Essential cooking gear for campers

Half the fun of camping comes from seeing new and exciting places. The other half comes from eating all that delicious camp food! When supper time rolls around, make sure you have the right gear to satisfy every hungry camper. In our years on the road, here’s what we think qualifies as the essential cooking gear for any camper.

Instant Pot

You might think of camping food as cooked over the fire while someone tells ghost stories. Those meals are definitely great, but they’re not always the easiest or the fastest. If you want to make good food in a hurry with limited space, the Instant Pot should be a must-have on any camping trip.

We’ve always liked the Instant Pot at home, but we’ve really fallen in love with it on the road. You can use it to make almost anything in record time! Even better, it takes up almost no counter space and doesn’t use propane. All you need is an electrical connection, and you can make everything from shredded chicken and hard-boiled eggs to rice and delicious soups.

You won’t get the wood-fired taste, but you’ll have much more time to enjoy the outdoors when your meals are completely cooked in under 15 minutes without any effort! If it’s raining, the Instant Pot gets even better! No fumes or outdoor cooking necessary (unless you count delicious-smelling steam a “fume”)! Plus, if you’re into winter camping, there’s nothing better than a hearty soup!

The only downside we found about bringing thing Instant Pot on camping trips is that it takes a decent amount of space to clean. Unless you have a decently large sink, you’re probably not going to wash the pot in your trailer or RV. If you have the space—or don’t mind washing outside—this is a great option for both RVers and tent campers, as long as you’re camping somewhere with an electrical connection. 

What we like

  • Super fast cooking
  • Cook almost anything
  • No gas or open flame necessary
  • Doesn’t take up much space
  • Safe for indoor cooking

What we don’t like

  • Needs electricity 
  • No campfire smokey taste
  • Needs a lot of space to clean

Camp Grill – Nexgrill Portable 2-Burner Propane Grill

If it’s that smokey flavor you’re after, you need a camp grill. Camp grills work just like your grill at home: light it up and stick the food directly on the grate. The only difference is that they’re portable.

Our go-to camp grill is the Nexgrill Portable 2-Burner Propane Grill. It features a tough stainless steel design and two burners that pump out up to 16,000 BTU of heating power! Close the lid, and you’ll reach just about any temperature in no time—believe me and my super-burnt sausages I cooked on my first try with this grill.

This camp grill runs on larger 20 and 30-pound propane tanks. It comes with a rather short connector hose, so it’s a good idea to pick up a longer regulator

If you have a camper with an outdoor kitchen that features a propane line hookup, you can also use a quick-connect propane hose to power your grill with your RV or trailer propane tanks. We love this setup because it’s much easier than lugging around an extra 20-pound propane tank. Just attach the quick-connect hose to your trailer and light up the grill. With a 24’ hose, you don’t even have to be close to your camper!

There are also plenty of camping grills that run off portable 16oz propane tanks, like this Masterbuilt Propane Tabletop Grill. It actually has more cooking space than the Nexgrill, but since it uses smaller propane tanks, it’s not quite as powerful. You can purchase an adapter to run it off larger propane tanks, if that’s more your speed.

What we like

  • Comes to heat quickly
  • Lovely smoky grilled flavor
  • Cook directly on the grill – no pots and pans necessary
  • Can hook to RV/Trailer propane tanks with adapter
  • Has electric starter

What we don’t like

  • Larger than other cooking equipment (up to 20lbs)
  • Must cook outside
  • Small 16oz propane tanks aren’t as powerful
  • Somewhat hard to keep clean – can smell up your camper storage compartment

Camp stove – Coleman Classic Camp Stove

A camp stove works just like your stove at home. It produces heat under a platform that you put pots and pans on top of. The only difference is that it’s a little (a lot) smaller. 

Ask any camper what their go-to camp stove is, and they’re almost guaranteed to say the name Coleman. Coleman is synonymous with high-quality camping equipment, and their classic camping stove has been a must-have for decades. 

The Coleman Classic Camping Stove features two burners that run on portable 16oz propane tanks. Each burner can be adjusted individually and hold pots and pans up to 12-inches in diameter. Even on windy days, you can keep on cookin’ with the collapsable windshields on each side. 

Once dinner is finished, the Coleman Camping Stove folds flat to fit in just about any storage compartment. 

Unlike the camping grill, you will need pots and pans on a camp stove. You can’t just stick your burgers right on the burner! However, Coleman has a solution for that, too. If you want the best of both worlds, check out the Coleman Portable Camp Grill/Stove combo. It has the same two burners, except one side is a stove for pots and pans and the other has a grill face for searing meat and veggies. 

