How To Safely Cook Over A Fire
Having your meal completely cooked over the fire is a joy of camping. Yes, joy! There is joy in cooking over the fire when you know how to do it safely!
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At the end of this article you will have confidence to cook over a fire safely and with all ages.
Check out our post on Campfire Safety to help with being safe around a fire in general.
Unfortunately, cooking over the fire is one of the most frequent causes of accidents I’ve witnessed camping. Sadly cooking accidents over the fire can generally all be prevented.
How to prevent cooking accidents/injuries over the fire
1. Cooking Layout
Before cooking over the fire. Make a plan and think through all that you will be cooking and doing. Layout out what you need to cook on a picnic table or chair. After laying out everything think trough how you will do this.
Ask Yourself:
Once you have thought through the above questions you are ready to start. As answering the above questions will prevent most campfire cooking accidents.
2. Cooking Process:
If you will be adding any ingredients go ahead and open the bag or can or whatever the items are so you can add it/them with one hand. All the items for the entire meal open up.
If you think you will have someone helping, we’ve learned to do it anyway as that person may be called away for something. And then there you are all alone cooking. So plan on cooking alone.
Along with opening all the ingredients which includes separating some as some items might be stacked or compressed together. (Again whatever you can do to make adding ingredients one handed.)
Set all the ingredients in order of how they will be used. So if you have one chair next to you for holding all the ingredients then you could stack the items on top of one another in order. We have grown to love these metal pans to keep things together and prevent ingredients falling in the dirt, sand, snow, etc.
Most accidents happen because you are trying to do too much at once.
Along with setting all the ingredients out you will need likewise set all the cooking utensils you will need near you.
3. Item(s) in Fire
As mentioned above check before starting fire that what you will be setting the pot/pan on is secure and will not move or collapse during the process of cooking. If setting pot in the fire then be sure when setting pot in fire that it is low in the fire as wood will burn down.
I have a pair of “fire gloves” I use when cooking so if I need to grab or hold something over the fire I can. Too often something starts to fall in the fire and the impulse is to use your bare hand to grab it.
4. Removing things from Fire
Where are you going to set the hot pan/pot once you take it out of the fire? Be sure no one will trip on it or the items melts or burns anything else. Do not simply set it on the ground and go get something. As someone will likely trip on it or dirt or whatever else can more easily go into the pot/pan.
Marshmallow sticks and pie irons I will directly address in another post.
Cooking over a fire is very rewarding and good for those of us that don’t normally cook over a fire for meals. For some reason a fire cooked meal tastes better, especially if you’ve had a big day of hiking and exploration.
Cooking over a fire need not be scary if you follow a couple guidelines as mentioned above.
Let us know if there is anything you would add to the list on how to be safe.
Share a story how you were kept safe by doing one of the above items.
