Heat Sources: Stove or Campfire?
At the heart of any outdoor cooking is a constant, controlled heat source. The two main options in nature are a camping stove and a campfire, each with its own pros and cons.
1. The Camping Stove: Convenience and Speed
A gas or liquid-fuel stove is an indispensable tool when making a fire is impossible or impractical: in treeless areas, where fires are prohibited, in heavy rain, or when you need to quickly boil water for tea or dehydrated meals. It's your reliable backup.
However, stoves have their drawbacks:
* Fuel is heavy, and your supply is limited.
* It's difficult to cook for a large group or prepare dishes requiring long simmering on a small burner.
* Not all cooking methods are possible.
A stove isn't a replacement for a campfire but an important piece of gear to be used wisely.
2. The Campfire: The Classic, Versatile Choice
he ability to build a good cooking fire is a fundamental outdoor skill. The best type for cooking is a log cabin or crisscross fire, as it burns down to create a broad, even bed of hot coals.
Golden Rule: Cook not over an open flame, but over hot coals. An open flame will quickly blacken your pots with soot and can damage them. Maintain the heat by adding small kindling, but avoid letting high flames flare up again.
Cooking Methods in the Wild
With a pot, a pan, and some ingenuity, you can replicate almost any home cooking method outdoors.
1. Boiling
The most common and healthy method. Boiled food retains the most vitamins and nutrients. The key is not to overcook: meat loses its juices, and vegetables lose vitamins.
* What to cook: Grains (rice, buckwheat), pasta, vegetables.
* How: Use a pot suspended over the coals (a pot placed directly in an open fire may get damaged).
* Pro tip: You can even boil water in an improvised container like birch bark or a hollowed-out piece of wood by adding hot stones to it.
Important: At high altitude, water boils at a lower temperature, requiring a longer boiling time to fully sanitize it. Keep this in mind to conserve fuel.
2. Stewing and Simmering
* Stewing is cooking food slowly in a small amount of liquid. Perfect for vegetables, eggs, or fish when water is scarce.
* Simmering is long, slow cooking in liquid just below the boiling point. This method yields wonderful root vegetable stews with herbs or compotes from dried fruit (add honey or sugar). It requires time and constant attention to maintain low heat.
3. Frying
Frying in a pan over a campfire is tricky due to uneven heat. It's easier on a stove. Remember, it's not the healthiest method and is poorly suited for large groups.
4. Baking
A royal cooking method that requires minimal equipment.
* In foil: The simplest option. Wrap potatoes, fish, or vegetables in foil and bury them in hot coals.
* In an improvised oven: This takes more skill but is worth the effort.
Earth Ovens: Kitchen Underground
• Bedouin Oven. Dig a pit, line it with stones, and heat them intensely with a fire. Remove the coals, place a layer of grass on the bottom (avoid strong-smelling plants!), put in your food (meat skin-side down), and seal the pit with flat stones. Such an oven can stay hot for almost a day.
• Maori Hangi (in leaves). Wrap food in large leaves, place it on hot stones in a pit, and cover with earth. The food cooks in its own juices, remaining tender.
• Two-Stone Oven. Heat two flat stones with smaller rocks between them as spacers. Once hot, place thin cuts of meat or flatbread between them.
• Two-Pot Oven. Place one pot with food on the coals, and put a second pot filled with hot coals on top as a "lid." This creates an oven with heat from all sides.
• Underground Pit Oven. Dig a pit under your fire site, place foil-wrapped food inside, cover it, and build your fire on top. Perfect for slow-cooking meat until it's fall-apart tender.
Grilling: Food Over an Open Fire
The classic method for barbecue.
* On a spit: Use a long, green (non-resinous!) stick, sharpened at the end. Skewer small pieces of meat, fish, or vegetables and hold them over the coals.
* On a grill: Place two logs parallel beside the fire and lay several sturdy green sticks across them to create a grate. Arrange your food perpendicular to these "skewers."
Cookware and Cleaning
Your cookware kit depends on the type of trip. Car campers can bring almost a full kitchen, while backpackers need light and versatile gear.
The Cardinal Rule is Cleanliness. As soon as you're done eating, fill the pot with water and place it at the edge of the fire so food residue doesn't bake on. Wash dishes with soap and hot water (it sanitizes better), then dry them thoroughly.
Emergency Hack: If you have no soap, use ash as an abrasive, degreasing cleaner. Its alkaline properties are great for cutting through grease.
Cook with passion, experiment, and even the simplest trail meal can become a true delicacy in the great outdoors!
Next guide: Which Foods to Choose for a Hike Previous guide: Proper Nutrition on a Hike You can view the full list here: Survival Guides for the Mountains
