The best gear for cooking outdoors should be easy to use, portable, and efficient.
We test outdoor cooking gear such as skillets to prepare meals for a large group to utensils and local spices to bring on your outdoor adventure.
This the best outdoor cooking gear for 2019
| Lodge Gloves lodgemfg.com We used these gloves while outdoor cooking over a fire during a camping trip and we found ourselves turning to them in the kitchen as well. They’re well made and offer great protection. |
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| Smokehouse Products Mimi Moto smokehouseproducts.com This portable, wood-burning stove is cool. It sports an internal rechargeable battery that is used to produce 20,000 BTUs by burning wood. It’s well suited to most outdoor cooking tasks and runs on wood pellets or chunks. You get about 90 minutes of burn time when you fill the chamber to an inch from the top. It comes with two different burn chambers and a handle for picking it up. |
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| Lodge Camp Dutch Oven lodgemfg.com This do-it-all outdoor cooking Dutch oven became our go-to cooking vessel when camping. Whether it’s a stew or a breakfast skillet, this Dutch oven was handy when preparing meals for multiple campers at once. |
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| MSR Folding Utensils msrgear.com We tested the fork, spoon and spork, as well as the spatula and serving spoon. They are ultralight with long handles suited to getting to the bottom of a freeze-dried bag of food. BPA-free and color-coded which is useful in big groups. It all fits inside an average-sized outdoor cooking set. |
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| GSI Santoku Knife Set gsioutdoors.com This GSI accessory gives you a gourmet prep set for your outdoor cooking setup. The Santoku Knife Set includes three stainless-steel blades that are compact with ergonomic rubber handles, and a folding cutting board that gives you 9”x12.6” of prep space. Both knives and the cutting board are easy to clean with the included quick-drying, microfiber cloth, and refillable soap-dispenser bottle. The organization of the carry case protects the sharpness of the blades, and offers a slim, easy-to-pack set. |
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| MSR Trail Lite Duo Cook Set msrgear.com Weighing in at a mere 21.6 ounces, this 2-person outdoor cooking set is comprised of a 2-liter aluminum pot with a clear strainer lid, as well as a pair of bowls and cups, made from polypropylene. This is a solid solution for a backpacking trip where our customary diet consists of dehydrated food, pasta, oatmeal, coffee, trail mix, and jerky. We like how the set nests together, the lids on the mugs, and the volume indicators in the mugs that are from 2- to 10 ounces in 2-ounce increments. |
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| Coleman Removable Liner Cooler coleman.com It holds nine cans, the removable liner is easy to clean, it’s got an adjustable shoulder strap and is a handy size for lunch on a day float or an afternoon of co-ed softball. |
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| Yeti Hopper Two 30 Soft Cooler yeti.com The Yeti Hopper is a durable, and very-portable option for day trips. We have used this for trips to the Russian River, and it has been handy to hold vegetables bought at farmer’s markets. The construction is sturdy, the zipper is strong, and leakproof. It holds in cold with Yeti’s DryHide exterior and ColdCell insulation. The exterior design gives you several options to carry the cooler, which include a detachable shoulder strap, two hand-carry straps, and two hand holds on each end. |
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| Stanley Classic Vacuum French Press stanley-pmi.com Our tester uses a french press daily, so this item was sure to be put to the test. Stanley is serving the needs of coffee drinkers by making this durable, trusted, insulated, smooth, coffee-making vessel that requires nothing more than coffee grinds and steaming-hot water to make a good cup of joe. |
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| Lodge Chainmail Scrubbing Pad lodgemfg.com This Lodge accessory is a must to care and clean your cast iron after outdoor cooking or at home. The construction is made of chainmail stainless steel that is wrapped around a silicone inner pad. The silicone helps keep the structure of the chainmail so you can work faster and more efficiently. |
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| Thunderbird Real Food Bar thunderbirdbar.com Our tester had the opportunity to try many of these real-food, nut and seed bars. Each one was delicious and she found it hard to choose a favorite. Ingredients are high quality, simple, are free of grain, soy, and dairy, and the bars don’t include any added sugar. With a mix of dates, hazelnuts, cacao, and coffee, Hazelnut Coffee Maca was one of her absolute favorites as a breakfast while out camping. It tasted like an indulgent dessert for breakfast and like a good cup of coffee without having to pull out the kettle. |
