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There are so many things I like about going on a camping trip, but my favorite is sitting with my family around the campfire, resting, sharing stories and cooking on the open fire.

I’ve used many campfire cooking equipment and have found what works best for me and my camping buddies.

I decided to share my knowledge with you, giving you tips and personal experiences about campfire cooking kits and how to find one that suits you best.

A good kit can really elevate your camping trips and make an already fun activity so much better.

1

Best Overall Campfire Cooking Kit

Bulin 37/27/20 PCS

Price: $39.99 – $79.99

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2

Family-Sized Campfire Cooking Kit

Stanley Base Camp Cook Set

Price: $90

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3

Eco-Friendly Campfire Cooking Kit

Alocs Camping Cookware

Price: $65.99

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4

Best Budget Campfire Cooking Kit

MalloMe

Price: $19.99 – $34.99

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How To Choose The Best Campfire Cooking Kit

Choosing the best campfire cooking kit can be exhausting and time-consuming, especially when considering the variety of campfire cooking kits on the market.

When you understand all the factors that come into play when selecting a campfire cooking kit, you can make a well-educated choice, so it’s important for us to help you figure out which factors you have to consider when choosing a campfire cooking kit.

Size & Capacity

Determine how many people you’re going to be cooking for before you buy a campfire cooking kit.

If you’re going to camp with large groups or family, get a bigger set to accommodate your needs!

While, if you usually go solo camping or as a couple, take a more compact set.

Cooking Type

Do you have a preference in the cooking you do? Are you looking to fry, boil or grill?

Knowing this will help you pick the perfect set for you.

Some cooking sets have a frying pan, grill grate or a pot, plus cooking utensils that suit your preferred style of cooking.

Portability

Campfire cooking kits can be very heavy, if you’re hiking on climbing it’s important to choose a kit that is lightweight and doesn’t take a lot of space in your backpack.

Maintenance & Cleaning

Cleaning your camping cooking kit can be time-consuming, take into consideration the amount of cleaning you need to do after every camping trip.

Cleaning your campfire cookware is essential for maintaining the quality and durability of your equipment.

Best Overall Campfire Cooking Kit

Bulin 37/27/20PCS ($39.99 – $79.99)

Pros

  • Versatile
  • Lightweight & Compact
  • Portable Storage Bag
  • Inexpensive

Cons

  • Not Durable

This Bulin set has everything you’d want a campfire cooking kit to have.

The 37 pieces campfire cooking set includes:

  • 2 pots
  • 1 frying pan
  • 1 kettle
  • 3 lids
  • 1 wooden spatula
  • 4x cups, plates, knives, forks, spoons and pockets for cutlery
  • Cleaning sponge
  • Water container
  • Carry Bag

This Bulin set is available in a 20-piece set, a 30 piece and a 37-piece set, giving you the versatility to buy what you need without any extras.

It comes with a storage bag and this campfire cooking kit can be stacked effortlessly for comfortable carry.

It’s lightweight as it’s made of Aluminum.

I ranked this as the best campfire cooking kit because I feel like it has everything you’d want as a beginner camper and also as a pro that needs an upgrade.

The price is right, all this value for just $79.99.

The only thing I can consider as a con is the material, aluminum isn’t as durable as stainless steel or cast iron, but be sure that it’s durable enough and after a few months of trying this out, it feels basically brand new.

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Best Family-Sized Campfire Cooking Kit

Stanley Base Camp Cook Set ($90.00)

Pros

  • Durable Stainless Steel
  • Versatile
  • Inexpensive

Cons

  • Heavy

The Stanley base stainless-steel campfire cooking kit is one of my personal favorites.

Having used this one for a few months, I feel like I can give you an honest review.

I bought this because I go camping and hiking a lot, and I couldn’t compromise on the material of the cooking kit, it had to be durable stainless steel.

And oh boy did it came through, this is still good as new.

This campfire cooking kit includes:

  • 1 5L Pot
  • 1 Frying Pan
  • 4 6″ Plates
  • 1 Cutting Board
  • 4 22oz bowls
  • 4 Sporks
  • 1 Spatula
  • 1 Serving Spoon
  • 1 dish drying rack
  • 1 locking bungee
  • 1 heat-resistant trivet

I really struggled between this Stanley campfire cooking kit and the Bulin cooking kit, I didn’t know who will be the victor, but ultimately, I decided to crown the Stanley as the best family sized campfire cooking kit instead.

The reason being that it’s quite heavy, yes it’s durable, but as someone who likes to hike and climb a lot, I find it heavy in comparison with the Bulin set.

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Best Eco-Friendly Campfire Cooking Kit

Alocs Camping Cookware ($65.99)

Pros

  • Durable
  • Lightweight
  • Inexpensive
  • Fully Nested

Cons

  • No Utensils

Alocs campfire cooking kit is a basic kit that consists of 3 cooking pots and a frying pan.

