How to Cook Outdoors

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By Sofia Baum
Photo credit: Myles Tan
Cooking in the outdoors is a fun, satisfying, and ever-evolving experience that can be nurturing for our communities, both literally and spiritually. With just a little patience, care, and some planning, we can all be well-fed and thriving in the wilderness.

Before jumping in, a quick reminder that whenever you're cooking — indoors or outdoors — you should always practice food safety. Plan out your meals to inform how and what to pack. Depending on the amount of days and the activity, you may have to bring your food in coolers, sealed containers, or food bags; if you're backpacking, you should hang food in a tree away from your sleep system and gear to avoid damage from animals. You should also be following the seven principles of Leave No Trace, especially those involving consumption and waste. Meals that are well-planned lead to safer and more satisfying experiences overall.

When preparing food outdoors, the most important decision you'll make, besides what to eat, is your cooking method.

Your cooking method is the system in which you will be cooking your food. This will dictate the rest of the choices you may have to make when planning your meals, so consider your options and discuss them and the packing plans ahead of your trip with the folks who may be at camp with you. To help inform your decision, we're breaking down the most common cooking methods in the outdoors. From cooking over fires to portable stoves, we'll make sure you are prepared for whatever you choose.

Photo credit: Sofia Baum

Campfire Grate

✓ Can either be brought with you or will already be present at camp site
✓ Clean grate with aluminum foil prior to use
✓ Move grate or campfire itself to an ideal position to cook over coals or flames
✓ Use tongs, skewers, or other cooking utensils to move and serve food
✓ Campfire grates are ideal for cooking hotdogs, sausages, hamburgers, food wrapped in foil and more

Photo credit: Sofia Baum

Cast Iron 

✓ Considering the weight of cast irons bring to experience such as car camping
✓ Clean and season cast iron prior to use
✓ Place cast iron in bed of coals
✓ Use spatula or wooden spoon to cook and serve food
✓ Cast irons are ideal for cooking stir fry, hash, cobblers, and more

Photo credit: Sofia Baum

Campfire 

✓ Campfire cooking is very versatile
✓ Clean pot, pan, skewer, or kettle prior to use
✓ Place pot or pan on bed of coals or on flat rock near fire; suspend a kettle over the fire using a tripod; place skewers near embers
✓ Use spatula, wooden spoon, or other cooking utensil to cook and serve food
✓ Campfires are ideal for boiling water, reheating pre-cooked meals or more

Photo credit: Sofia Baum

Portable Stove

✓ Clean stove set prior to use
✓ Practice assembling and disassembling portable stove prior to experience (bring directions if necessary) 
✓ Consider the number of meals and the amount of fuel you have. Bring meals that have a minimal amount of cook time in order to conserve fuel for the remainder of the experience
✓ Make sure you know how to turn your fuel off and pack safely
✓ Portable stoves are ideal for cooking pre-made rice packets, Mountain House meals, or more

The cooking system you choose should be appropriate for your experience, knowledge, and budget. The biggest factors to take into consideration include price, weight, reliability and efficiency. Search around (we suggest talking to our friends a Next Adventure) or reach out to our community group to find the cooking system that will work best for you.

Location: Portland, OR, USA

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