By Ali Slagle, The New York Times
Some dinners are just better eaten outside.
Cooked over a crackling fire, surrounded by pitch pines, lightning bugs and scurrying squirrels, even something simple like a skillet of nachos can go from good to remarkable. The smoke of a wood fire swirls into the beans. The cheese sizzles crisp. Some chips toast to an admirable char.
Campfire cooking can seem complicated, what with the planning, packing and schlepping involved in fashioning a temporary kitchen in the great outdoors. But keep the meal ideas, tools and setup simple and campfire cooking might just be more enjoyable than cooking at home.
My partner and I have twice circled the United States in our camper van, but we knew very little when we set out. We learned as we went. There were many nights of cooking out in the wind and rain and jet-black sky, a lot of ramen. Not every night was dreamy, but every morning we were glad to wake up where we were.
There’s nothing quite like cooking over live fire — and no two times are ever the same — but with this basic intel, you might just do it again and again. If you’re camp cooking-curious and don’t know where to start, you’re in the right place.
How do I build a fire?
Humans have been cooking food over fire for at least 780,000 years, so there are many ways to effectively start one. I typically prepare dinner while my partner gets the fire going (Camping Lesson 1: Divide and conquer), but he taught me a method that even newbies like me can pull off. Watch it on youtube.com/nytcooking.
Some Safety Notes
— Always follow local rules and regulations. Some campsites will have pits with grates for you; others may have a fire ban (in which case, it’s sandwiches for dinner).
— Use wood that was bought or acquired locally to avoid transporting invasive species.
— Keep a bucket of water near for emergencies — and to put out the fire before going to bed.
— Be sure to stir the water with the embers so they’re all drenched.
What kind of equipment is especially helpful?
The tools you’ll use to cook over a campfire aren’t that different from what you use at home, save for long tongs and a dish bin, so bring a curated selection of what you already have in your kitchen. When we were packing, whatever tool I used when cooking over the course of a week went into a box for the van. If I’d used it at home, chances were I’d want it camping, too.
You probably need only one skillet; I use a large, carbon-steel skillet for most things. And certain tools have multiple uses. For instance, a sheet pan can be a table to put tools on, a tray for prepped ingredients, a platter for finished food, a lid for your skillet, a fan to get the fire roaring. (During one winter in Montana, I even used it as a sled.)
How do I keep my food from burning right up?
It can be tempting to cook directly over big, glowing, roaring flames, but they’ll end up charring your food completely. Instead, wait for the flames to die down a bit: A fire is ready to cook on when the logs have broken down into coals that glow orange and are covered with a layer of gray ash. That’s your cue to arrange a grill grate over the coals and let it heat, then add your food, preferably in a skillet, which can be a safer bet than cooking over the grates at the campsite.
If you do find your food consumed by flames, move it to a cooler part of the fire. Look for areas where the coals aren’t as red or bright, or hold your hand a few inches above different parts of the coals to feel their temperature. Avoid spraying the flames with water, which will spray the ash onto your food.
Essential Tips for Camp Cooking
— Go easy on yourself when building a campfire, and feel free to use supermarket fire starters.
— A carbon-steel skillet can be much easier to use (and lighter to pack!) than a cast-iron skillet.
— Tongs can do double-duty, moving food and wood around.
— Kitchen shears are your friend: Cut ingredients like kimchi right in the jar, or scallions right over your bowl to avoid cleaning a messy cutting board.
— Choose meals that don’t require a lot of measurements: Eyeballing ingredients means less dishwashing.
How do I build a meal in a foil packet?
When you’re camping, a foil packet — aluminum foil envelopes of ingredients — can be especially helpful. It’s essentially a single-serve steamer, so anything that can be steamed can be foil-packed. And when you’re ready to cook, all you’ll need to do is put the packet on the coals or grill grate.
Because you’re aiming to cook a number of ingredients in a single packet and working with the unpredictability of a campfire, there can be a lot to get right, so it can be helpful to streamline.
For instance, use already cooked proteins, like canned beans, rotisserie chicken and kielbasa or other smoked sausages, and quick-cooking vegetables, like frozen peas, cherry tomatoes, baby spinach or corn. If you want to eat something heartier, like carrots or potatoes, consider precooking them.
Be sure to add some oil or butter inside to keep ingredients from sticking, and go for heavy-duty or a double wrap of foil to avoid leaking. Because the ingredients aren’t getting any color, your dinner might need a little boost of flavor at the end. A spoonful of pesto or another sauce, fresh herbs, a sprinkle of cheese or a squeeze of lemon or lime are great for that.
Some Foil Packet Suggestions
— Pair canned white beans with cherry tomatoes, pesto and a dollop of ricotta. Top cooked packets with arugula.
— Top kielbasa with thinly sliced bell peppers and sauerkraut. Finish the cooked packets with thinly sliced scallions.
— Tuck corn kernels alongside shredded rotisserie chicken and canned green chiles. Eat with tortillas, cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
— Pair store-bought gnocchi with chopped asparagus, frozen peas, butter and lemon.
— Cut a banana, in its peel, from tip to tip, and stuff it with mini marshmallows, chocolate and peanuts before wrapping in foil and warming in the fire until gooey and warm for a banana boat.
How do I make coffee?
Important question. I make pour-over coffee at home, so I do that when camping, too. Boil a pot or kettle of water on the camp stove, then pour the water into a pour-over set on an insulated travel mug (I like the Zojirushi). If that’s too involved at daybreak, consider instant coffee.
What should I think about when picking a recipe to cook over a campfire?
If you’re new to campfire cooking, go easy on yourself and make something familiar. Choose a skillet recipe you already love, since the cooking is similar when you set a skillet on a grill grate.
That said, fire is a wild thing, so there’s something to letting it do its thing and cooking something flexible on it. That usually means something vegetarian or a protein that is hard to overcook, like boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
What are some good camp snacks?
— Something salty and crunchy: An Old Bay party mix was a big hit with our Fourth of July camping crew last year (including the critters that weaseled their way into our food).
— Something juicy and refreshing: Bring cut fruits and vegetables, like watermelon and cucumbers, and a jar of chaat masala to sprinkle on them.
— Something sweet: Cocoa granola satisfies chocolaty cravings without worry of melting in the summer sun.
What are some easy one-pot recipes with minimal cleanup?
When my editor Margaux Laskey goes camping with her family, she always makes a one-pot tortellini with meat sauce. Other good options: gnocchi, saucy beans, tacos, chili, smashed beef kebabs. Chopped cheese!
But most important, the great outdoors plus wood smoke make whatever you’re cooking especially delicious, so don’t worry too much: It doesn’t need to be elaborate to taste special.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.