We have talked a fair amount about cooking when backpacking. We aren’t always carrying things on our backs, so when we aren’t limited in that way, we like to have a bit more to cook with. Here’s a look at some of things we take when we are car camping or cabin camping.
We like to be prepared for getting outdoors whenever we can. Having the basics ready whether we are hiking or fishing or backpacking or just traveling lets us go when the chance arises. So we have some things ready for each of those sorts of trips.
On our recent trip to the Black Hills, we stayed in a cabin. You never know what sort of things will be available when you are staying in a place with a furnished kitchen. We’ve been to some where the knives were so dull you could bare cut with them and there wasn’t even any salt or pepper. This trip we had a really nice selection of tools. When you are car camping, you have what you bring along.
The utensils
We had put together some basic kitchen items in a kit to have with us. We have been gradually adding items as we found them. Our utensil kit started with two separate kits. We combined them, then we put a few more things into the case.
The zipped case is on the left. Opened up, you can see all that we store in the case. The closed case is approximately 12 by 8 by 2 inches.
The first part of the set is a knife set we purchased from REI made by GSI. (as always, no affiliation.) It came with three knives, a cutting board, a dish cloth/scrubber and a bottle for soap. The soap bottle did leak a bit, so we substituted another bottle. The dish cloth is the orange fabric in the corner. It has a loop to hang it for drying.
The second part of the set was a folding utensil set that we’ve had for some time. In the picture, you can see the spatula and the strainer above the whisk. There is also a large spoon, but it won’t fit in the case.
We added a whisk, peeler, a set of measuring spoons, gloves and a rubber jar opener (the red piece). This all fits neatly inside. We also carry a set of tongs in the larger bag we store our kitchen items in.
Seasonings
The second major part of our travel kitchen is the seasonings. Like I talked about in this post, there are a number of smaller things that you can use to add to your camp cooking, things like flavor packets and condiment packets. But as Walt and I both like to cook, we tend to carry a selection of herbs and spices with us.
We purchased a set of spices online and added the salt and pepper. The set came with 24 different herbs, spices and blends. We can change out the selection based on what we are planning to cook. There is room to tuck a few packets of condiments in the case, and it is very adaptable to our needs. The case has clasps that close it securely.
Both cases and the few other items we have for regular use fit in a bag which slips into a larger organizer in the car. Now when the opportunity arises to go car camping or cabin camping, we have another item ready to roll.
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