Cooking at Camp

  Cooking hot meals in the outdoors differs quite substantially from kitchen-based cooking, the most obvious difference being lack of an easily defined kitchen area.
 

  As a result, campers, hikers and backpackers have developed a significant body of techniques and specialized food preparation equipment for cooking at camp and preparing food in outdoors environments.

  Such outdoor cooking techniques have traditionally been associated with nomadic cultures such as the Berbers of North Africa and the Plains Indians and pioneers of North America, and have been carried down to and refined in modern times for use during recreational outdoors pursuits.

  Today there is a wide variety of cooking at Camp equipment and outdoor cooking gear that is designed for the backpacker, wilderness adventurer and survivalist. There are stoves that range in size from a folding stove that uses solid fuel tablets to traditional butane-fueled stoves and up to high-performance cooking systems that are capable of preparing full meals for a group of backpackers. With these modern camp cooking products available, preparing a hot meal on the trail is not a problem.

  Everything required for Cooking at Camp can be carried in a backpack.

Outdoor Cooking products consist of Portable Stoves, Cookware and Utensils and De-hydrated Food

Portable Stoves

   A portable stove is a cooking stove or appliance that is specially designed to be portable and lightweight, as for backpacking, camping, survival situations or for use in remote locations where an easily transportable means of cooking or heating is needed.

   Since the invention of the portable stove in the 19th century, a wide variety of designs and models has seen use in a number of different applications. Portable stoves can be broken down into several broad categories based on the type of fuel used and stove design: unpressurized stoves that use solid or liquid fuel placed in the burner before ignition; stoves that use a volatile liquid fuel in a pressurized burner; bottled gas stoves; and gravity-fed "spirit" stoves.

   Stoves differ widely in their size and portability. The smallest models are generally termed backpacking stoves. They are designed for use in backpacking and bicycle touring, where light weight and small size are paramount considerations. Backpacking stoves consist only of the burner, fuel tank and pot supports.

Cookware and Utensils

   Cookware  consists or different types of food preparation containers commonly found in the kitchen. Cookware comprises cooking vessels, such as saucepans and frying pans, intended for use on a stove to prepare a hot meal.

   Cookware and utensils for backpacking, camping or survival pack preparation generally need to meet a weight requirement.

   The exact size and number of cookware and utensils items that you will be packing will depending on the number of persons that the items will be required to support and the projected time frame.

   There are essentially three kinds of cooking sets to choose from depending on what is most important to you: weight, durability, or functionality.

   Pots and pans made out of hard anodized aluminum with a multi-layer Titanium non-stick surface, such as the Primus LiTeck. These are ultra-light and are very easy to clean.
   Stainless steel Cookware is specially made for people who prioritize durability. Stainless Steel is long lasting and easy to clean and maintain.

   High Efficiency cookware, such as the Primus EtaPower, allow you to utilize winning efficiency on your existing stoves to increase your cooking efficiency by as much as 50%.

Backpacking, Hiking and Wilderness Camping Meals

   Backpackers, Wilderness campers and Hikers' food criteria are roughly the same; they all need high food energy content, with long shelf life and low mass and volume.

   Most backpackers avoid canned food, except for meats or small delicacies. Metal cans and glass jars and their contents are usually heavy, and like all trash the empties must be carried back out.

   Many hikers use specially manufactured, precooked food that can be eaten hot. It is often sold in large, stiff bags that double as preparation or serving or eating vessels.This also reduces the weight and volume of trash that must be carried out.

   These meal pouches make Survival Camp Cooking much easier than it was years ago.

   One common variety of special backpacking food is freeze-dried food, which can be quickly reconstituted by adding hot water. This mixture is then left to rehydrate and cool for a few minutes and agitated occasionally before eating.

  Manufacturers, Survivalists and backpackers have found that most any food can be freeze dried and then prepared in the wilderness to result in meals that are practically indistinguishable from their counterparts in civilization.