ScoutBook

Here are some tips that will make cooking in the outdoors a breeze! Some you may know, others may be some new ideas to try out! If you have other handy tips: please submit!!

1. Soap the bottom and side of your pots and pans before putting on the fire.  This will reduce the amount of scouring you will need to do when cleaning up.  Liquid soap is easier to use than bar soap
2. If cooking on a wood fire, wait for the flames to burn down.  The coals are where the heat comes from.  Also the flames will blacken the bottom and sides of the pot making clean up more difficult.
3. If you're cooking on gas stoves: the highest settings is not necessarily the best way to cook your food steady a right through.
4. Do as much preparation as possible at home.  Dice your onions, green peppers, etc.  at home and store them in plastic bags.  Place in the cooler before leaving.
5. Vegetables such as celery carrots, radishes, cabbage, and lettuce will keep fresh longer if wrapped in foil and several layers of brown paper bag.
6. A little vinegar will remove onion and fish odor from hands, pots and pans.
7. Scrambled eggs go further if bread crumbs and a little milk are added
8. A little dab of butter in oatmeal while it's cooking will make pot easier to clean.
9. Pancakes are less likely to stick if you add a tablespoon of melted butter to each 1.5 cups of batter.
10. Drop a small pat of butter or one tablespoon of oil in your spaghetti water to prevent it from boiling over.
11. Sprinkle a few drops of water on sliced bacon to keep it from shriveling in the pan
12. Rice in the salt shaker will absorb moisture and keep salt from lumping.
13. By using lids whenever possible, you will greatly reduce the cooking time required for many foods.
14. A little lemon juice added to the boiling water will make rice whiter and keep the grains from sticking.
15. To take eggs to camp: remove them from the shell, whole, and store in an jar with lid.  They won't break and can still be poured out on at a time. Another way to bring eggs to camp avoiding cracks (and worse) is by packing them in your flour or sugar.
16. Talking about eggs: adding a pinch or two of salt to water when boiling a cracked egg will prevent the whites from running out, or wrap the eggs tightly in aluminum foil.
17. Eggs dipped in boiling water for 10 seconds will last for weeks in a camp fridge. To check if an egg is fresh place it in water, if it sinks it is fresh if it floats it is bad.
18. Store eggs with large end up, they will stay fresh longer.
19. If vegetables or cereal scorch, plunge the pan and all into cold water for a few minutes.  Much of the burned taste will be dissipated.
20. Keep water boiled over a wood fire free of that smoky taste by throwing a clean sliver of wood into the water while your boiling it.
21. You want to keep food or drink cool on a hot day in camp? For drinks: wrap the water container in a wet cloth and hang it in the open from a branch of a tree or put in a draughty spot. The breeze will cool down the wet cloth and it's good as putting it in a regular refrigerator. For food: wrap the container in alu foil and bury underground (take it out of the sun).
22. Provide for nature: when you've finished cooking, set your cook pot off to one side.  Perhaps if you give them their own plate, the bees, wasps, flies and other pests will stay away from yours.
23. If you burn the inside of a cook pot, shake cream of tarter into the pot, fill with water and bring to a boil.  Boil for a few minutes, pour out water, and wipe clean.
24. When it is time for washing up, a crumpled ball of foil makes an excellent scouring pad for pots and pans.
25. Take the backache out of washing messy pans by always filling used pans with cold water straight away.