Amazon Prime Day has arrived, and with it, a bunch of low prices on outdoor cooking products. Whether you鈥檙e looking to stock your camping kitchen with convenient, portable tools or upgrade existing gear, there are deals to be found on everything from backpacking-friendly stoves to camp cookware.

Here are our picks for the best outdoor cooking gear available this Prime Day. Not a Prime member? Sign up for a free 30-day trial .

Coleman Gas Camping Grill/Stove ($90)

This is discounted from its regular retail price by 41 percent. The foldable appliance provides you with two adjustable burners that can operate as a stove or a grill鈥搊r you can use both functions at the same time. With 130 square inches of cooking surface, it fits a 10-inch pan and is easy to start thanks to a push-button ignition and wind-blocking panels. And when hooked up to a 16.4-ounce propane cylinder, it鈥檒l provide you with one hour of cooking time.

Coleman Classic Backpacking Stove ($19.30)

Another low-priced option is discounted 36 percent off for Prime Day. With a foldable design and clocking in at just 6.7 ounces, it fits right into your pack so you can create a cooking surface anywhere outdoors. It鈥檒l provide up to 10,000 BTUs of cooking power and can boil water in just over three minutes flat.

Energizer LED Headlamps (from $12.79)

Don鈥檛 find yourself cooking in the dark鈥揵oth the ($14.71) and the ($12.79) are discounted significantly for Prime Day. Both the battery-powered and rechargeable models are powered by bright LEDs for longevity, efficiency, and great illumination.

Solo Stove Ranger Portable Outdoor Fire Pit ($249.94)

Create a smokeless DIY campfire鈥搊r cooking fire鈥搘ith this pit from 国产吃瓜黑料-favorite Solo Stove. Discounted to $249.94, the 18-pound Ranger is compact, portable, and burns wood efficiently thanks to its smart double-walled design and oxygen vents meant to naturally feed the fire while it鈥檚 lit.

RTIC Hard Cooler 45 Quart Ice Chest ($250)

The toughest, most capable coolers rarely see deep discounts鈥攗ntil now. The is reduced 24 percent from its usual price. Featuring three inches of foam insulation and heavy-duty rope handles, it鈥檒l stand up to wear and tear. Inside, there鈥檚 enough room to carry supplies for a group (or food and drinks for a few days).

RTIC Soft Cooler ($130)

Don鈥檛 want to lug around a weighty, hard-sided cooler? The is smaller, far more portable, and designed to be carried easily with an included crossbody or shoulder strap. The 30-can cooler is generously roomy鈥攁nd nicely marked down 26 percent from its regular price. It can keep whatever鈥檚 inside sweat-free and cool for up to 24 hours.

Lodge Cast Iron Dual Handle Pan, 12 Inch ($24.90)

There鈥檚 really no better way to cook over a campfire than with a cast iron pan. This is durable and versatile: use it to sear, bake, braise, saute, or fry. It鈥檚 built brutally tough, which means it鈥檚 able to survive the high heat of your campfire cooking or your oven at home. Plus, with time and use, it鈥檒l become well-seasoned and even better to cook with.

Stansport Camping Accessories (from $5.59)

Set up your camp kitchen with on sale from Stansport. From a ($24.60) to a ($24.79) and a collapsible ($19.19), you can grab everything you need to start cooking鈥攁nd clean up when you鈥檙e ready to head home.

Stanley 国产吃瓜黑料 All-in-One French Press Coffee Maker ($19)

This might look simple, but it鈥檚 a surprisingly versatile cooking tool. You can boil liquids, brew a cup of coffee, and heat it over a campfire. It鈥檚 small enough to fit into a backpack but roomy enough to hold 32 ounces. Carry a serving of your favorite coffee grounds inside for easy packing.

Stanley Base Camp Cook Set ($57.80)

Pack everything you need in one durable container, and you鈥檒l never forget a vital piece of camp cooking gear again. This contains cookware as well as serving supplies for up to four people, including a 7-inch frying pan, a cutting board, sporks, and a 5-liter pot. Everything fits inside the pot and secures shut with a locking bungee. Bonus: the stainless steel construction is scratch- and rust-proof.

Stanley 国产吃瓜黑料 Stay Hot Camp Crock ($47.17)

Keep meals at serving temperature (and food-safe) with this vacuum-insulated 3-quart stainless steel pot. Double-walled with a leak-proof locking lid, you鈥檒l be able to confidently carry both liquids and solids inside.

Cuisinart Petit Gourmet Portable Gas Grill ($127.50)

This compact, travel-ready weighs just over two pounds and has porcelain-enameled grates and a 5,500 BTU burner. There鈥檚 just enough space to cook for four to six people, plus a telescoping stand allows you to set your grill at the perfect height for any outdoor environment.

Meater Plus Smart Meat Thermometer ($79.95)

Smarter than your average kitchen thermometer, this has Bluetooth capability and a smartphone app that lets you monitor what鈥檚 cooking within a 165-foot distance. It features dual temperature sensors, a guided cook system, and the ability to set up custom alerts and notifications.

