How to Set up a Camping Kitchen
Have you struggled setting up a camp kitchen before? Or forgotten necessary cooking equipment?
This guide will show you how to make the portable kitchen the best part of your campsite and provide you with the most important things to pack with your portable kitchen setup. We will show you the best way to set up and use your camping kitchen. A good camping kitchen can make it much easier to eat healthy while camping!
Kitchen Box List
Packing a kitchen box may seem tedious and unnecessary but it can save you a lot of time and space in the long term.
It will help keep everything organized and make packing and unpacking a breeze. Our list is a great starting point to make sure you pack all the necessities for your camping kitchen.
Kitchen Clean-Up
- 3 Tubs (plastic or collapsible)
- Biodegradable Soap
- Sponge
- Hand sanitizer
- Paper Towels
- Wet Wipes
- Trash bags
Food Storage
- Cooler
- Cooler separator’s
- Dry food storage
- Ziplock baggies
- Tupperware
- Plates
- Bowls
- Cups
- Silverware
Food Equipment/Prep
- Camping stove(with fuel)
- Cast Iron Pan
- Pots and pans
- Lighter
- Oven mitt
- Cutting board
- Knifes
- Measuring cups
- Coffee making supplies
- Wooden cooking spoons
With this list, you will have all the basic necessities for cooking, cleaning, and food storage. The rest of what may go into your kitchen box will vary from person to person and trip to trip. It may take multiple camping trips to narrow down exactly what you need depending on your preferences and needs.
To make your camping set up the best it can be we write down anything you realized you have forgotten during your trip. Once you get back from your trip you can now get and add whatever you may have forgotten during your last trip. It may take a few trips to get everything you want to use inside your kitchen box but after that, you will be organized and never have to worry about forgetting anything again.
It is also crucial to replenish things after your trips so you don’t run out of something necessary during your camping trip. I prefer to thoroughly look through my kitchen box after every trip or two and replace anything that you may have run out of or things that are getting low.
Portable Camp Kitchen Box Packing Tips
Keep most frequently used items towards the top of your box. This will make it easier when you are in a rush to set up and only need a few things.
Having separators or smaller tubs inside your box will keep you more organized. Being able to separate things so you know exactly where everything is in your box.
Finding the proper type of kitchen box is essential. There are many different types of bins/boxes that work great depending on your need. You can get a simple plastic tub or a designed camp kitchen box. Figuring out your price range and size of your kitchen box before purchasing will make sure you get exactly what you need.
Camp Kitchen Tables
Having the proper table space to layout your cooking equipment and food is needed. They give you a clean area to cook and a great place to set up a cleaning station.
If you only have one table it may be difficult but you can make it work. With one table only set out things that you need to use often so you aren’t cluttering up the table. When cooking, move everything that isn’t being used off the table to make sure it is clean before putting your food and stove on the table. After cooking and eating take everything off and replace it with your cleaning set up for dirty dishes and hand wash station. Only having what you are currently using on the table will reduce clutter and make it easier to work on.
Two or three tables make it a lot easier, especially for bigger groups. Before setting anything up you should designate each table for its own use. For example, one table should be for your dish as a camp sink table, the other should be for cooking. Designating each table to something specific will keep you more organized and make it so you only have to sanitize one table(cooking table) before preparing your food.
Outdoor Kitchen Mat
Having a floor mat under your kitchen set up can make cleaning up a lot easier for you. When cooking you will most likely drop some crumbs and food on the floor which dirties campsites and can attract wildlife. A mat or blanket/towel can make this clean-up a lot easier.
It can also reduce the amount of dirt and sand that can get kicked up into your food and other kitchen supplies. No one likes a dusty area or dirt in their food or on the table. With a mat, it will keep your kitchen area cleaner and make it feel less like your cooking in the woods.
Camp Kitchen Shade
In warm weather keeping your kitchen set up in the shade is crucial. Keeping your food and other equipment out of the sun will allow for your equipment to have a longer life and more importantly, it will keep your cooler cold for longer, as well as keeping your dry food protected from going bad. Depending on where and how you are camping there are many different ways to keep stuff in the shade.
My preference is to bring my own shade. Sometimes this is not always possible depending on how much stuff I have but there are many different types of camp shades that work great and are very portable. Whether you have a pop-up shade or a triangle tarp, bringing your own shade allows you to have more freedom of where you set up. Shades can also protect your camp kitchen when camping in the rain or other weather. The versatility of bringing your own shade is why I prefer it over the other option.
The other option is to find a natural shade. This can be very easy or difficult depending on the terrain you are camping in. If you have an abundant amount of shade I would suggest trying to keep your entire kitchen set up in the shade as best you can. If you have the very minimal shade you should try to keep your cooler, dry food, and water in the shade the best you can.
