ruby trout, or creating a mystery varmint sauté. Bring along a water purifier to eliminate uninvited, microscopic guests from your drinking and cooking water.
If weight is less important, this compact Jetboil cooking system boils quickly at high elevation and kicks consistent heat into the included 1.5L pot, even in the most severe weather. For prep, consumption, and clean-up, a simple backcountry kitchen setup is ideal. Finally, you’ll need the two most important items for everything from wilderness survival to outdoor Iron Chefdom: a well-endowed backcountry cooking knife (4-5 inch blade is best) and your great great great great uncle Thag’s most brilliant invention – fire.
Car-Camping/Picnic Kitchen
Local parks and established state and federal campgrounds provide the solitude you crave without forcing you to give up convenience. With a few simple tools, a little effort, and a big appetite, outdoor culinary delights are well within reach.
Your main cooking surface can be a self-contained two-burner stove, your favorite portable grill, or the open flame. Whether you’re concocting a delicious stew, frying up fajitas, or baking hobo potatoes, a trusty cast-iron skillet is indispensable. Durable pots are great for boiling and heat-resistant utensils, plates, bowls, and cups come in handy for more complex meals and multiple courses.
A large cooler, cutting board, large knife, can opener, bottle opener, aluminum foil, and a few hand towels round out your outdoor mise en place and ensure everything from bolognese to barbecue ribs come together with ease. When you’re channeling Bobby Flay, an elevated cooking/prep surface saves the day (and your back). If the the back end of your Vanagon won’t quite do, a lightweight, fold-up table comes in handy for cutting, marinating, and mixing. For those times when the sun is outpacing your grill, be sure you have a trusty headlamp to illuminate your fire-side kitchen, and don’t forget your biodegradable soap which won’t harm local plant and wildlife while you wash away the bear bait. Use a durable container for the storage and transportation of your insta-ready travel kitchen.
Outdoor Spice Rack
Most spices can be bought on the cheap in bulk at your local market. Bring the spices home, combine them into a single mix, and store the mix in a small container. Here are a couple of our outdoor kitchen staples.
Italian Seasoning
Great for that freshly caught trout, hearty pastas, grilled chicken and seafood, or soups, this recipe spices up many of your outdoor feasts. Prepare this mix for a three-ounce container, or slim it down for smaller vessels.
1½ tsp ground black pepper (or for extra flavor, lemon pepper)
2½ tsp garlic powder
2½ tsp dried oregano
1½ tsp onion powder
2½ tsp dried basil
2½ tsp dried thyme
Mix together in a small bowl, pour into a three-ounce lidded container, and season at will.
Meat and ‘Taters Seasoning
This seasoning spices up hobo potatoes, steaks and burgers, grilled chicken, chili, stew, and just about anything else you can conjure up to impress your friends around the summer campfire.
1½ tbsp Hungarian paprika
1 tbsp garlic powder
½ tbsp ground black pepper
½ tbsp onion powder
½ tbsp chili powder
½ tbsp oregano
½ tbsp thyme
1 tsp cayenne or chipotle chili powder
Mix in a small bowl, pour into your lidded three-ounce container, and let the salivating begin.
More to come …
As we head into spring, keep an eye out here for more backcountry recipes and cooking tips. Or … if you have some ideas of your own, post them below and we’ll start compiling a list.
Related Posts:
Tags: backpacking, Camp Chef, camping recipes, car camping, cooking, food