Char-Broil Performance TRU-Infrared Gas Grill ($360)

With a sleek stainless steel exterior and efficient TRU-infrared cooking technology, this dispenses even heat and prevents problematic flare-ups. It provides 450 square inches of cooking space atop porcelain-coated grates, which are rust-resistant and easy to clean, and includes a swing-away warming rack.

Traeger Grills Pro Series 780 ($849.95)

Another 国产吃瓜黑料 favorite, the , is now more than $100 off. Get the wood-fired taste you love, plus all of the perks of smart cooking technology, thanks to precision temperature control and WiFire technology that links to your home WiFi and the Traeger app. Plus, you鈥檒l be able to grill, smoke, bake, roast, and barbecue for a crowd with 780 square inches of cooking space.

Thermacell Mosquito Repellent Devices (from $23.98)

Cooking outdoors also means swatting away mosquitoes, but these handy, sleek devices help keep pests at bay. We鈥檙e eyeing the mosquito repellent , which add a little ambiance to your outdoor patio or backyard, as well as the rechargeable mosquito .

Land Guard Galvanized Raised Garden Bed Kit ($56)

Create your own thriving veggie garden with this made out of double-layered galvanized metal sheet. It takes just five minutes to set up, and its open base gives you plenty of room (and aeration) to protect plants from seed to food. You鈥檒l get 7.14 cubic feet of room to grow your favorite herbs, vegetables, flowers, and more.

Alitade LED Outdoor String Lights ($19.83)

Brighten up your backyard and add a little ambiance with this set of waterproof, shatterproof, and energy-efficient LED outdoor string lights. The bistro-styled bulbs can survive all kinds of outdoor weather, emitting a nice, warm white light that lasts up to 30,000 hours.

Walker Edison Outdoor Wood Patio Furniture Set ($893)

Entertain a crowd in your backyard with this made out of solid acacia wood. It includes a total of seven pieces: four chairs and a dining table that can extend to fit six people. The wood is naturally primed for plenty of outdoor elements, and maintaining it is as easy as applying teak oil every so often.

The post The Best Prime Day Deals on Outdoor Cooking Gear appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

There鈥檚 nothing better than cozying up around a campfire before you crawl into your tent for the night. But campfires are increasingly banned following a historic fire season in New Mexico, more and more acres burning in California, and worsening drought in the West. That鈥檚 the problem is trying to solve in developing its new propane-powered campfire. Its innovation? It鈥檚 genuinely warm.听

The idea was born on a photoshoot for , outside Bryce, Utah, two years ago. Randall Slimp brought along his Toyota Tundra, and, realizing campfires were banned in the drought-stricken Dixie National Forest at the time, decided to pick up a propane fire pit at a big box store along the way.听

While wood campfires are commonly banned on public lands when wildfire risk is high, portable stoves, fire pits, and heaters (although you should always double-check before you go).

But setting up the fire pit in camp the first night, Slimp realized that while its flames provided some nice atmosphere, they did very little to keep the group warm.听

鈥淚t was so cold that night, that I had to put on my down pants,鈥� says Kelly Lund, owner of the Insta-famous dog , who was also on the trip.听

Another problem occurred the next day during the shoot: Slimp loaded the large metal bowl and a 20-pound propane tank into the back of his pickup, but struggled to find a way to secure either of them due to their awkward shapes. Bouncing around off-road upended the fire pit, spilling its decorative lava rocks all over the bed. And when the propane tank started to roll around, it ground the rocks into an abrasive powder, which got into all of Slimp鈥檚 camping gear. Frustrated, he and Lund started to spitball solutions.听

When they returned home to Colorado, the pair began researching what makes wood campfires so nice to be around. It turns out there are three kinds of heat: conduction transfers heat through touch, convection transfers heat through the air, and radiation transfers heat through infrared waves. While propane fire pits are hot to the touch and heat the air directly above the flames, they don鈥檛 provide much radiant heat. And that鈥檚 why standing around one doesn鈥檛 warm you up.听

鈥淲ood coals put out infrared rays at the ideal frequency for warming water,鈥� says Lund. 鈥淥ur bodies are mostly water, so those rays excite the molecules in our cells and generate heat.鈥�

To mimic the radiant warmth of a real campfire, Slimp and Lund needed to find a way to heat something so it鈥檇 glow bright orange, just like wood coals. And they wanted to use propane, since the fuel provides much more energy density than batteries, is easily transported, and is universally available.听

The first prototype was basically a miniaturized tube heater hooked up to a propane tank. It squirted propane down a tube, then employed a fan to blow air through the tube. Once lit, the tube glowed nice and hot, but the fan was loud and required an electric power source. In fact, the tube got so hot that it ended up melting the wires in the fan. and the team realized that creating an ideal air-fuel ratio would require tweaking at altitude, where there鈥檚 less oxygen.听

鈥淲e wanted to create something durable that didn鈥檛 require a battery,鈥� says Slimp. And the solution was a Venturi.听