The only downside to these Coleman stoves is that the little 16oz propane tank loses power when both burners are running. Otherwise, this is a great little camping stove, no matter what type of camping you prefer. Even if you have a camper with an indoor kitchen, it’s nice to cook outside sometimes! 

What we like

  • Super compact
  • Powerful heating
  • Can cook just about anything

What we don’t like

  • Loses power when both burners are running
  • Needs pots and pans
  • No electric starter

Other campsite cooking equipment you might need

Heating the food is only one part of the process. You’ll need more than just a stove, grill, or Instant Pot to enjoy hot meals out on the road! Here are some of the other essential camp cooking equipment you’ll need:

Pots and pans

It’s not a good idea to throw a hotdog directly into the fire to cook it. You’ll need some pots and pans to help you heat up all your goodies without making a mess. 

At the very least, every camper should have at least the following pots and pans:

  • Cast iron skillet – Every camper needs a set of cast iron! It’s durable, tolerable of high heat, and cooks just about anything. Plus, cleaning is easy—as long as you have a high tolerance for mess. Get a pre-seasoned cast iron skillet, and enjoy delicious campside meals for generations.

  • Boiling pot – Boiling water is a staple for just about everything, especially when camping, so you better bring a pot. If you have an RV or camper, a standard 20-quart stock pot is great to keep in the kitchen. For more compact spaces, you can grab a collapsible pot set that fits into even the smallest setups.

  • Strainer – Whether it’s for pasta or veggies, a strainer is a great piece of cooking equipment to bring to the campsite. It’s dirty out in the wilderness, so make sure you can rinse your food before stuffing your face! Get a collapsible strainer that fits in even the tiniest compartments. 

Campers with more space can also benefit from a stainless steel pan set, but keep it on the smaller size between 10 and 12 inches to make sure it fits on smaller camping stoves. They’re a bit easier to clean (straightforward, at least) and don’t smell like cast iron. A wok is another great cooking accessory, if you have the space. There’s no better way to cook your veggies!

If you’re more of a “get it all in one place” kind of shopper, Amazon sells a great pre-seasoned 5-piece cast iron cooking set that will fill all your pots and pans needs. 

Utensils

Eating with your hands might be fun, but it’s not the most hygienic way to go about consuming dinner. Plus, grilled food gets hot! Make sure you bring some utensils to help you cook on the go:

  • Tongs – Make sure they’re long and sturdy. Grills are hot and grease can spatter. Plus, you don’t want to drop your goodies in the dirt!

  • Grill spatula – See tong description. Wooden handles are great for grip and not distributing heat.

  • Serving spoon(s) – Dishing food out with a little plastic spoon is no fun. Make sure you have some sort of rigid serving spoon in your rig.

  • Metal forks, spoons, and knives – Yes, plastic is much easier for cleanup, but some things just need metal. Imagine eating a steak with plastic knives! Even if you use plastic utensils, it’s still a good idea to bring along a set or two of metal utensils, too. 

Plates and containers

This might sound obvious, but don’t forget to bring plates and bowls on your camping trip. Unless you’re solo camping, it’s no fun eating right out of the pot. Multiple people all sticking their forks and knives in at once? That’s just asking for a swordfight! 

Paper dishes are great for easy cleanup while camping. Just remember that any paper products you pack need to be cleaned up. If you’re camping off-grid without access to trash facilities, you’ll need to pack all your trash with you on the way out. Leave no trace!

Unless you’re a member of the “clean plate club,” you’ll need somewhere to put your leftovers once dinner is over. Carrying a few aluminum foil pans with lids is a great idea for food storage, whether you’re tenting it or in a camper. It’s just much easier for cleanup.

Collapsible dish drainer

Speaking of cleanup, you’ll also need somewhere to store your dishes and utensils after you’re finished washing them up. A collapsible dish drainer is a lifesaver for any camping setup. 

Campers in RVs and Travel Trailers can keep the strainer in the sink while dishes dry. Tenters and van-lifers who don’t have sinks can still benefit from having a drainable place to store wet dishes. It’s much better than back in the cabinet/car or on the dirty ground! 

Once your dishes are dry, the drainer collapses flat for easy storage during travel. We never leave home without it!

Keep it cookin’ campers!

No matter where the road takes you, make sure you’re ready to cook a delicious meal at the end of the day. There’s nothing better than sitting around the campfire with a delicious plate of food. 

What campsite cooking gear can’t you live without? Let us know in the comments below!