After too many years of getting stuck in mealplans that I didn't care for or doing a half-assed job of trying to feed myself, I finally realized that I would be much happier if I put together my own proper camp kitchen. Then I would have the right equipment and tools, and I would be able to cook the food that I wanted to eat, when I wanted to eat it.

While I certainly have respect for those who choose to cook period recipes in a period fashion, I knew that was not the path for me. Instead my goal was to build a modern camp kitchen that was as versatile as possible, while also remaining compact and easy to set up. I think that over time I've accomplished this goal rather well. So I've decided to share what I've learned, in the hopes that it will speed the process for others.

Building Your Kitchen

A good way to get started is to go through your kitchen at home and consider each item you own.

• Is there a camp kitchen equivalent of it?
• Is it practical to take camping?
• Would you even want to take it camping?
• Do you really need all of it?

When you get to your collection of dishes and flatware, you need to make a decision. Do you want real ones in your camp kitchen, or do you want to use disposables? Real dishes and flatware are friendlier to the environment, but disposables require much less cleanup and reduce the risk of contagion.

Prioritizing Your List

Check off:

• Everything you already own that is exclusively part of your camp kitchen.
• Everything you already own in your regular kitchen, that you don't mind taking camping.
• Anything you can borrow from friends or family.

Putting It All Together

Running Your Kitchen

Planning Your Meals

Well before the event decide what each day's meals will be, being sure not to forget beverages. Then compile a list of ingredients to use as your shopping list when you go to the store.

Go through your shopping list, and make a note of any ingredients that you want to take with you rather than buying for the occasion. You might want to do this if the item is an obscure or specialty item not readily available in most stores, such as a favorite brand of sauce mix. Or the item might be something that is only sold in quantities vastly larger than what you will need, such as spices or grains. Be sure to pack any of these types of ingredients and also check them off on your shopping list.

When packing your vehicle, make sure your shopping list is in an easily accessible location.

Shopping

If the event is longer than a couple of days, buy all dry goods, canned goods, and not very perishable items (vegetables, cheese) on your list. But only buy the first few days worth of highly perishable items (meat, milk). Go on brief shopping trips as many times as needed during the event to obtain the next few days worth of perishables.

Suggestions and Ideas

• When choosing items for your camp kitchen, consider making choices that you would not normally make. For example, I normally do not use non-stick pans. However, I chose a non-stick frying pan for my camp kitchen because it does make cleanup a lot easier. (If you do choose a non-stick pan, I recommend making a cloth case for it, so that it will be protected from scratches when in transit.) I also don't normally cook with aluminum pans, but I chose an aluminum stockpot for weight and cost considerations.
• When choosing items also keep in mind how everything will fit together in the container, and be flexible about your choices. For example, I really don't need a ten quart stockpot in my kitchen, as a six quart pot would easily hold the largest quantity of food I would ever want to make. But I chose a ten quart pot anyway because it was large enough that my whistling kettle fit inside, allowing me to make more efficient use of my packing space.
• Try to pick a color scheme for your camp kitchen that is different than your regular kitchen. At the very least, try not to buy items for your camp kitchen that are identical to items in your regular kitchen. Then if items from your camp kitchen ever make their way into your real kitchen (or vice versa), they will stick out and be easy to identify as being in the wrong place.
• If you have long hair, consider keeping a small supply of hairties in your camp kitchen.
• Consider placing some items that you want for your camp kitchen onto a birthday or holiday wishlist.
• If you are buying a lot of groceries, try to get an empty box from the store to use to organize all the dry and canned goods once you are back in camp. If you are buying a lot of bottled water, try to get a case (6 gallons), so that you can use that box.
• To the best of your ability, try to wash the dishes as soon as possible after eating. The longer you let them sit, the harder they'll be to clean.
• If you go to a lot of weekend camping events you might want to keep a list of your favorite combinations of meals, already broken down by ingredients into shopping lists. This way, rather than having to plan the meals for the weekend and then form the shopping list, you can just select the combination you want, and go.
• For longer events, consider adding a clothesline, clothespins, and laundry soap to your camp kitchen. That way you can do laundry in your dishpan(s) and reduce the amount of clothing you need to take with you.

A Starter List of Items for Your Camp Kitchen

Recommended Stock List

• 1 bag frozen meat tortellini
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 2 cups spaghetti sauce
• frozen or canned peas
• 1/4 lb. proscuitto ham, torn into bits

Place tortellini and bouillon in stockpot. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until tortellini is almost done. Add spaghetti sauce, peas, and proscuitto. Bring back to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tortellini is cooked, and all ingredients are warmed through. Serve with Italian bread.

Stir Fry

• 1 lb. meat of your choice
• 1 box frozen snow peas, thawed
• 1 fresh carrot, sliced
• 1 can sliced mushrooms, drained
• 1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 1 can sliced bamboo shoots, drained
• 1 can baby corn, drained
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• minced garlic, to taste
• ginger powder, to taste
• ground cardamom, to taste
• oil

Heat oil in frying pan and sauté garlic. Add meat and cook until almost done. Add all vegetables and cook until warmed through. Sprinkle spices and then soy sauce over all. Stir thoroughly and cook until sauce reduces.

Chili

• 1 lb. hamburger
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• chopped hot peppers, if desired
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 16 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 16 oz. can red kidney beans, drained
• 8 oz. can tomato sauce
• chili powder, to taste
• 1/4 cup lemon juice or more, to taste
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil, crushed
• salt and pepper to taste

In stockpot, cook hamburger, onion, garlic, and peppers until meat is browned. Drain fat. Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Serve with corn bread or tortilla chips.

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© 1997–2001 Jessica I. Clark
Permission to print a copy for your own use freely given. Please contact me for permission to reprint or distribute.

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