By releasing pressurized propane from a tank and flowing it alongside air through a constriction into a large chamber, the current of the propane itself drew with it large quantities of air. This eliminated the need for a fan and its associated electronics, and the volume of air pulled into the combustion chamber was large enough for it to work at altitude. Slimp says his team has successfully tested their prototype at 9,000 feet and plans to take a production unit up Pike鈥檚 Peak (14,115 feet), once they鈥檙e ready later this year. Howl鈥檚 performance is already impressive. Typical portable propane heaters, like the Mr. Heater Buddy, stop working at about 7,000 feet.听

鈥淚n our system, the high-velocity propane jet produces a constant momentum, which then moves a constant quantity of air molecules with it,鈥� says Alex Tenenbaum, Howl鈥檚 engineer. 鈥淭here should be no difference in heat output or burn velocity, whether you鈥檙e at sea level or in the Himalaya.鈥�

The other problem the team ran into was achieving complete combustion of all that propane being squirted into the tube. Resolving that was simply a matter of a quick phone call with prolific outdoor product designer Owen Mesdag.听

鈥淚f you aren鈥檛 burning all the fuel, you鈥檙e producing carbon monoxide,鈥� says Mesdag. 鈥淪o I told them they needed to give the fuel a target.鈥澨�

By squirting the fuel-air mixture from the Venturi into metal mesh, Mesdag says that they 鈥済ive the flame a home,鈥� where complete combustion is able to take place. The flame exists within the mesh at the start of the tube, and the Venturi鈥檚 pressure then blows through the tube鈥檚 contortions.听

For the visual effect of a campfire flame, propane is also released from a burner in the Howl Campfire鈥檚 center, with its flames protruding from the device鈥檚 top.听

The final challenge was portability. Howl enlisted the help of Eric Black, a product designer based in Porland, Oregon. Black proposed using the campfire body as a stand for the propane tank. By unifying the cylinder and body, the solution turns an awkward combination of a round tank and a box on legs into a single stable cube about the size of two bundles of firewood, complete with tie-down points. To secure it in a vehicle, all you need is a tie-down strap. The team tells me a single 20-pound tank should be enough to run the fire on full blast for about 7.5 hours, which should give users two full evenings of use on a single tank.听

Howl plans to produce its Campfires from 鈥渕ostly American鈥� components, at a facility outside Houston, Texas. They鈥檙e hoping sales will start in time for Christmas, 2022, and are targeting a price point somewhere north of $800.听

Worth it? As wildfire season in the West grows close to year-round, and irresponsible camper behavior continues to force land management agencies to ban wood fires in more and more places, solutions like this one are increasingly going to become the only viable option if you still want to have a campfire when you go camping.听

鈥淥ur goal is to keep the campfire alive,鈥� says Lund.

The post Finally, an Artificial Campfire That Doesn鈥檛 Suck appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

鈥淏e here now鈥� is a famous bit of New Age advice, but it could just as easily be a slogan for car camping. Settling into a great site is a surefire way to savor the moment鈥攑rovided you have the equipment to keep yourself comfortable. We spent a season testing this summer鈥檚 camp accessories on trips across the Rocky Mountains and canyon country. From the best folding chairs to the coolest portable lighting, these are the pieces that rose to the top. Plus, check out our favorite campers and trailers of the year to really enhance your next luxury adventure trip.听

Best Camping Gear of the Year

Tailgater Original Standard Steel Tire Table ($140)

This table attaches to any vehicle via a steel frame that slides over your tire. (An extendable leg supports the opposite side.) It fits an XL pizza box or two-burner stove and packs into a 1.5-inch-thick, 29-by-23-inch rectangle.

Outdoor Research CarryOut 80L Duffel ($199)

Thanks to a 600-denier polyester that鈥檚 more supple (read: packable) than most TPU-coated fabrics, this duffel saves closet space between trips. It鈥檚 less burly than expedition luggage, yet held up to a season of use, and kept our gear dry on a particularly stormy Utah campout.

Kelty Galactic Down Blanket ($130)

This 550-fill duck-down quilt bested stacks of synthetic-filled blankets when it came to quickly warming testers on 35-degree fall evenings in Colorado鈥檚 Never Summer Range鈥攚ithout the price hike typical of down. No cinches or snaps here, just 50-denier polyester fabric that feels like satin pajamas. (It鈥檚 still tough enough to survive getting dragged beneath a chair leg.)

Black Diamond Moji R+ Light ($40)

This sleek, puck-size lamp delivers soft, ambient white light, plus green, yellow, and red. We charged the battery in four hours, and it lasted for a long weekend of nightly use. Suspend it from collapsible hooks, or attach it to your car with the built-in magnets.

Dometic CMP-C2 Compact Camp Bench Seat ($100)

Benches aren鈥檛 common for car camping, but this one convinced us they should be. Its sturdy aluminum frame and 600-denier nylon seat easily accommodated two adults and doubled as a stand for a cooler filled with 60 pounds of food (the CMP-C2鈥檚 limit is 300 pounds). Still, it weighs just 6.5 pounds and rolls up to the size of a fire log for easy packing in a stuffed car.

