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A Camper's Dozen: 13 Tips To Successful Meals In Camp (Part 2)

© Steven C. Karoly

"We value our time spent cooking because it provides a good opportunity for us to chat and work together," Bob Rider, webmaster of love2camp.com, said recently. Bob and his wife Brianna enjoy creating meals as a team when camping near their Santa Rosa, Calif. home. Eating "great food" is one of the joys of camping to the Rider family.

Other families, like Pete and Lorna Boilard of southern Maine, use camp meals as an opportunity to teach their children to cook. "Whipping up a hearty meal without a whole kitchen at hand is satisfying," Pete Boilard said. "(Camping has) proven to be a fun place for our daughters to try preparing some favorites for themselves like macaroni and cheese or French toast."

Many prepare appetizing family meals while camping. But the last thing you need is to helplessly sit in the tent while a black bear ravages your cache or to be frantically searching for an emergency room because your child has stomach cramps and diarrhea. Putting some thought into how you operate your camp kitchen will give you peace of mind.

Once you arrive at the campground, a few simple tips will help you safely cook good meals:

Walk the ground: When a military unit occupies a new position, the first thing a troop leader does is to "walk the ground." He learns the lay of the land, notes likely avenues of approach for the enemy and looks for ideal places to spot his weapons. Likewise, the camper looks for water runoff patterns, trees and rocks that protect the camp from the wind, and firm, level ground to set up the tent and locate the kitchen. Some campers, like Boilard, bring an elaborate camping outfit (see Pete's Camping Page for a description of his Campmaster 2000). Others simply look for a picnic table, fireplace, running water and toilet facilities.

Wash your hands: A salmonella infection -- or worst yet E. coli -- is the last ailment you want when camping. Nausea, diarrhea and fever are never pleasurable, especially when you're 40 or 50 miles away from the nearest medical treatment facility. You can avoid food borne illness by following a few simple rules: keep food cold in an ice chest (below 41 deg. F.), don't allow food to stay in the open for more than two hours, cook food to the proper internal temperature (usually 160 deg. F. or above), wash and sanitize dishes after each meal, and wash your hands often.

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