Techniques you need to learn when cooking over a campfire
When summer comes, one of the outdoor activities I look forward to is camping. Getting away from heavy traffic, my high-tech gadgets and jobs for a few days to enjoy nature seems like a lot of fun to me, a new adventure that I don’t want to miss. Since I love food, I can say that outdoor cooked food tastes better than expensive food from your favorite restaurants. If you haven’t experienced cooking over an authentic wood fire, this is your chance to enjoy a delicious meal with a typical aroma that will make you drool.
You probably mean why bother with the problem when we have electric stoves or gas stoves and grills that can cook our food quickly and easily. Well, let me tell you, my friend, cooking with your appliance certainly offers an easier and faster result, but nothing beats cooking with a real wood fire. Yes, you can fake those wood and smoke flavors, but when you actually use real fire, there’s something nostalgic and primitive about it. It takes you back to the old days when all food can only be cooked over an open wood fire. Even ordinary food can smell wonderful and make everyone hungry.
You can choose to use firewood or charcoal for outdoor cooking, but I recommend using firewood. I suggest you use only good hardwoods (eg oak) because they burn long enough and get very hot enough to give your food that typical delicious aroma. Stay away from softwoods (eg pine) as they do not burn long enough, although they burn more easily. It is highly recommended to start your fire naturally rather than using lighter fuel, as lighter fuel contaminates your food with chemical odors, you definitely don’t want this to happen.
You have to light your fire in advance because most people don’t understand that it can take some time for the fire to really get going. You can choose to do this over an outdoor fire pit or on large grills.
Speaking of outdoor kitchen equipment, you can easily find that there are a wide variety of kitchen tools available in the market to enjoy outdoor cooking. One of the important tools that I cannot stress enough that you should carry during your outdoor adventure would be the knife sharpener.
If you plan to do a lot of outdoor adventures, buying high-quality kitchen equipment is a good investment for the upcoming summer season. If you have the budget, don’t go cheap, for example a cast iron pan is better than an aluminum one. Choose the right outdoor grill style that fits your needs and budget.
It is very important to keep fresh meat, dishes or any other kitchen utensils away from other tools that you are going to use because Salmonella can sneak away. Also pay attention to safety regulations because there are some cooking methods that are not allowed in the camping area to prevent fires from getting out of control.