Chaco Ramble Puff Cinch Slippers ($80)

With their DWR-treated, quilted nylon uppers (no insulation), supportive insoles, and lugged outsoles, the Ramble Puffs tick all our boxes for summer camping footwear. The microfiber lining is luxe on bare feet, and the crushable heel makes nighttime bathroom trips easy.

REI Co-Op Campwell Tablecloth and Bench Covers ($45 and $40)

Upgrade any picnic table with this reversible tablecloth and cushioned bench-cover set. Each piece is made from fully recycled, DWR-coated polyester, with adjustable straps that buckle underneath. A removable pouch at one end of the tablecloth stows utensils, condiments, and napkins.

Ignik FireCan Stove ($200)

This 15-by-7-inch rectangular ammo-can-style fire pit slides easily into packed car trunks, and its side cutouts afford full views of the flames to those seated around it. Plus, it鈥檚 propane powered, which means it鈥檚 safe to use under most fire restrictions. On a 40-degree night near Moab, Utah, it put out enough heat to delight three campers.

The post The Best Car Camping Gear of 2022 appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

With help from innovative camp kitchenware, there鈥檚 no longer a reason to sacrifice meal quality when you鈥檙e posting up at a tent site for a few days. We spent two months putting pots, pans, stoves, utensils, and accessories through their paces鈥攆rying bacon and burgers, scrambling eggs, cooking chili and fajita feasts, and then cleaning it all up and . Here is the best camp kitchen gear that made our food taste better and our听excursions even more memorable.听

Sea to Summit Camp Kitchen Toolkit 10-Piece Set ($40)

Never forget cleaning or cooking accessories again. This kit rolls up with Velcro tabs and holds an included spatula, serving spoon, scrubber, towel, cleaning cloth, biodegradable soap, and bottles to fill with cooking oil or condiments. Each tool tucks into one of eight pockets.

Hydro Flask Tandem Cooler Cup Tumbler ($30)

This double-walled, vacuum-insulated cup fits 26 ounces of liquid or two 12-ounce cans. There鈥檚 no lid, but a rubber gasket holds the cans in place; still, the vessel delivered two chilled sparkling waters on a New Mexico summit after three hours of hiking. The narrow design fits in most camp-chair cup holders.

Primus LiTech Frying Pans (from $40)

Premium pans aren鈥檛 just for your home kitchen. This hard-anodized aluminum skillet has a ceramic nonstick coating that makes cooking and cleaning even eggs a breeze. At 10.2 ounces in the 8.5-inch size (there鈥檚 also a 10-inch version), and with a collapsible handle, it鈥檚 backpacking friendly.

Sponsor Content
Coleman庐 1900 Collection 54-Quart Steel Belted庐 Cooler ($349.99)

A modern refresh of a timeless design, the new 54 Quart Steel Belted庐 Cooler celebrates 120 years of Coleman heritage without compromising on keeping your drinks cool. With a fully insulated lid and body, you can carry up to 42 cans even with one 27lb bag of ice and be sure you鈥檒l have plenty of cold drinks to go around even on the hottest days.

Dometic HYD-WF Water Faucet System ($100)

The HYD-WF is a simple silicone hose with a faucet head that pumps 150 liters of water on a charge. Plug the hose into Dometic鈥檚 11-liter HYD-J11 Hydration Water Jug ($70), or any container with a CPC quick connector, using the included adapter. An LED shines when you press the faucet lever鈥攈elpful for tooth brushing and evening dishes鈥攁nd a stick-on magnetic baseplate allows you to stash the whole faucet-hose system on the side of your water vessel.

Benchmade Table Knife (from $160)

This stainless-steel, clip-point, nonfolding blade has a serrated tip and a 14-degree edge, which handles precise cuts better than standard kitchen knives with larger edge angles. It emerged from a year of hard use without a single chip. At five inches long, it鈥檚 also small enough to pack without having to think twice.

Kelty Camp Galley Deluxe Organizer ($70)

Use attachment straps to hang this zip-up, schoolbag-size kitchen organizer from a tree or cabin post. Mesh compartments and elastic loops hold spices, plates, and utensils. (Bonus: fast air drying!) Hang a paper-towel roll from a cord on the bottom.

BruTrek BaseCamp French Press ($60 and up)

BruTrek鈥檚 stainless-steel French press is double-wall vacuum insulated, so even late risers can grab a hot cup of joe. A metal plate on top of the mesh filter halts brewing more effectively than most devices (the plate flexes under pressure to allow liquid through, then straightens to trap the grounds when you鈥檙e done pressing). Available in 32- or 48-ounce sizes.

The post The Best Car Camping Kitchen Gear of 2022 appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Ten years ago, Erin French, a James Beard Award semifinalist and owner of in Freedom, Maine, outfitted her 1965 Airstream with a semi-functional kitchen, complete with a 1930s stove that she says singed her bangs off.听During the early stages of the pandemic, French began using her Airstream as an auxiliary kitchen for her 40-seat seasonal restaurant, parking the camper just听outside听to help expand the physical space. Her first inclination was to 鈥渦pgrade鈥� the cooktop to a camp stove. But that didn鈥檛 last. 鈥淚 was like, I can鈥檛 do this,鈥� she says.听French decided, instead, to replace the existing stove with a range鈥攚hich includes both a cooktop and an oven鈥攖hat could perform more functionally. 鈥淚t was this fine balance of finding the smallest one that was going to have the most professional output,鈥� she says.

