Cookware for Cub campouts/sleepovers

[Stosh]

By the Way I season my Cast Iron with Lard...Better than Vegatable Oil..Never use a liguid oil to season with

FYI

 

If anything would go rancid on an extended storage it would be lard (animal fat). Olive oil (fruit) will take the longest to go rancid. I have never tried the exotic oils like almond so the jury is out on that.

 

For my camping cast iron, it's always been bees wax. I never have a problem in the spring when I drag it out for another season.

 

For those who like to line dutch ovens with foil, be prepared to toss out a lot of the really good browned "crust" on the bottom with the foil. If done right, dutch ovens clean faster than any of the other cookware in the chuck box. Just have to know how to do it. I always get "stuck" with cleaning the dutch ovens, and I love it because I'm done and had a cup of post-dinner coffee before the boys get done with the dishes.

 

Stosh

[walk in the woods]

By the Way I season my Cast Iron with Lard...Better than Vegatable Oil..Never use a liguid oil to season with

I have to admit I've used the parchment paper liners a couple of times and kind of liked them. Pineapple upside down cake was lower risk that way .

[berliner]

Usually for "cubs first night out" we tend to do foil wraps in the coals of the fire.

The kids get to cut up, clean all the veggies n stuff themselves, works good with hamburger or minced meat,

I and think that "I wrapped it myself" thingo is pretty cool for the small ones.

 

Another nice thing is "eggs in a bag"

just have a "buffet" with grated cheese, bacon, ham, mushrooms whatever and each kid gets a couple

of eggs, cracked into a ziplock bag raw and mixed with what they want,

then each scout writes their name on their bag and all the bags go in a big pot of boiling water and - voila - scrambled eggs and

you dont even need to do dishes (spoon right out of the bag like an MRE LOL)

 

Oh and I love Dutch Ovens. I need to get myself one. Mmmmh peach cobbler nom nom...

[jpstodwftexas]

Well my Cast iron is Used all the Time..Never a chance to go Rancid

[Nike]

Usually for "cubs first night out" we tend to do foil wraps in the coals of the fire.

The kids get to cut up, clean all the veggies n stuff themselves, works good with hamburger or minced meat,

I and think that "I wrapped it myself" thingo is pretty cool for the small ones.

 

Another nice thing is "eggs in a bag"

just have a "buffet" with grated cheese, bacon, ham, mushrooms whatever and each kid gets a couple

of eggs, cracked into a ziplock bag raw and mixed with what they want,

then each scout writes their name on their bag and all the bags go in a big pot of boiling water and - voila - scrambled eggs and

you dont even need to do dishes (spoon right out of the bag like an MRE LOL)

 

Oh and I love Dutch Ovens. I need to get myself one. Mmmmh peach cobbler nom nom...

I don't get eggs in a bag. Eggs come in a perfectly serviceable cooking container--a shell. Just boil them!

[King Ding Dong]

Usually for "cubs first night out" we tend to do foil wraps in the coals of the fire.

The kids get to cut up, clean all the veggies n stuff themselves, works good with hamburger or minced meat,

I and think that "I wrapped it myself" thingo is pretty cool for the small ones.

 

Another nice thing is "eggs in a bag"

just have a "buffet" with grated cheese, bacon, ham, mushrooms whatever and each kid gets a couple

of eggs, cracked into a ziplock bag raw and mixed with what they want,

then each scout writes their name on their bag and all the bags go in a big pot of boiling water and - voila - scrambled eggs and

you dont even need to do dishes (spoon right out of the bag like an MRE LOL)

 

Oh and I love Dutch Ovens. I need to get myself one. Mmmmh peach cobbler nom nom...

Fill me in on how to stuff onions, peppers, sausage, cheese and mushrooms into the shell.

[kari_cardi]

The issue we have run into with cast iron is allergies. The way most cast iron is treated, no washing and oiled, makes cross- contamination a realistic threat. Using cookware that can be scrubbed is better from an allergy point of view.

 

Basic steel cookware can be used in all of the ways you've described, Grubdad. It's reasonably non- stick if you heat the pan first, then add you cooking fat and food. If you camp with access to electricity a lot, I'd also suggest purchasing a couple of electric griddles and a couple of crock pots. The electric griddles make cooking stacks of pancakes a breeze and the crock pots are good for heating and holding foods warm for serving.

[King Ding Dong]

The issue we have run into with cast iron is allergies. The way most cast iron is treated, no washing and oiled, makes cross- contamination a realistic threat. Using cookware that can be scrubbed is better from an allergy point of view.

 

Basic steel cookware can be used in all of the ways you've described, Grubdad. It's reasonably non- stick if you heat the pan first, then add you cooking fat and food. If you camp with access to electricity a lot, I'd also suggest purchasing a couple of electric griddles and a couple of crock pots. The electric griddles make cooking stacks of pancakes a breeze and the crock pots are good for heating and holding foods warm for serving.

Interesting point about the allergies. I have never been all that comfortable with the no washing cast iron thing, but I suppose if you heat it well enough all the buggies die.

[berliner]

Usually for "cubs first night out" we tend to do foil wraps in the coals of the fire.

The kids get to cut up, clean all the veggies n stuff themselves, works good with hamburger or minced meat,

I and think that "I wrapped it myself" thingo is pretty cool for the small ones.

