Camping Cookware: A Beginners Guide

My husband and I recently went on a road trip through Nevada, Arizona, up through Utah to Idaho where we spent most of our time camping on the banks of the South Fork of the Boise River.  On our way through Utah we were lucky enough to  be able to stop by the home office of Camp Chef, maker of all things camp cooking. They so graciously gifted us with some of their amazing camp cookware. We excitedly loaded up the gear and headed off on our adventure. We have used Camp Chef stoves and their Camping Cookware for years without having any affiliation with them, but the newest gear they sent us away with, was FANTASTIC!!

Prepare amazing meals with the perfect Camping Cookware!!

By far my favorite piece of Camping Cookware has to be the 14 inch iron skillet with lid.  While it is an iron skillet, I also consider it a Dutch oven and use it as such, because of the heavy duty nature.  It can sit on hot coals and it has a flat lid which I was able to pile additional coals on top of. This is a must and is required to create the oven atmosphere needed in that kind of campfire cooking. While we camped by the banks of a raging river, I made what I call, Dutch Oven Lasagna in this huge skillet and it was amazing!!

Since this Camping Cookware was a brand new item I had never used before, it was important to season the skillet before using it, to prevent sticking. I cleaned the skillet and heated it over the fire to dry. When it was hot, I then poured cooking oil into it and spread it around with a paper towel and then once again set it on the fire until it was screaming hot! I then removed it from the fire and let it cool. Once it was cool, I christened it with the Dutch Oven Lasagna (see my previous post of this).  It was the perfect size to feed a hungry crowd and deep enough and heavy duty enough to bake lasagna to perfection! Because I had seasoned it beforehand, clean up was a breeze, with just hot water!

I have a Camp Chef 12 inch Dutch oven at home which is one of my reliable campfire work horses, but this new 16 inch Dutch oven is HUGE!  I already have plans for making my famous One Pot Dinner in this with its smoky beans, bacon and beef in a rich BBQ sauce.  I can’t wait!  We often travel to off-road destinations where we meet up with other overland adventurers and there is invariably a Dutch oven cook off at some point. I am eager to get this baby entered and bring home the blue ribbon!

We always have either hot coffee or cocoa for breakfast and late at night, while sitting around the fire, so we make sure a kettle is always a part of our Camping Cookware. Camp Chef has a perfect little kettle for heating up our water or coffee and it fits perfectly in our camp box without being cumbersome.

Don’t settle for mediocre meals, use my Camping Cookware: A Beginners Guide to set you up for eating like a king!!

Craig’s favorite Camping Cookware item is the Camp Chef Pro 60X! This is the newer, updated and might I add, “snazzier” version of the 2 burner Camp Chef cook stove we had been using for years.  While our older model is still strong and reliable, this newer updated model is our new go-to. Right off the bat, I have to start with the fact that it has the option of a travel case with wheels, so we can roll it around rather than having to carry it.  Important for me, is it has a matchless ignition and 3-sided wind screen because there seems to be some sort of Murphy’s Law going on when I start cooking, it gets crazy, windy!  The 3-sided wind screen helps keep the flames on my burners strong and steady for more reliable heat.  It has the grate of course, but now has 3 burners which allows us to put several large skillets or pots on it at the same time. The heavy duty griddle that is designed for this, is a must for frying up burgers, bacon and sausage, hash browns and of course morning pancakes.

It may sound odd, but we always take along a propane fire pit when we camp. Typically we burn wood for our campfires, but there are times during the year where wood burning campfires are banned. To me, the very best part of camping is the campfire, so this is where the Camp Chef Propane Fire Pit comes in. It is a “forest friendly” campfire with lava rock and and a handy carrying bag. These propane fire rings are allowed under most fire bans because they are controlled. You will want to check with the local ranger in your area though. It captures the campfire ambiance I love and becomes the center for our gatherings.

I can’t say enough about the quality and durability of these Camp Chef Dutch ovens, skillets and stoves.  They have been our go-to for many, many years of camping and will continue to be the standard by which we measure reliable, economical  and functional camping cookware.

What if your favorite piece of Camping Cookware?