While French鈥檚 experience was unique, you don鈥檛 have to be a professional chef to upgrade your portable kitchen like she did. Here鈥檚 how to do it.

Mobile-Kitchen Options

French went with the (from $3,249) in a stainless-steel finish to match her Airstream. The gas cooktop offers her precision cooking control, while the electric oven offers baking accuracy favored by professional chefs. 鈥淲e definitely used her hard for the past two years,鈥� she says. The Ilve also features a host of other high-level functions: a pizza-cooking setting, a defrost setting, an intense-cooking setting for dishes with a crust, a top-cooking setting for foods that require browning, and a bottom-cooking setting for finishing a pastry cycle.

A dual-fuel range was an obvious option for someone who spends so much time in the kitchen. But gas ranges, French says, are a good choice for van owners who don鈥檛 require quite as much precision. More affordable than the Ilve, the ($1,029)听has four sealed burners and enough oven space to cook a roast and a side simultaneously. And the cooking functions鈥攇as heats both the burners and the听oven鈥攎ay already be familiar to home cooks, many of whom may not have dual-fuel ranges because they tend to fall into a higher price bracket. You won鈥檛 find a ton of bells and whistles here the way you would with the Ilve, but it鈥檚 still an easy-to-use, streamlined unit that鈥檚 a good buy for the price.

Culinary professionals like French are less likely to steer home cooks toward electric ranges because such a cooktop offers reliably less heat control. But GE鈥檚 ($1,073) is worth considering if you find yourself baking and roasting more than actually using the cooktop on the road, thanks to its fairly large oven capacity (2.9 cubic feet compared with Beko鈥檚 2.5).

Then there鈥檚 the induction range. Rather than using coiled metal, which heats electronically, induction cooktops use electromagnets, which directly heat the pans (so long as they contain iron, a conductor). These cooktops are considered better for the environment, but there are a few drawbacks. For one, induction ranges are still relatively new to the market and not currently available in 24-inch models. But if your van, Airstream, or RV is large enough, there are a few reputable appliance makers with 30-inch models, the best of which is the ($3,899). These units, alas, do not come cheap, and only certain cookware will work on an induction top. It also may not be the best fit for those who take their mobile kitchen on the road a lot, because the larger, heavier unit will change your overall vehicle weight.

Other Considerations

So what鈥檚 the best range for the nomadic cook? That鈥檚 up to you and your vanlife ambitions. outfits its current line of vans with induction cooktops, not gas ones, and many campers come not with ranges but similarly powered cooktops, which use less power. Airstream models include a gas range and an oven, which can be swapped out for a convection microwave if desired.

Eric Wolfinger, a professional photographer who cooks and camps in a 1992 Roadtrek, says that ranges with electric usage听can quickly drain the juice of any traditional van, RV, or Airstream. When considering adding a range, he says, make sure you look into what voltage and amperage it requires and how you鈥檒l power the range; many ranges, he says, require auxiliary generators for power generation鈥攅specially high-usage ranges, like induction. Wolfinger also points out that liquid propane, in particular, can pose some concerns. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e in a small space,鈥� he says. 鈥淰entilation is key.鈥� For those using gas, airflow (either open windows or additional fans) is an important part of the equation.

As for what to cook on a tiny range, those possibilities are somewhat endless鈥攁lbeit slightly smaller in size. Asked if there鈥檚 any one dish that shines on a very small range, French鈥檚 response was unequivocal: 鈥淩oasted chicken,鈥� she says. 鈥淓ating that feels like home, even when you鈥檙e on the road.鈥�

The post Want to Upgrade Your Mobile Kitchen? Get a Range. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

If you鈥檙e a newbie to camping, know this: the food part doesn鈥檛 have to be complicated. Sleeping out in the woods is a palate cleanser for your soul, whether you eat a soggy PB&J by the fire or whip up a four-course meal. If figuring out what to eat is your barrier to entry, just pack a can of SpaghettiOs or a takeout salad.

However, this is听国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚听Eat and Drink column, which means we鈥檙e always on Team Good Food. And coming up with tasty, creative camp dishes听can become a fun part of the experience. 鈥淔or me, a big part of camping is the company you keep, and the food you鈥檙e making is a part of that,鈥� says Linda Ly, author of听.听鈥淧resumably, you don鈥檛 have internet, you鈥檙e not online, you鈥檙e not watching TV,鈥� she says, adding that without those distractions, you may find yourself itching to put together a real meal.

Of course, unlike home cooking, there鈥檚 no emergency frozen pizza lurking in the freezer if things go sideways. So you do need to have a plan. Follow these tips, and we promise you won鈥檛 go hungry out there.

