It's time for a camping trip again! You can hardly wait, the van is ready to roll and the weather is gorgeous. To make sure your trip is a culinary success too, today we're giving you everything you need to know about cooking while camping.

Whether you're traveling in a tent, camper or motorhome, you can cook anywhere.

Here at VanSite you'll learn:

• which staple foods keep your body going

• which basics your cooking gear should include

• which fantastic recipes you can cook while camping

Get your wooden spoon ready!

The ultimate checklist: cooking gear for camping

Anyone can cook. How well is another matter. In any case, you don't need much camping accessories to treat yourself and your travel companions to tasty meals.

These kitchen utensils are perfectly enough and will surely still find room in your luggage:

• Stove (e.g. gas stove with cartridge or induction hotplate)

• Cutting board

• 1 set of cutlery per person (including a sharp knife)

• One pot and maybe a pan

• 1 bowl

Everything else, like a camping grill, is "nice to have".

You can also use the cutting board as a plate, for example. There are even rumors that "lazy" campers eat their meal straight from the pot or pan. That saves valuable space in your luggage, and when it comes to the washing-up it saves plenty of water.

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Cooking while camping: with electricity or gas?

Whether you cook with gas or electricity depends on where you want to be during your trip.

In a van with a solid power supply, using an electric hotplate is no problem. It gets trickier at campsites, since not everywhere can the small electric hotplates be plugged in.

At VanSite, though, you'll find plenty of nature-close pitches with electricity.

Using a gas stove often comes with a few safety concerns. It's not for nothing that a CO2 detector is recommended in enclosed spaces.

Tip: By the way, you can also use a gas stove as a camping heater. In this overview you'll find the pros and cons of cooking with electricity and gas:

Gas

Pros

• easy to use

• robust and independent of a power supply

• low initial cost

Cons

• only suitable for temperatures above 4 °C

• gas cartridges always have to be carried along

• cartridges create a lot of waste that you have to dispose of properly

Electricity

Pros

• easy to use

• easy to clean

• usable in enclosed indoor spaces

Cons

• a power source is required

• an adapter may be needed abroad

• somewhat more prone to damage

9 cheap staple foods that should be in every camping kitchen

Some staple foods can be used in many ways. Whether you're a culinary minimalist or an excellent cooking pro, you should always bring a few long-lasting foods on the trip.

Cooking while camping can be wonderfully varied.

Depending on your mood, you can conjure up dishes for every taste that keep your body going thanks to their important nutrients.

These 9 staple foods should always be in your luggage:

1. Pasta (e.g. spaghetti, macaroni, etc.)

2. Potatoes

3. Rice or similar grains such as millet, quinoa or couscous

4. Seasonings (salt, pepper, sugar)

5. Vegetable oil

6. Muesli or oats

7. ready-made sauces (e.g. tomato sauce, mustard) and spreads

8. fresh fruit and vegetables (garlic is essential!)

9. tea and/or coffee

Whether or not you plan to cook while camping, you should always make sure you have enough fresh drinking water in stock.

If you're in the mood for more animal products while cooking, take a detour from your pitch to the local farmers' market. There you might find a regional delicacy that rounds off your dish.

Foto von Dan Edwards |

Cooking while camping: a 3-course menu with simple recipes

Your imagination is the only limit, of course! Whatever crosses your path on your trip, give it a try, in the kitchen too!

The starter: crunchy salad with wild herb dressing

Cold dishes taste good too!

You'll need:

• vegetables of your choice (tomatoes, cucumber, peppers) for the salad

• oil, garlic (finely chopped), seasonings and mustard for the dressing

Now here's the trick: Take a short walk and pick tasty wild herbs like dandelion, sorrel and ground elder. Wash them, chop them finely and add them to your dressing. Shake everything well and serve up your salad with the wild herb dressing.

The main course: pasta à la camping

A classic you can make your own. Cook your favorite pasta and heat up a sauce of your choice.

For an extra treat, you can fry up some fish and mushrooms.

Arrange it all on a plate and enjoy this simple dish with that certain something. Cooking while camping can't get any easier.

The dessert: porridge with fresh fruit

Cook 50 g of oats in 250 ml of water and let it swell. In the meantime, you can chop up an apple or a banana, for example. Season the finished porridge with sugar and a pinch of salt.

Maybe you've got some jam stashed somewhere in your luggage. You can use it as a topping. The dessert also looks the part!

Enjoy your meal!

Bottom line: cooking while camping is easier than you think!

You really don't need much to whip up a few genuinely tasty dishes during your trip.

A hotplate, a pot and some cutlery are all you need to make simple meals. You're also well prepared if you always keep a small supply of drinking water and non-perishable food with you.

Let your travels inspire you in the kitchen! We hope you have a lot of fun cooking while camping.

If you'd like to fit your camper with a self-built kitchen, take a look at our article on camper conversion with a kitchen.