Explore our comprehensive guide to camping cookware and campfire cooking equipment. Whether plotting a brief weekend getaway, an extensive camping excursion, or an epic road trip across Australia, equipping yourself with the appropriate gear is pivotal for enhancing your outdoor cooking experience.
While it can be tempting to pack your entire kitchen, space and weight limitations make it essential to be selective about what you take on the journey. That’s where having the proper outdoor cooking utensils and equipment comes in. The right tools can help you save space, reduce weight, and make meal preparation easier and more enjoyable. In this article, we’ll share some of our top picks for outdoor cooking equipment and tips on what to look for when choosing the right tools for your next adventure. Further, see what to make for easy camping meals while exploring.
Your Guide to Camping Cookware and Campfire Cooking Equipment
Camping Kitchen Utensils
After many years of outdoor cooking, we have refined our selection of what has earned its place in our hybrid van and 4×4 for cooking outdoors. Our picks for outdoor cooking accessories include:
- Long-handled tongs (no particular brand)
- Décor refillable oil sprayer
- Welders gloves (for camp oven)
- Weber small frying pan with a detachable handle
- Weber traveller saucepan with detachable handle
- Stainless steel mixing bowl
- Melamine or metal plate set, with cups
- Cutlery set with steak knives.
- Contigo travel cup
- Wooden spoon, egg flip, whisk,
- Sharp knife
- Small to medium sized chopping board
- Compact food containers x 2
Campfire Cooking Equipment
Choosing the proper campfire cooking equipment is essential as it needs to be worthy of your space! It must help provide a good cooking experience while being easy to use. It must be durable and suitable for outdoor use and cooking on an open flame and gas. Next, we love dual-purpose items; if an item can be used for multiple purposes, that’s a space-saving aspect. Our picks for outdoor campfire cooking equipment include:
- Biji-Barbie
- Royce Rimfire Bush Kettle 3 L
- Darche Stainless Steel BBQ fire pit
- Campfire Cast Iron Oven 8.5 L
Campfire BBQ Plate
The Biji-Barbi is a quality and well-designed Australian-made product that has earned its place in our outdoor cooking kit. This Barbi is stored in its canvas bag in the back of our Landcruiser, ready to cook whenever and wherever we want.
The Biji Barbi is compact (a flat disk) with an easy fold-out handle and legs that click into place. Place the plate over an open fire or gas stove, ready to cook.
Oil and heat the plate and prepare to cook meat, fish, sausages, eggs, bacon, vegetables, and stir-fries. Once we have cooked, we pour over a cup of water and allow it to simmer off access food and fats. Pour off water, wipe off, oil, fold down, place in bag and pack away. The Biji Barbi would also make an ideal gift for the 4WD owner or camper.
Campfire BBQ Plate – Biji Barbi Specifications:
The Aussie plough disk inspires this Australian-made BBQ plate. The Biji Barbi is available in 3 sizes:
- Large: 430mm
- Medium: 350mm
- Small: 300mm
- Construction: Aluminium
See our Biji-Barbi Stir Fry recipe for an easy camping meal..
Camp Kettle
The Royce Rimfire Bush Kettle is the ideal camp kettle and has been in our travel kit for ten years now, a testament to this kettle’s quality and durability. The kettle’s unique design has an interior central hollow cone shape. This design increases the heating surface area, allowing the water to reach boiling point faster.
The second aspect we love about this Kettle is the ability to burn leaves and sticks in the interior central hollow and boil water. A base plate fire ring is designed to hold the Kettle, sticks, leaves, and coals to create a stove effect. Save on gas costs and use the free resources available to boil water!
Camp Kettle – Royce Rimfire Bush Kettle Specifications:
- 3-litre capacity
- Stainless steel construction
- Includes fire ring base plate for heating with fire
- Use on gas stove or fire
- Boils in 11 minutes
Portable Camping Fire Pit
The Darche Stainless Steel BBQ Fire Pit would have to be one of our most used items; after all, if you don’t have a campfire, you are not camping!
This portable camping fire pit offers a fold-flat design that is ideal for transporting and easily fits into a storage drawer, vehicle tray back or roof rack. The fire pit is easy to set up; place it where you want it with the stainless handles, and pack it up quickly once it’s cooled down, of course!