Plan Your Days

If you鈥檙e summiting a peak on Sunday, that鈥檚 the day to eat instant oatmeal for breakfast and dinner from a freeze-dried, heat-and-eat bag. Save your cooking for a time when the main items on the agenda are drinking cocktails and reading in your hammock.

Be Lazy

Even if you鈥檙e a diehard cook-from-scratch chef at home, this is not the time for your famous beef Wellington. 鈥淢y secret weapon is Trader Joe鈥檚,鈥� reveals Brian Jump, REI鈥檚 director of North American field operations and a longtime hiking, biking, kayaking, and rafting guide. TJ鈥檚 is your one-stop shop for car camping, says Jump, because not only are the aisles packed with great snacks, but there are tons of heat-and-eat meal options, too. Grab pre-marinated meats (Korean short ribs are Ly鈥檚 favorite), premade salads, and even refrigerated ravioli or frozen dumplings, which cook up well on a camp stove.

Speaking of Camp Stoves, Test Yours Now

If your stove is new to you, fire it up at least once before you leave. For one thing,听you want to triple-check that you have the right kind of fuel听and you know how to light it. Also,听camp stoves are kind of awkwardly sized. The pots you鈥檙e planning to bring may not fit well on the burners鈥攄efinitely check. Finally, camp stoves and cookware heat differently than your stuff at home. (Camp cookware is thinner听and therefore cooks more quickly, making scorching an issue.) This is best to find out when you have a stocked pantry at your disposal.

Oh, You鈥檙e Going to Cook over the Fire?

That鈥檚 a fun option, but it takes some getting used to, says Jump. He generally prepares his main dishes on trusty camp stoves and uses the fire just to warm crusty bread. However, Ly says she prefers cooking over the fire and reserves her camp stove for things like warming water and making pancakes. So this is going to come down to personal preference. Just know that you rarely cook over flames鈥攊nstead, you cook over hot coals. (Pack your Dutch oven, and check out听this guide听on how to use it.)

Prep at Home As Much As Possible

Ly cracks eggs into mason jars, which eliminates the possibility of eggs-plosions in your cooler. You can pre-scramble them or not鈥攖hat鈥檚 up to you, just make sure you keep them cold. She also pre-dices any veggie that will retain its shape post-chopping: think peppers, potatoes, carrots, and onions. Leave tomatoes and cucumbers whole, because they tend to get mushy after cutting.

Bring Snacks

While guiding, Jump quickly realized that the trick to听keeping everyone happy is feeding them well. That鈥檚 especially true in the evening when you鈥檙e done with a hike and teetering on hangry.听Before Jump starts any meal prep, he pulls some sort of tidbit out to tide everyone over. His go-to is a wheel of brie topped with a handful of nuts and dried fruit, wrapped tightly in foil, and heated for a few minutes on warm campfire coals. 鈥淧eople鈥檚 minds are blown when you have baked brie at the campsite,鈥� he says鈥攁nd it鈥檚 barely any work at all.

Pack Your Cooler Right

Because heat rises, the coldest part of your cooler is the bottom, says Jump. That鈥檚 where you should pack the stuff you won鈥檛 touch for a few days. (This keeps rifling through it to a minimum, too). Ice will keep your cooler cold, but it also creates a mess as it melts; instead,听Jump recommends a product called , which are reusable, freezable sheets. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e low volume but really cold, and they don鈥檛 sweat,鈥� he says. He distributes a few sheets throughout the cooler, eliminating the need to use any ice at all. Also: pack your drinks in a separate cooler. Opening the lid repeatedly to grab a cold one will vastly reduce how long it stays frigid in there.

Build a Food-Prep Area

Ly brings her own camp table, in case there isn鈥檛 a picnic table at the campsite or it鈥檚 not conveniently located. (It also helps keep the stove out of reach of her young kids.) Her pick is from听, because it has adjustable legs that are perfect for use on uneven ground.

Don鈥檛 Forget the Dishes

Yes, you still have to do dishes in the backcountry. Keep all of your dishwashing gear together听so you鈥檙e not searching for it in the dark, and heat a kettle of water on the stove while you eat鈥攚arm water makes the process much less loathsome as well as听faster, since it helps break down food bits and oil, says Jump. Both Ly and Jump use a three-bucket system:听the first contains听warm water for rinsing off food,听then there鈥檚 a soapy water bucket,听and, finally, a rinse bucket. You can buy听听made for this task, or just bring some plastic bins from home. Ly likes to let her dishes drain in a mesh laundry bag hung from a tree branch.

Follow听听ethics when you disperse your dishwater. Pour your dirty water through a mesh strainer and into another bucket before dumping it. Make sure you dispense of the water at least 200 feet from streams or lakes听and a good distance from your campsite. Throw the strained-out food bits into a bear-proof trash can, or pack them out鈥攅ven micro bits of food can cause problems in the backcountry.

Want to go further? Here鈥檚 a听guide to backcountry听dessert baking and听bread making. We鈥檝e also got a complete听guide to cocktails听that pair perfectly with campfires. Just don鈥檛 blame us when your friends invite you on every single camping expedition鈥攁nd then ask you to take charge of the menu.