 

Another nice thing is "eggs in a bag"

just have a "buffet" with grated cheese, bacon, ham, mushrooms whatever and each kid gets a couple

of eggs, cracked into a ziplock bag raw and mixed with what they want,

then each scout writes their name on their bag and all the bags go in a big pot of boiling water and - voila - scrambled eggs and

you dont even need to do dishes (spoon right out of the bag like an MRE LOL)

 

Oh and I love Dutch Ovens. I need to get myself one. Mmmmh peach cobbler nom nom...

Yeah Nike - what KDD said. Cubs are not as fond of hardboiled eggs as some adults.

They want it scrambled. With cheese. Lots of it.

 

A splash of milk in the bag yummo nom nom ... how are you going to get that in the shell huh? ;-)

 

One a side note we had a competition which cub patrol was fastest in making a fire and boiling an egg.

The adult patrol won (I had my Jetboil with me....hihi cheating aye)

[Stosh]

By the Way I season my Cast Iron with Lard...Better than Vegatable Oil..Never use a liguid oil to season with

Try 3 rocks and a pie plate. That is a more conservation minded approach. Pie pans wash up nicely, aluminum foil and parchment paper just add to the trash, and burning the bottom is really, really hard to do.

 

Stosh

[Stosh]

The issue we have run into with cast iron is allergies. The way most cast iron is treated, no washing and oiled, makes cross- contamination a realistic threat. Using cookware that can be scrubbed is better from an allergy point of view.

 

Basic steel cookware can be used in all of the ways you've described, Grubdad. It's reasonably non- stick if you heat the pan first, then add you cooking fat and food. If you camp with access to electricity a lot, I'd also suggest purchasing a couple of electric griddles and a couple of crock pots. The electric griddles make cooking stacks of pancakes a breeze and the crock pots are good for heating and holding foods warm for serving.

If boiling water at 212 degrees kills the bugs, a DO at normal heat of 350 does a pretty good job, too.

[Nike]

By the Way I season my Cast Iron with Lard...Better than Vegatable Oil..Never use a liguid oil to season with

Stosh, are you saying to put the rocks in the bottom of the DO, and the pie plate/tin on top?

[Nike]

Usually for "cubs first night out" we tend to do foil wraps in the coals of the fire.

The kids get to cut up, clean all the veggies n stuff themselves, works good with hamburger or minced meat,

I and think that "I wrapped it myself" thingo is pretty cool for the small ones.

 

Another nice thing is "eggs in a bag"

just have a "buffet" with grated cheese, bacon, ham, mushrooms whatever and each kid gets a couple

of eggs, cracked into a ziplock bag raw and mixed with what they want,

then each scout writes their name on their bag and all the bags go in a big pot of boiling water and - voila - scrambled eggs and

you dont even need to do dishes (spoon right out of the bag like an MRE LOL)

 

Oh and I love Dutch Ovens. I need to get myself one. Mmmmh peach cobbler nom nom...

And cubs do like Denver omelets? Sorry, I find boiling eggs in a bag to be beyond odd. How often does the bag pop or leak?

[Stosh]

By the Way I season my Cast Iron with Lard...Better than Vegatable Oil..Never use a liguid oil to season with

Yep, it is a Dutch OVEN. No one sets anything in an oven without it being on a rack. Once the pie pan is off the bottom, then it won't burn food on the bottom.

 

Most foods are baked at 350-degrees in an oven at home. They always figure the food sits on a rack in the oven to heat evenly with air movement around the food. If one has a #12 oven, put 9 briquettes under the oven and 15 on the top. That will give you 350-degrees for about 45 minutes, replace them out if you're going to bake longer than that. That will give you exactly the same as what you would have at home in the oven. It's called Dutch oven baking, not Dutch oven cooking.

 

The #1 problem with dutch ovens is that the vast majority of people never use it as an oven. More often than not, it is a cook pot with the ability to top brown if desired. I have NEVER seen anyone do a cobbler using a dutch oven as an oven. With the liquid of the fruit they chance the cooking process to pot cooking rather than truly baking it.

 

The boys in my troop would always slam-dunk the DO competitions with their chocolate chip cookie cheese cake recipe and NEVER have to clean the oven when they were done. Why? because they used the DO correctly.

 

Stosh

[King Ding Dong]

Usually for "cubs first night out" we tend to do foil wraps in the coals of the fire.

The kids get to cut up, clean all the veggies n stuff themselves, works good with hamburger or minced meat,

I and think that "I wrapped it myself" thingo is pretty cool for the small ones.

 

Another nice thing is "eggs in a bag"

just have a "buffet" with grated cheese, bacon, ham, mushrooms whatever and each kid gets a couple

of eggs, cracked into a ziplock bag raw and mixed with what they want,

then each scout writes their name on their bag and all the bags go in a big pot of boiling water and - voila - scrambled eggs and

you dont even need to do dishes (spoon right out of the bag like an MRE LOL)

 

Oh and I love Dutch Ovens. I need to get myself one. Mmmmh peach cobbler nom nom...

So is cooking a hot dog on a stick or wrapping biscuit dough on a stick, but both are different and teach something. Your right cubs are not likely to put all those veggies in their eggs but maybe they will select one or two.

 

At home you boil eggs or fry them in a pan. The point of camping is to do something different and maybe learn something along the way. I have not had ziplock bag leak or pop, just get most of the air out.

 

Ever try the bacon and eggs in a brown paper sack method ? It works, maybe not the best results but it works. Why do it ? The scouts learn something and are amazed the bag didn't burst into flames. Tell them why it works and they just learned something about science few people know and expanded their knowledge. They might use that knowledge and think of something exceptional.

 

Why is boiling water in a paper cup over hot coals a time honored campfire trick ?