One of the great things about camping is being able to cook your own meals in the great outdoors. There is nothing like cooking your food on a roaring camp fire but if you cannot make your own fire then there are a number of great alternatives that can recreate that campfire experience and still let you cook a sophisticated meal away from home. Cooking options when you are camping range from the classic micro stove which is basically just a gas canister with a small stand. A micro stove is ideal for boiling water and cooking simple one pot foods like baked beans, soup or even frying an egg or sausages. So if you want to travel light but still start your day with a hot mug of tea or coffee and a cooked breakfast a micro stove will probably suffice. Considering they start at under £10 they offer great value and are definitely worth a closer look.

Check out the Campingaz Bleuet Micro Plus Stove for an example of a great piece of micro stove.

Double Camping Stoves

If you want to cook a more sophisticated meal that requires more heat or contains more than one hot item then a double portable camping stove might be better suited to your needs. Double camping stoves are still portable as they usually have a folding lid that encloses the stove and they give you the extra benefit of having a more powerful heat source and often feature dual hobs allowing you to heat more than one pan at time. More advanced camping stoves such as the Campingaz Camping Chef Stove as well as two hobs also feature a camping grill allowing you to toast bread and other items. For a little extra cost and size the addition of a grill really opens up the possibilities of the meals you can cook.

You can even get a purpose built camping stove carry bag which makes bringing a double camping stove on your camping trip even easier and means you don’t have to go without a warm meal wherever you are. As some campsites do not allow their campers to make fires or have barbecues a camping stove might be your only option so to save you missing out it is highly recommended to have one in your camping equipment kit.

Camping Cookware

Once you have got your camping stove you will also need some cooking equipment such as pots and pans. You can bring these items from home but many campers prefer to have their own set of cooking equipment that is made especially for camping. Camping cookware tends to be lighter and smaller making it easier to carry around saving you space in your bag or car. They tend to have more innovative designs that suit the items better to camping such as the Spork which is a fork and spoon combined in one piece to save you space and money. A camping kettle is an essential piece of kit if you like to start your day with a hot cup of tea of coffee.

Don’t forget something to eat out of once you have cooked your meal! It is a not a good idea to bring china or plates made out of other breakable materials with you as not only are they heavy but they can easily be broken once you start using them outside of the home. Something like these aluminum mess tins [link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/GELERT-PAIR-ALUMINIUM-MESS-CAMPING/dp/B001SQAMJO/ref=pd_ts_sg_17?ie=UTF8&s=sports] from Gelert are well worth investing in if you don’t want to eat out of saucepan for every meal!

Another cooking item that is great for camping is a thermos flask. Having a good flask means you can have a hot drink or meal without having to build a fire or start up the camping stove and will save you time and effort when you are camping.

You can see the best selling thermos flasks that are suitable for food or drink here [link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/bestsellers/sports/324272011/ref=pd_ts_sg_nav].

So as you can see there is more to having a good camping experience than just the right sleeping bag and tent. Being able to cook your own meals outdoors really gives your camping trip an authentic feel and makes it much more enjoyable, so make sure you have the right cooking equipment with you!

Read our great cooking stove reviews to find out more and get some great deals.