The post The Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Camp Cooking appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

It鈥檚 been about a year since my husband and I decided to move out of our city apartment to travel full-time in a听trailer, exploring the country and visiting as many national parks as possible. Surprisingly, there aren鈥檛 many things I miss about a sticks-and-bricks home. We have a queen bed, a stove, an oven, a refrigerator听and freezer, and even a flush toilet and shower on board. We鈥檙e not exactly roughing it. There is one thing we find ourselves fantasizing about often, though: a grill.

We鈥檝e been craving the experience of standing outside, enjoying the sweet听scent of charcoal smoke mixed with pine trees, holding a beer in one hand and tongs in the other, and that slightly charred flavor you can only get from cooking over fire. Making burgers in a pan in a stifling-hot camper is听not the same. Not even close. Plus, it just听feels right to grill at a campground.

So I started researching.听Of course, living on the road comes with certain challenges, which meant whatever we picked would have听to听check a few important boxes. Space is limited, so any camp grill听worthy of the rare real estate in the truck bed would need to pack up small. Cleanup also has听to be simple, because when your vehicle is听full, even small greasy messes can create big problems. And we often dry-camp, so we don鈥檛 have a ton of water to spare for cleaning. Last but not least, any portable grill worth using should still cook food efficiently and evenly.

We put the following travel models to the test (and ate a lot of meats and veggies) to figure out which grills are best for barbecuing听on the road, whether you鈥檙e RVing full-time or car camping for the weekend.

Best for Technophiles and Gourmands

Traeger Ranger Pellet Grill ($400)

Like all pellet grills, which use ignited wood pellets and a system of fans, gives everything a slightly smoky, wood-fired flavor. (Trade-off: it needs to be plugged in听either to shore power or a generator.) If, like my husband, you enjoy splurging on high-quality meat and want to cook it听precisely, the grill comes with all the features you need. The included temperature probe, which connects to the digital control panel on the front, made it easy to cook our pork tenderloin perfectly without opening the grill and letting out heat. The Ranger also functions as a miniature smoker. After pressing a button to set the temperature, we waited听for the unit to preheat. (Every time you use the Ranger, it heats up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and then adjusts to the set temperature. This听requires a lot of charge听at first, but then less听to keep it听hot as your food cooks.)听Then we threw on a couple of chicken breasts. Both smoking and grilling them resulted in听juicy, flavorful meat. When we were听done, the grill latched closed like a briefcase鈥攖hough at 60 pounds, it doesn鈥檛 exactly feel like one.

This is a great option for anyone camping at an established campsite with a power source, people with 12-volt outlets in their cars, or those听traveling with a generator or power station. Since we鈥檙e living听on the road full-time and听cooking virtually every meal, and听since we have a few different power options, including a small generator,听the Traeger has become our new go-to. We figured, why not go all out? On an off-grid testing mission, we听ran it for an hour using our fully charged听Jackery Explorer 500 power station, and it still had 82 percent of the total juice听remaining when we were done. When we were connected to shore power at an RV campground,听we plugged it right into the outlet on the outside of our camper.

Best for a Crowd

Coleman RoadTrip 285 Portable Stand-Up Propane Grill ($250)

We tested this when we had family visiting听and were able to cook enough chicken thighs and legs for six people. Out of the box, it took us less than five minutes to start up: simply attach a one-pound propane canister and push the autoignition听to light the burners. Once the temperature gauge on top let us know that the grill was adequately heated, we loaded the 285-square-inch grate with all our meat听at once. The three-burner setup made temperature adjustments easier than with a standard two-burner propane camp grill, so we were able to cook our food more evenly. Meanwhile, two foldout side tables were convenient for accommodating听condiments and plates, since we didn鈥檛 have a picnic table or other surface available.

When you鈥檙e done grilling, collapse the legs with one simple motion, and wheel it back to your car听(the whole thing is about the size of a small carry-on roller bag). The wheels and legs do stick out a bit beyond the actual grill when it鈥檚 folded. But since it lays flat, it fits nicely in the bed of our truck and doesn鈥檛 move听around鈥攎eaning we don鈥檛 need to worry about damaging it or spilling any residual grease on other things.

Best for a Couple

Camp Chef Portable BBQ Grill ($130)

Sure, it鈥檚 smaller and a little more basic than the Coleman, but at 22 pounds, is about half the weight. Its 200-square-inch cook surface is plenty for the two of us, and its 12,000-BTU double burner was enough to cook a few brats, zucchini, and corn. Like the Coleman RoadTrip 285, it took less than five minutes to set up and has a push-button ignition, but the rectangular configuration and听slim fold-up legs may fit in a car trunk slightly听better than the longer Coleman RoadTrip, depending on your setup鈥攚e were able to store听it in the small compartment beneath the kitchenette inside our camper. The latches on the outside keep the grill shut during transport.

