In the words of Jim Harrison, “what you choose to eat directly reflects the quality of your days.”

Life is too short to eat bad (or mediocre) food and this is especially true when you’re outdoors. Food should elevate our time in the outdoors, not deter from it. Whether it’s a simple egg and bacon breakfast before a duck hunt or an elegantly roasted woodcock over wild rice in a Northwoods grouse camp, having a versatile cooking kit means you have everything on hand when you need it.

The most important consideration when putting together a cooking kit is to think about how you will use it. Do you want it applicable to a wide range of situations or will it have a distinct purpose? Do you prefer straightforward, no-fuss menus that require minimal equipment, or will you be cooking elaborate meals for larger groups? In my kit, I’ve tried to strike a balance between the two. I can fry, braise, sauté, and even bake, but there are no single use gadgets and everything packs neatly into a small tub. Keep in mind this kit is designed for trips when I can carry a large tub. Usually that means using a vehicle as a basecamp, but its also applicable to float trips, packing in with livestock, or throwing in a floatplane.

From simple to elegant, this cook kit can do almost anything and is easily transported.

The most important piece of equipment in any cook kit is a stove. I wanted something that could travel easily, but still cook for a group, and decided on a three-burner stove that affords me a large flat top cooking surface on two burners with a single burner for making sauces or boiling water for coffee or pasta. I also wanted the stove to run off a refillable fuel source. Using propane, I can adjust the size of the tank to what I’m doing. I take a regular 20-pound tank on long trips and a small 1-pound tank for overnighters. The stove fits perfectly in a latching, wheeled Sterilite container which protects it from the elements and makes it easier to carry.

For pots, pans, cooking utensils, dishes, and silverware you can buy a complete cookset or put something together piece by piece. Premade sets are convenient in that you don’t have to shop for each piece individually and they often nest together so they don’t take up much space. Like a lot of people, I had extras of almost everything I needed already laying around in my kitchen, so I opted to put a kit together myself. Meal planning before every trip, I can add or remove cookware depending on what I need. There is no point in bringing things you won’t use. 

The last consideration, and an important one in my opinion, is how you store everything. I’ve gone through a lot of plastic storage containers and finally found one that holds up. An 8-gallon Rubbermaid action packer perfectly fits every piece of my camp kitchen. They can take a beating, are lockable, rodent proof, stackable, water resistant, you can stand or sit on them, and I’ve even used the lid as a cutting board in a pinch.

Below is a detailed list of everything in my cook kit:

• 12-inch nonstick pan preferably with a folding handle (These will get beat up. Keep them cheap)
• 3-quart saucepan with straining lid
• Reversible cast iron griddle
• Cast iron Dutch oven
• Plastic cutting board
• 12-inch chef’s knife (with cardboard sheath)
• Paring knife (with cardboard sheath)
• Kitchen shears
• Wooden Spatula
• Tongs
• Spatula
• Ladle
• Large stirring spoon
• Plastic bowls
• Plastic plates
• Cups/Mugs
• Paper towels
• Sanitary wipes
• Aluminum foil
• Small separate plastic container that holds:
• Lighter
• Sporks
• Small wooden spoon
• Corkscrew/bottle opener
• Hand sanitizer
• Two knifes for eating
• Can opener
• Small whisk
• Dish soap
• Two mesh trash bags (One for trash, one for recycling) (These are sold as laundry bags but make excellent washable trash bags)

One last tip: tape a piece of notebook paper to the top of your storage tub and make a note when you run out of things like dish soap, paper towels, or sanitary wipes. Check it before your next trip and you’ll always have what you need.

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