The Easiest Way for Managing Camp Cooking Sites

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By Jane Smith
eHow Contributing Writer

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You will enjoy managing your camp cooking site more if you plan your strategy while you are still at home. Consider sanitation, safe food storage, pest prevention, waste control and convenience as you decide what you will include in your camp kitchen and chuck box. Leave wrappers and packaging behind, pack multiple-use gear, plan menus to use the most perishable items first and use precooked, canned and dried foods as much as possible.

Pack Light

Packing light is especially important if you are primitive camping or backpacking. Repackage foods, cleaners and sanitizers to reduce the amount of waste you will need to pack back out with you. Leave glass at home. Broken glass can cause injuries and even start fires in dry, summer conditions by focusing sunlight on dried leaves, dead branches and paper trash left behind by less conscientious campers.

Multi-Task

Equip your camp kitchen with multiple-use items. A wok can be a cooking pot, wash basin or popcorn popper. Dutch ovens can be used to roast, boil, fry or bake. Use large mugs as soup bowls. Make a quick food prep counter with a cutting board and two flat rocks or cinder blocks, then use that same counter as a washing station for dishes and clothing.

Prepare Food at Home

Debone, marinate and freeze meats ahead of time. Cook poultry and pork at home to make tenders, chops and shredded meat. Blanch vegetables and fruits and freeze in one-meal quantities, based on the number of campers. Dehydrate fruits. Make jerky or pemmican. Create a meal plan that will use the most perishable foods first, with enough variety of cooking styles and flavors to keep camp meals interesting.

Keep It Cool

Use a separate cooler for meats, produce and beverages. Pack foods frozen solid, then cover with additional ice. Keep your coolers in shade, covered with a wet blanket. You can also anchor them in the shallows of a nearby creek, stream or pond. Open your coolers no more than twice a day, to keep food cold as long as possible.

Delegate

Make a task chart so everyone takes turns preparing, cooking and cleaning up after meals. Rotate tasks daily. Refer campers to the chart when they are not sure what needs to be done. Pour yourself a cup of cowboy coffee, put your feet up on a convenient stump and enjoy the sunset as the rest of your family gives you a well-earned break.

Don't Attract Wildlife

Hang all food, scented hygiene products and clothing worn while preparing food in a tree after dusk, 100 to 200 yards from where you intend to sleep. Padlock your coolers and chuck boxes. Use bear boxes if you are camping in their range. Burn paper trash if you are allowed to have fires. Police your food prep area for scraps and trash that could attract insect or animal pests. Avoid cooking strong-scented foods such as bacon, as bears and raccoons have keen noses. Place your cooking area 100 yards from your sleeping tents if space permits. Cook before you reach your daily campsite if you are backpacking.