We鈥檝e found that a simple, portable propane grill is great to have when we鈥檙e camping in national forests or other remote areas where we don鈥檛 have electric hookups and don鈥檛 need something very big. I wouldn鈥檛 want to cook a complex meal on it, but it鈥檚 perfect for burgers, hot dogs, and other basic barbecue foods. It鈥檚 also useful to have along if there鈥檚 a fire ban, since propane is usually still allowed in those situations.

Best for Charcoal Lovers

Weber Smokey Joe Charcoal Grill ($35)

Charcoal grills don鈥檛 have the flashy features that pellet听and some propane grills do, but that鈥檚 part of what makes them great. Plus, there are those who听swear charcoal grills听make meat taste better. The was by far the most affordable, lightest听(only nine听pounds), and easiest听to听tote around of all the grills we tested. We relied听on听the lazy lighting method鈥攃overing charcoal in lighter fluid and lighting it with a match鈥攁nd threw on some burgers once the charcoal was hot. If you鈥檙e not keen on using lighter fluid, which can impact the taste slightly, you can buy a to get your charcoal hot and ready.

One downside to charcoal is that it requires a little more cleanup. The Smokey Joe makes it easy to remove the cooking grates, dump the charcoal, and wipe everything mostly clean. The carry handle latches across the lid to lock everything in place, so the grill won鈥檛 spew ash around the back of your car. The classic kettle shape is hard to position in听a tightly packed vehicle, but we were able to fit it into the truck bed without a problem.

Best for Camp

BioLite FirePit ($250)

If campfire cooking is more your style, this from BioLite gives you a way to build a flame that鈥檒l cook your food a little more precisely than your typical stone-circle setup, and without sprinkling it with bits of ash. How? A battery-powered system of听fans听stokes your fire with the touch of a button.听We used it to prepare a few rib eyes, and the virtual temperature controls were helpful to get just the right amount of heat and flame out of our wood. When the steaks were done, we let the fire continue to burn听and enjoyed it like a regular ol鈥� fire pit. (You can use both wood and briquettes.)

As long as the battery pack is charged, you don鈥檛 need to plug in the FirePit while you鈥檙e using it. Bonus: detach听the battery pack when you鈥檙e done, and plug your phone into it to juice up.

The post 5 Portable Grills for All Your Outdoor Cooking Needs appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Raise your hand if you have a bunch of disposable听propane bottles lying around your garage. Sure, they鈥檙e convenient and easy to find.听But the cost of always buying new ones can add up,听they鈥檙e hard to dispose of properly, and they end up in the landfill. In this episode of the 101, Bryan Rogala shows us the 听($50), as well as two other听cost-effective and more eco-friendly ways to power your camp stove without using disposable one-pound听propane bottles.

The post 3 Refillable Propane Tanks for Camping appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Camp Chef Rainier 2X ($165)

A powder-coated lid and reinforced knobs made this the 颅hardiest stove we tested鈥攁nd听the heaviest. The combination grill and griddle on the left put a perfect crust on six burgers and was easy to clean, while the burner on the right capably handled simmering and boiling.

Primus Essential Trail ($25)

The Essential Trail delivers functional design at a low price. Weighing in at four ounces, it鈥檚 heavier than some stoves, but a 4.3-inch wingspan makes it conspicuously stable, even when bringing three liters of water to a boil.

Ignik 2-in-1 Heater-Stove ($140)

Testers had reservations about the real estate this combination stove and space heater re颅quired in the car. But when it became the focal point of a cold evening outside, everyone agreed that its utility went far beyond the powerful 10,000-BTU burner. Pair it with Ignik鈥檚 refillable Gas Growler ($150), which holds five times the fuel of a single-use propane canister.

Fireside Outdoor Pop-Up Fire Pit and Grill ($200)

Cooking over an open flame is one of the joys of camping, but it can be dangerous (and illegal) during summer months. This combo meets both Forest Service and BLM safety regulations and is easy to set up. The 3.5-square-foot cooking space handles up to 75 pounds of meat.

GSI Outdoors 颅Selkirk 540 ($125)

This is the best stove we tested when it came to feeding large groups. The 22-by-13-inch cooking top comfortably fit a 10.5-inch cast-iron skillet and an equally wide Dutch oven side by side, which made short work of bacon and pancakes for six.

Snow Peak Home and Camp ($110)

Snow Peak鈥檚 was the most elegant stove in our test. Closed up, the Home and Camp looks like a futuristic water bottle, but its single burner put out enough heat to sear a couple of steaks. Ample 5.9-inch cooking arms accommodated a 12-quart soup pot.

The post The Best Camp Stoves of 2020 appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

After years of testing gear and refining his own system, Wes has arrived at the perfect camp kitchen. Here he听shows us his setup and how to cook his favorite pasta dish, so you can prepare for when it鈥檚 time to head back out there.听听stove combines the highest-output burners available听in a robust, light, freestanding package. The听听is well designed, making both cooking and cleaning up outdoors easy. The听Dometic听fridge-freezer听allows you to听bring听fresh food along on extended trips. And last听but most important,听听provides running water in camp.

The post Wes Siler’s Ultimate Car-Camping Kitchen appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.