The removable BBQ grill is an excellent addition to this fire pit. We love to cook a range of foods over the fire. Afterwards, remove the grill, and you have the perfect foot warmer, marshmallow cooker, bush TV and central conversation piece under the stars! We chose the 310 size, unsure if it would be big enough, however, it is perfect for our needs.
Portable Camping Fire Pit – Darche Stainless Steel BBQ Fire Pit Specifications:
- Available in 3 sizes: 310, 450 and 630 mm.
- Packed dimensions: 560 L x 560 W x 80 H mm
- Set up dimensions: 450 L x 450 W x 440 H mm
- Weight: 11.5 kg
- Construction: Grill – 304 Stainless Steel and Body – 201 Stainless Steel.
Fire Pit.
Camp Oven
A camp oven is a must-have item for camping cooking equipment. A camp oven can cook various meals, from classic damper to stews, roasts, and cakes!
We love cooking a wholesome meal in a camp oven using coals from our fire. It provides a rewarding outdoor cooking experience. Camp ovens are available in cast iron or spun steel. Spun Steel camp ovens are lighter if you want a weight-saving option. After using spun steel, we have returned to cast iron for its excellent ability to retain and spread the heat evenly, making it perfect for cooking with a campfire.
The Campfire Cast Iron Oven 8.5 litre (9QT) has a pre-seasoned finish that creates a protective surface that will withstand higher temperatures without food sticking and resists water entry into the iron, reducing surface corrosion. This ready-to-use camp oven is perfect for camping or touring.
Wash out your camp oven after use with very mild, soapy water or plain water, allowing it to dry thoroughly before packing away.
Camp Oven – Campfire Cooking Equipment Specifications:
- Dimensions: 310 mm L, 150 mm H
- Capacity: 8.5 litres
- Weight: 9.4 kg
- Construction: Cast Iron
Camping Cookware: Portable Gas Stoves
For years, we used the Gasmate Travelmate single-burner stove. This portable gas stove is compact and easy to set up and cook almost anywhere. This gas stove takes the Gasmate bayonet gas cartridge, a compact and easy option for gas supply with an inbuilt infighter. The unit packs away easily into its storage and carry case for easy portability.
Next, the MSR Pocket Rocket 2 Stove is our second portable gas stove. This unit is super compact, lightweight, and perfect for hiking or small storage spaces. The unit takes MSR (or similar) Butane 230g treaded gas cartridges that screw into the base of the portable gas stove. The MSR Pocket Rocket features a built-in igniter, folding pot supports, and a carry case.
Portable Gas Stove – MSR Pocket Rocket 2 Specifications:
- Weight: 0.1 kg
- Output: 8200 BTU
- Boil time: 1 liter in 3.5 min
Camping Kitchen Utensils: Portable Coffee Maker
A good coffee is essential to start the day! We have used a variety of portable coffee makers over the years, including the stovetop Espresso coffee maker and the Handpresso Pump. Our current coffee maker is the AeroPress Coffee Maker. This unit is compact and lightweight and produces one to two coffees in a press, depending on your cup size.
To use this coffee maker, place ground coffee in the coffee compartment and pour boiling water into the unit’s body, allowing it to steep. Place the coffee maker over your cup and press the coffee into your cup. Enjoy fresh, pressed coffee wherever you are. See our complete guide to portable coffee machines.
Portable Coffee Maker – Aerobie AeroPress Specifications:
- Dimensions: 28 cm long, 12 cm wide.
- Weight: 200 g
- Construction: BPA free Polypropylene and thermoplastic elastomer
In conclusion, as you prepare for your next outdoor adventure, remember that packing wisely is the key to a successful journey. The right camping cookware and campfire cooking equipment can significantly optimise your experience by saving space, reducing weight, and simplifying meal preparation. In this article, we’ve provided recommendations for our campfire cooking equipment and valuable tips for selecting the perfect tools for your upcoming adventures. From versatile cookware to space-saving equipment, having the right gear ensures that every meal you prepare on your journey is a delightful and memorable part of your outdoor experience. So, gear up and get ready to enjoy easy camping meals while enjoying the great outdoors.
Remember to keep out outdoor places beautiful and Leave no Trace.
