Cooking outdoors is often a favorite highlight of many camping trips. Whether you enjoy grilling burgers and hotdogs or getting creative over an open fire, camp cooking can be a fun experience for everyone. Take a few minutes to prepare a simple menu for your camping trip ahead of time and use your camp meal plans to help pack your kitchen items as well as your ingredients.

Every camping trip will require a different assortment of camp kitchen supplies depending on the event's activities and the menu you plan. If you plan to do a lot of camping or are already an avid camper, there are a number of cooking supplies you should keep on hand for your camping outings.

A suitably sized quality cooler with a secure clasp, like those offered by Coleman, is a camping necessity. Cooler chests with a removable food tray are ideal for keeping meats and sandwich spreads cool until you are ready to use them. For extended camping trips, consider using block ice in your cooler rather than crushed or cubes and freeze meats like steak, hamburger, chicken, or pork for longer freshness.

You will also need an assortment of cooking surfaces to accommodate various types of meal preparations. If you plan to cook over a campfire, you will need a grill grate or a camp grill. Many campgrounds offer guests a small charcoal grill at each camp site, but you will want to keep an extra portable grill on hand for stays at locations without an on-site grill. You may opt for a portable propane grill instead of charcoal.

For a more versatile outdoor cooking experience, you will want a good, quality camp stove. Coleman is one of the leading manufacturers of camp stoves and they offer a wide range of sizes and accessories. You will want at least a single burner camp stove, but you may want to consider a two burner stove for more usability. A griddle surface is a nice addition to your camp stove for easy breakfast preparation and more.

You will need camping cookware and cooking utensils as well. Pots and pans designed for outdoor cooking, like the Coleman Family Cook Set, can be used on the camp stove or on the camp grill over the fire. A heavy dutch oven is also nice for stews, pasta, and meats. Keep an assortment of spatulas, knives, and cooking spoons with your camping supplies and consider a coffee percolator for cool evenings beside the campfire.

Purchase a dish pan, dish cloths, and a small bottle of dish soap just for your camping trips. Keep a couple of thick oven mitts and potholders with your outdoor cooking supplies, along with aluminum foil, salt, pepper, and other seasonings, and a few heavy duty scrubbing pads. Camping enamelware is great for dining on or you can use paper plates and cups with plastic silverware.

You will also want to keep garbage bags, lighter fluid, and matches stored in a sealed, waterproof container handy for your camping outing as well as items like napkins and paper towels. A camp fork or skewer is great for roasting hotdogs and marshmallows and you may need a few plastic containers or freezer bags for food storage. Don't forget to keep your camping recipes with your outdoor cooking supplies to make shopping and meal planning easier.