From quick meals to slow and savory cooked masterpieces, there are a variety of ways to cook dinner at your campsite! While this post is written with RV owners in mind, you can absolutely use most of these suggestions when tent camping as well. (Assuming you are at a campsite with electric hookup.)
I’ll never forget some of our earliest camping adventures together. Before my husband and I had kids, were married or even lived together, we’d go on the occasional camping trip. We didn’t exactly have a lot of experience with cooking at that point and our meals were often very simple with no frills. From easy lunchmeat and cheese sandwiches to soups or other meals that simply needed a quick reheat, we rarely cooked anything from scratch.
As the years have gone by, I am happy to report that our dinner game has improved a good deal. And as we have moved from tent camping to popup camper camping to present day (travel trailer) camping, our cooking methods have become varied! Have you read through our list of RV kitchen essential supplies? That’s a good post to check out after you read this one!
Check out some of the methods and tools that we typically use to cook up our campground dinners!
Depending on the dish, you can find us making dinner: inside the RV, over the campfire, or on/in any number of small appliances that often come with us when we travel.
Campfire Cooking
Dutch Oven – These versatile sets can be used in several different ways. If your dutch oven comes with a tripod, you can quite literally cook over the open flames of your campfire. This is a wonderful way to simmer hearty stews and soups for dinner! You can also use the dutch oven to bake everything from cakes to corn bread by utilizing hot coals that cover the oven and cook the ingredients.
Campfire Grate Grill – Many campsites include a campfire ring. Having a grate or perhaps a griddle on hand can turn that campfire ring into a fabulous grill space for burgers, hot dogs, whatever you’re in the mood to cook!
Cast Iron Pie Iron – You can make a variety of foods in a a pie iron including well, PIES, and also sandwiches and calzones.
Telescoping Skewers – We love using these telescoping skewers for roasting marshmallows and also hot dogs over the campfire!
RV Kitchen Cooking
Stovetop and/or Oven – If your camper comes with a stovetop and/or oven, you can cook anything from skillet meals to pasta to eggs in cookware on the cooktop! Bake up meals in the oven just like you would in your kitchen at home.
Microwave – Many RVs include a microwave in the kitchen. These ovens are convenient for quick food heat-ups and more.
Instant Pot – The Instant Pot is such a versatile multi-function cooker that can make a homecooked meal in a fraction of the time versus cooking in an oven. It can also handle tasty sides like corn on the cob. One of our favorite Instant Pot meals after a long day on the road? This pressure cooker pot roast recipe!
Air Fryer – We told ourselves for YEARS that we didn’t need an air fryer, and now it’s one appliance that we love so much, we even take it camping! From savory roasted veggies to fun desserts like air fryer s’mores and air fryer Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, this small appliance is a real gem!
Slow Cooker – If time is on your side, why not let your meal slow cook itself while you relax at your campground! (Note: if you already have an Instant Pot, it likely has a slow cooker function!)
Toaster Oven – A toaster oven is a handy appliance to have in the camper! From simple foods like toasted bagels and bread, to quick frozen food heat-ups and more, the toaster oven is like a slotted toaster with a little more versatility.
Campsite Cooking
Propane Grill – One of the very first purchases we made for our new camper was a portable grill! We use this grill on almost every single camping trip and have cooked up everything from burgers to grilled chicken skewers! It’s lightweight, easy to use, and a great way to keep the cooking outside of your camper if you prefer.
Electric Griddle – This fabulous appliance can used inside the camper or out. We typically setup this griddle on our kitchen grill table outside of the camper. It’s a wonderful way to cook bacon, pancakes, eggs, and hash browns, just to name a few favorites. (Best advice: never cook bacon inside your camper. Always cook it in the great outdoors. Unless, of course, you want your camper to smell like bacon for the next 5 years. LOL!)
Well, there you have it! Those are some of the ways that we make dinner and other meals when we are enjoying time in our home away from home! We would love to hear how you tend to cook or make your meals while camping. Do you use any of the tools or methods that we described above? Or perhaps you use something different? Leave us a comment and tell us about it!
Favorite Camping Recipes
Make sure you check out our entire recipe collection.
Here are some of our favorites:
- 18 Delicious Campfire Recipes to Try this Summer
- BBQ Bacon Chicken Dutch Oven Pizza Recipe
- 20+ Easy Instant Pot Dinner Recipes to Make in Your RV
- Easy Foil Pack Grilled Shrimp Tacos
- Easy Air Fryer Cornish Hen Recipe
- Easy Strawberry Air Fryer Pop Tarts Recipe
