RV Life | Cooking On The Road

Busting the myth of camp cooking

Why not enjoy leaving the walled indoor kitchen and experience cooking outside? Camp cooking is not just burgers and hot dogs.

The term chef-inspired kitchen used to mean purchasing expensive appliances no working person could afford. On a group page I follow, there is a common question on ideas for pre-made foods you can freeze for a quick warming up when camping. That takes all the fun out of it.

I love cooking outside on the Blackstone. We’re not campfire people, so cooking over a large flame is not really our thing, but the possibilities are endless for those who do. Coming up with meals that can be cooked on the Blackstone is fun and easy to clean up. This was my try at cooking chicken fried rice. It turned out pretty good. And come on, look at the setting. This was taken in Susan Creek, Oregon, in June. It beats any chef-inspired, expensive indoor cooking kitchen. (And no fire alarm is going off.)

One of my favorite creations, Wolf, had made burgers, BUT no buns were bought from the store, no bread at all. He put mushrooms, tomato, onion, and a slice of cheese, melting over all the goodness. Our side dish was sliced potatoes fried on the grill. I should have taken a photo, but it didn’t last long on my plate. I called it elevated camping burgers. Another camp stable is SPAM. Cubed spam, a bag of 90-second rice, and mixed vegetables topped with Japanese barbeque sauce. Delish! All cooked on the Blackstone or inside the cast iron. Yes, you can cook 90-second bagged rice without a microwave; just add a little water. The same goes for frozen mixed vegetables.

When the weather or our location doesn’t allow us to put out the Blackstone, my go-to indoor cooking pan is the cast iron skillet. It is easy to clean up, and I have missed having a gas stove to use the cast iron. Doesn’t work well on an electric.

We don’t eat out a lot, maybe once a month? The truth is we love cooking. Both of us. For years, Wolf did all the cooking. He’s a great cook. When we started road life, I took over and renewed my love for cooking, and now we share dinner duty. We grocery shop about once a week and go over dinners we can make. Gone are the days of the standard meat and potatoes. They still make the menu weekly, but we elevate them. We have experienced new menu items we would only eat when we went out. We cook a good breakfast three days a week and have sandwiches for lunch. Having a plain old sandwich on travel days and stopping on the side of the road with an incredible view, no crowds, or waiting for a table is a great experience.

Chefs today are cooking outside on grills. Get out of the kitchen! Experience and experiment with cooking outside. Enjoy camping on a different level. Making good fresh camp food doesn’t take much time or expense.

What is your favorite camping meal? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for stopping by for a read. I appreciate YOU! Until next week, happy cooking.