Homeschool › Outdoor Skills › Outdoor CookingFood cooked outdoors always seems to taste better, especially when you made it. Horace Kephart gave camp cookery the longest chapter in his 1906 book, and the Beard sisters wrote about corn roasts in their 1898 handy book. You'll start simple, with a grown-up at the stove or grill every time.
For grown-ups: A grown-up handles the stove, grill, or fire and hot pans alongside the cook and decides which jobs each child is ready for.
Things to try In any order, at your own pace. Tick what you've tried if you like keeping track; ticks stay on this device.
Plan a simple outdoor meal Choose a meal you can cook outside, such as foil packets with a fruit dessert. Write the menu and a shopping list. A good goal: you've checked that you have all the food and gear.Set up an outdoor kitchen Set up a cooking area with a table, a cooler for cold food, a hand-washing station (a jug of water, soap, and a towel), and a trash bag. A good goal: a grown-up has checked your setup.Cook on a camp stove or grill With a grown-up, cook something simple on a camp stove or grill, like scrambled eggs, quesadillas, or pancakes. You do the stirring and flipping. A good goal: the meal is cooked through and eaten.Make a foil-packet dinner Fill heavy foil with chopped vegetables, a protein, and a little oil and seasoning, then fold the edges tightly. A grown-up sets it on the grill or on coals and checks that everything is cooked through. A good goal: one packet for each person.Bake twist bread on a stick Mix a simple dough of flour, baking powder, salt, and water, and roll it into a rope. Wrap it around a metal roasting skewer and turn it slowly over hot coals until it's golden and cooked inside. A good goal: at least one good twist.Roast corn Soak ears of corn in their husks in water for about 15 minutes, then roast them on a grill, turning often. Peel back the husks carefully once they cool a bit. A good goal: everyone has had an ear.Clean up the outdoor way Wash dishes in a tub of warm soapy water and rinse them in a second tub. Wipe down the table, pack out all trash, and leave no food scraps for animals. A good goal: the site looks like nobody cooked there.Cook for your family Plan and cook a full outdoor meal for your family, with a grown-up helping only with the fire or stove. Teach a younger helper how to make one dish, such as twist bread. A good goal: everyone is fed and the cleanup is finished.Read about it in the old books ← All outdoor skills Teddy Rook Book is not affiliated with or connected to any scouting or youth organization. These pages are free ideas to use however you like.