The Dining Hall and Patrol Method

[LongHaul]

John-in-KC mentioned state health regs we have those problems also. How do you meet food storage temps and sanitation with patrol cooking? Same for utensil cleaning & sanitation and disposal of wash and rinse water? Dumping that stuff in the kybo kills the bacteria and we end up with problems with our septic fields. The camp we use for this type of activity has a very limited capacity.

LongHaul

[BrentAllen]

Our camp offers two choices for patrol cooking - cook their menu and their food, or plan and bring your own. When using their menu and food, they keep it stored. When bringing your own, they may offer refigeration space, but I'm not sure. I will find out Wednesday at our SC Kick-off meeting.

 

If we bring and store our own, the camp sells bagged ice. Frozen two-liter bottles also work well and aren't as messy. High-quality coolers make all the difference when camping for a week. freeze the items you are going to use later in the week.

 

As for clean-up, we just follow the 3-pan system outlined in the BS Handbook (pgs. 281-283). We do this on our weekend campouts as well. Once they learn it properly, it takes very little time. The trick is plates, pots, utensils need to be wiped very clean before they go in the first pot (hot water with a few drops soap). Bagged trash can be carried to dumpsters at any time. The other trick is to get the water on the stove right after cooking is completed, before everyone sits down to eat. If they wait to start heating the water until they are done eating, they will burn a lot of time sitting around waiting for it to heat up.

 

For non-backpacking trips, we use 3 Rubbermaid-type dishpans, 12 qt, about 15 x 12 x 6. They stack together and don't take up much room. Each Scout cleans their own personal items, and all help with the pots and pans, as described. The Scouts assigned to KP duty are responsible for getting the 3 pans ready, and making sure everything does get cleaned.

[John-in-KC]

LH,

 

Please allow me to clarify.

 

Our Council does not use patrol cooking. That's a decision which dates back to when H Roe Bartle was the SE (mind you, he retired from BSA to be they Mayor of Kansas City in 1953). SFAICT that decision will not be revisited in the coming millenium. It is cast in titanium.

 

For staffing at both our Scout reservations, our dining hall cooks are contracted out. The cooks are the long pole in the tent, as I understand Missouri and Kansas healt codes. We do have youth staff working from the trash cans through the dishwasher. They can handle trays from the warmers to the serving trays for the Scout table waiters passing through.

 

To me, the challenge is that COOKING MB is not, and hasn't been for quite a few years, on the Eagle Required list. It was when I was a youth member. A Scout right now needs to cook a total of 10 meals (+/-) from TF to Eagle to meet his rank and Camping MB requirements. The weekend camping program pretty well satisfies that.

 

Then again, I'm divorced, and using a stove, oven, and assorted kitchen tools keeps my costs down. I personally consider cooking in the essential life skills tent that Personal Management, Family Life, Swimming/Cycling/Hiking and First Aid are!

 

But I could be wrong...