What is Santa putting under your tree?

Over the years, we have purchased lots of camping gear.  It is hard to pair down our list of favorites to just a few items.  So, I'm doing a two part post on our all time favorites that have held up over time.  This week, I am sharing items for your campground chef.  I love to cook both at home and on the road.  Having the right gear makes a big difference.  What made the cut for me?

Meals at the campground are my favorite!

Camper Christmas Wishlist - Campground Chef

You don't have to be a chef or love to cook to need camping gear for meals.  But, the right gear does make it a more appealing task.  

I love my Igloo Ice Maker.  It was a gift several years ago, and it still runs like a champ!

Ice Maker

Several years ago, I asked for an ice maker for Christmas.  We have a portable Igloo icemaker.  4 years later, it still works like a charm, and I haven't bought ice in years.  Personally, this is an item that I think every RV owner should have.  Our ice maker cranks out ice like a champ and is easy to take care of.  Be sure to always let it dry completely before you pack it up to store.  Clean it regularly with hot soapy water and/or a mixture of vinegar and baking soda.  I also use brushes that are designed to clean water bottles to get into all of the crevices.  Igloo also make a self cleaning model now.  I would opt for that one if possible.

My Lodge Dutch Oven was the first big piece of camping gear my husband bought me for Christmas.  I was so excited and still love cooking in it!

Cast Iron Cooking

Camping and cast iron cookware seem to be synonymous.  My Dutch Oven was one of the first pieces of camping gear we purchased.  It was a gift from my husband the year we bought Peggy Sue the pop up camper.   I wanted a versatile piece of gear that could braise, stew or bake.   A Dutch Oven is just that piece of gear.    

If you own a Dutch Oven, you need a Camp Maid System!

If you own a Dutch Oven or are thinking about purchasing one, add a Camp Maid cooking set.  Camp Maid has tools that will transform your Dutch oven by providing a stable lid lifter.  There is piece to hold your coals underneath.  You can also flip your Dutch oven lid for a griddle or even a baking stone.  

This charcoal lighter makes grilling and cooking with my Dutch Oven a snap!

I use an electric charcoal starter to get my coals going.  It is an easy way to fire your coals right up without chemicals or the need to add newspaper.  I simply add the coals into a chimney and apply the heat to the coals.  After a couple of minutes, your coals will be heating up perfectly to fuel your Dutch oven or a grill!  

My Lodge Griddle fits perfectly over my Coleman Camp Stove.  It is the perfect combo!

Finally, a cast iron grill/griddle combo is an excellent tool.  I use this piece for pancakes, searing steaks, making grilled cheese sandwiches and just about anything really.  

We bought a used Coleman Camp Stove, and it is so practical and easy!

Coleman Camp Stove

I had an outdoor stove with my pop up camper.  When we moved to our travel trailer, I no longer had this handy piece.  I knew I still wanted to cook outdoors but didn't have an outdoor kitchen on our new RV.  Creating your own outdoor cooking set up is easy and works great.  First, start with a Coleman Camp Stove.  I have a basic set up with 2 burners.  This piece runs off of white gas and simple cooking at it's finest.

The Coleman Oven is just what you need to complete an outdoor kitchen set up at the campground.  I especially loved this when I had our pop up camper!

My cast iron griddle fits over it perfectly.  And this may be the way I use it the most.  However, you can also transform this stove into an oven with an easy Coleman collapsible oven.  I had this when we owned our pop up camper and used it as a way to bake outdoors as well.  It folds flat to store.  It weighs very little, and it fits right over the burner on your Coleman camp stove.  Control the temperature inside the oven by turning the heat source below up or down.  There is handy gauge on the front that tells you the temperature inside just like a home oven.  

The interior is not big, so I do recommend a set of compact baking pans.  These can also work in a standard RV oven as well.  For pop up campers and tent campers, the Coleman Camp Stove and Oven are a perfect combination for meals outdoors.  But anyone could use these pieces, and they will last forever!

Serving and More!

Beyond the basic cooking tools and set up, what else do you need?  There are lots of things that I could suggest here, but a few items stand out that we use regularly.

Glamp it up at the campground with this Camp Casual Serving Set.

The Camp Casual Serving Set is something that we use for taco night to salads.  I've even used it to toss chicken wings for dinner.  No matter what you serve this is a practical and super cute way to set your table at the campground.  It comes with a large shallow bowl and a set of serving tongs.  

An electric kettle can be used for heating water in a pop up camper to wash dishes, making coffee and more!  I use this all the time!

An Electric Kettle has long since been in use for us on our camping journey.  During our pop up camper days, we used our kettle for heating water to wash dishes and to make coffee.  Now we use our kettle for making coffee, thawing frozen water spigots in the winter and more.  I also boil water that we drink and use for making ice.  I know.  That sounds like a lot, but it is just something that I do.  I keep a constant rotation going as I doing random tasks.  Its a handy tool that is used a lot.  I recommend one for any camper!

I have started to regularly use my pour over again and love it so much!  And it won't break!

I know that everyone has their own opinion of how to make coffee.  I tend to be a minimalist when it comes to gadgets.  Coffee is one of them.  I don't need a fancy coffee maker that takes up space.  I love a French press but have broken 2 in 2 years in our RV.  However, the one thing that takes up the least space and has NEVER broken is my silicone collapsible pour over coffee maker.  It is light weight.  It takes up little space and makes a great cup of coffee.  Pair it with your electric kettle and you have just what you need.  

Speaking of collapsible gear,  a Collapsible Dish Drainer is another one of those practical pieces that will last a long time and works great.  This was yet another piece we purchased for our pop up camper.  We are still using it today and still love it!

What are some of your favorite pieces of camping gear for the kitchen and cooking?  Next week, I'm going to share part 2 of camping gear for your Christmas Wish List.  I'll be following that with a three part series on Dutch Oven cooking.  So, stay tuned for more fun posts as we wrap up the year.

Until next time...happy camping!

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