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We’ve all been there. You relax into your camp chair to eat the boxed mac ’n’ cheese you made over a camp stove when the aroma of a delicious home-cooked meal comes wafting across the campground. And it hits you: the unmistakable feeling of camp kitchen envy. But this doesn’t have to be your narrative. With a few tips and tricks—and the right gear—you’ll be whipping up tasty camp dishes for family and friends in no time. Keep reading to learn how to make your camp kitchen and the meals you prepare the talk of the campground.
Step 1: Plan Ahead
There seems to be an unwritten rule that camp cooking is basic and starchy (think: spaghetti or packaged ramen). But taking your camp kitchen up a notch is all about thinking outside the box. To do that, you’ll need a plan. Don’t make the mistake of trying to organize your meals when you hit the grocery store on your way out of town. With a little planning and prep work, you can turn many of your favorite recipes into easy camp meals. Shop in advance of your trip so you don’t miss anything, especially the easy-to-forget items like spices, dressings, and sauces.Then, before you pack the cooler, prep anything you can ahead of time. Marinade meat, chop veggies, and portion out spices. You’ll thank yourself later when it comes time to start cooking. Plus, prep work simplifies the packing process, so you aren’t toting excess food or large containers of ingredients you only need a small amount of for your dish.
Planning ahead makes it easier to cook great meals at camp. (Photo: Gerber Gear)
Step 2: Streamline Your Cookware
Gone are the days of raiding your kitchen cabinets for pots, knives, spatulas, and cutting boards before a camping trip, only to have a hodgepodge of cookware rattling around in your vehicle. Having cookware specifically designed for camp cooking goes a long way. The full-size 16-piece ComplEAT Cook Set from Gerber Gear has everything you need to prep, cook, and serve tasty home-cooked meals at camp without compromising your cooking experience. The set comes with a stock pot, sauté pan, lids with strainer holes, a mixing bowl, food bowls and plates, and more. And the best part? Every piece neatly nests together and packs into the included bag for compact carrying on the road and easy storage at home.
Get details on the full set below.
Step 3: Master the Setup
The best camp kitchens are a blend of functionality and fun vibes. When you get to camp, set up your kitchen as a focal point of the campsite, using a picnic table or your own camp table as a space to get organized, prep, chop, and cook. Don’t have a table? Go tailgate-style or find a flat rock to serve as a cooking space. Save space for serving and setting up a wash station for dishes after dinner. And don’t skip the decorative touches. Comfortable seating, solar lanterns, and string lights add to the ambiance and make your camp kitchen feel homey.
Set up your kitchen as a focal point of the campsite. (Photo: Gerber Gear)
Step 4: Start Cooking
When you have hungry campers waiting for dinner, you need to make sure your cooking process is dialed. The six-piece Gerber ComplEAT Cutting Board Set makes it easy to tackle the prepwork you couldn’t do ahead of time, with two dual-sided cutting boards, a paring knife, a six-inch chef knife, and storage trays. Recruit a sous chef or two—the Gerber ComplEAT Knife Set has an additional paring knife, plus a six-inch serrated knife and eight-inch chef knife, so everyone can pitch in. Start with a crowd-pleaser and serve some appetizers on the ComplEAT bamboo cutting board. Use the polypropylene cutting board to finish prepping and to avoid cross-contamination. Then, fire up the camp stove, and you’ll have the main course ready in no time. After cleaning up, stow knives in the cutting board set’s storage bin. The cutting boards nest together to create a latching lid that keeps everything safely secured until the next meal.
Use the six-piece Gerber ComplEAT Cutting Board Set to do any prepwork. (Photo: Gerber Gear)
Step 5: Rinse and Repeat
Gerber’s easy-to-clean ComplEAT cookware makes washing up a cinch, so your kitchen will be ready for round two in the morning. Whip up a breakfast feast on the nonstick Gerber ComplEAT Griddle. This versatile, heavy-duty cooktop can be used over an open fire or a two-burner camp stove just like a cast-iron skillet. But unlike a skillet, the griddle is lightweight and easy to clean. A square design and tall sidewalls offer maximum cooking space and keep food contained to minimize mess. The removable silicone-coated handle helps avoid accidental burns and is easy to store when you’re ready to pack up.
Whip up a breakfast feast on the nonstick Gerber ComplEAT Griddle. (Photo: Gerber Gear)
Founded in 1939 and based in Portland, Oregon, Gerber is an outdoor brand dedicated to creating problem-solving tools that allow you to adventure with confidence. With expertise, longevity, and a storied history that few in the industry can match, Gerber is equipped with a deep understanding of how to create gear that consumers want and need. Gerber’s commitment to quality is steadfast, and all products are backed by the Gerber Guarantee, a limited lifetime warranty.
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