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| Epic Bites Sweet Sesame Ginger Tender Chicken Bites epicbar.com This product tester has been through rounds of finding a good on-the-go jerky over the years. Epic has finally filled that snack void. The chicken is cut into bite-sized pieces that comes in a convenient resealable bag, and has enough moisture for an easy chew. The flavors are mild and nicely spiced. Every Epic product we have tried have been well-balanced and provide a long-lasting energy for while out fishing, hiking and camping. They offer a range of proteins from beef, pork, chicken, turkey, venison and salmon. In addition to the bites, they have different portion sizes in Epic Bars, Pork Rinds and Snack Strips. |
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| Steepware Mountain Tea Tumbler theteaspot.com Perfect for tea drinkers in the outdoors, Steepware makes this 16-ounce tumbler that includes a fine mesh, stainless-steel infuser for loose teas. The insulated bottle steeps and keeps your tea hot (or cold) for hours. It’s easy to clean. We use ours both on the go, and in the outdoors. |
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| Summit Spice & Tea Greek Seasoning summitspiceandtea.com This is one of our favorite seasonings from Summit Spice & Tea in Anchorage. Not only do we love to shop for tea there, but we also love their spice blends. This Greek seasoning is absolutely fantastic on halibut, even finicky kids will eat it. We recommend skinning your halibut, adding a pinch of this seasoning on each side of the fillet plus a pinch of coarse sea salt, sear it in a frying pan with just a smidge of olive oil, repeat on the other side, and then cook low until finished. Who says you have to rough it when outdoor cooking in Alaska? |
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| Yeti Tundra 45 Cooler yeti.com Our tester thinks this cooler looks great. The smooth design is easy to keep clean. It is durable and built to keep food cold for extended trips. It’s definitely worth the extra expense when going on extended camping- or rafting trips as this cooler holds ice much longer than standard coolers. Our tester noted that ice stayed frozen in the cooler for up to 5 days. |
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| Grub Stick Master Kit grubstick.com While it might not be a camping bare necessity, this 21-piece Grub Stick Master Kit is a seriously nice luxury. Grub Stick is a telescoping roasting stick that works with interchangeable attachments for everything from burgers, to fish, and a whole lot more. They offer some more basic sets, but the Master Kit includes four handles, four forks, two Grubcages, two Burgcages, two Grubtubes, two Grubpockets, silicone trivet, release tool, bacon clip, grabber, and deluxe bag. This kit made outdoor cooking on a campfire a breeze. |
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| Lodge 15-Inch Carbon Steel Skillet lodgemfg.com The Carbon Steel Skillet from Lodge was just the right size to feed our tester’s camp of five. It’s shallow enough to handle crowd pleasers like blueberry pancakes but still has sides in order to whip up a stir fry or cook your burgers. The Fire and Cook Stand and Leather Gloves, also by Lodge, made outdoor cooking over the fire easier. |
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| Hydro Flask 10-ounce Wine Tumbler hydroflask.com Our tester prefers to drink wine out of stainless steel rather than plastic when in the outdoors. This is the perfect tumbler for sitting by the campfire with a nice cabernet. It comes with a press-in lid to minimize spills. |
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| Camp Chef Mountain Series 4-piece Cook Set campchef.com Made from anodized aluminum, this 4-piece set includes a 3-liter pot, 7½-inch fry pan, a common lid, and carry bag. The heat ring on the pot increases efficiency so you use less fuel when outdoor cooking. Handles are insulated. |
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| Mountain Standard Green Chile Salsa backpackerspantry.com We found this Mountain Standard Green Chile Salsa to be an enjoyable, lightweight, healthy dried food and we really like this easy-to-use cup—you just add water, let it sit for 20 minutes and serve. This salsa is great with salmon on a wrap on your remote float trip, or mixed with eggs for breakfast. |
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| Hydro Flask 24 L Soft Cooler hydroflask.com This soft cooler is the best one we’ve tried. We like the size, shape, durability, and the way it easily transports without flipping over. Hats off to Hydro Flask for this soft cooler, it is completely waterproof and leakproof, easy to clean, very durable, and keeps food chilled for up to 48 hours. It is designed to hold 24 cans but is a versatile shape, leaving the lunch-bag options limitless. It has great capacity for a small family or boatful of friends. |
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