It’s made from stainless steel, high-grade silicone and hard alumina.

Made by European and American safety standards, making it healthy to cook on and eco-friendly.

It’s lightweight and easy to carry and can be nested for easy storage.

It doesn’t have plenty of utensils, but this set is for those that already have utensils and are just looking to switch to a more durable set.

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Best Budget Campfire Cooking Kit

MalloMe Camping Cookware ($19.99 – $34.99)

Pros

  • Cheap
  • Lightweight
  • Durable
  • Fully Nested

Cons

  • Small Capacity

The MalloMe is a quality campfire cooking kit at a reasonable price!

The set is very lightweight and durable and is designed to be easily carried.

It includes the following items:

  • 1/2/3L Aluminum pot (you choose the size) + Pot Cover
  • Non Stick Pan
  • 2 Bowls
  • Stainless-steel spork
  • Wooden Spatula
  • Cleaning Sponge
  • Soup Spoon
  • Travel Bag

The whole set costs as little as $19.99 for the 1L pot and $34.99 for the 3L pot.

At this price, I can safely say it’s the best value you’ll find.

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Stansport Heavy Duty ($102.99)

Pros

  • Durable
  • Inexpensive
  • Fully Nested

Cons

  • Heavy

The Stansport heavy duty is a stainless-steel cookware set that is designed mainly for durability.

It includes 4 pots with a universal lid, a frying pan and a detachable handle to use with them.

The set is made from stainless steel, which makes it very durable and easy to clean.

The problem with cookware that is made from stainless steel is that it’s very heavy.

If you’re going to hike or backpack camping, then it’ll be very heavy and uncomfortable.

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Best Versatile Campfire Cooking Kit

Bulin 24/13/11/8/4 PCS ($24.99 – $59.99)

Pros

  • Inexpensive
  • Lightweight
  • Fully Nested
  • Storage Bag
  • Versatile

Cons

  • Not Durable

This Bulin campfire cooking kit is super versatile as it has various sizes, ranging from 4 pieces up to 24 pieces.

You can choose the set that fits your needs and not overpay.

The pots and pans are made from high-grade aluminum, so they’re lightweight and are great to take hiking with you, plus they nest into each other for comfortable and compact packing and storage.

The Bulin set comes with a storage bag for easy carrying.

Since it is made from aluminum, it’s not as durable as the other campfire cooking kits, but it does the job perfectly.

For the listed price, this is a bargain and super worth your buck.

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Campfire Cooking Essentials

To cook delicious campfire meals and enjoy outdoor cooking to its fullest, it is important to remember to take a few crucial pieces of equipment that will elevate your camping food.

Fire starters

Fire

Foremost, it’s important to pack a Firestarter to get things rolling.

You can use a few different options, for example:

Matches – Classic and convenient way to start a fire, and easy to fit anywhere in your bag! An important rule that beginners might overlook is to get waterproof matches, moisture can damage regular matches.

Lighter – Another common and easy way to start a fire, but make sure you bring a butane lighter as windy condition might make it difficult for other types of lighters.

Firestarter cubes \ sticks – Made from sawdust and wax, these bad boys will get things started! They will burn for a few minutes, giving you time to get things rolling.

Flint Firestarter – if you’re a serious camper, it’s time to get yourself one of these flint fire starters, it will make starting fires much easier and convenient.

Without a Firestarter, you’ll be stuck without a fire to cook food on, which will obviously ruin your whole camping experience.

Camp Stove

Camp Stove

You could cook food over an open flame, but why would you go through the trouble of creating a fire pit area when you can turn on your camp stove and start cooking right away?

Camp stoves are easy and comfortable to use, they’re safer than an open flame and are faster.

It’s just way more convenient, if you’re car camping or have some extra space in your bag, you should consider taking a camp stove with you.

You can also place a campfire grill grate on the camp stove for easier cooking of meats and other foods, or get a camping griddle.

Cooking utensils

Utensils

Having the right cooking utensils can really make a difference, forgetting something can certainly ruin your camping experience!

I’ve compiled a list of everything I consider as important utensils.

Spatula – Essential for flipping burgers and pancakes, I once forgot to take one with me and got burned trying to flip a pancake with a fork… be safe and make sure to pack a spatula.

Tongs – Same story as the spatula, don’t get burned trying to improvise flipping food, tongs are great for flipping hot dogs, chicken and more.

Serving Spoon – Great for serving and stirring soups and stews.

Can Opener – Don’t forget to pack a can opener if you’re going to cook canned food.

Skewers – Great for grilling vegetables, meat and more, I find myself using skewers a lot, even when I don’t think I’ll need them, I still pack them and use them all the time.

Cleaning Supplies – To keep your utensils clean and sanitary at all times, make sure to pack some cleaning supplies to be able to clean your utensils.

Cookware

Cookware

Choosing the right cookware will help you make the food optimally, resulting in tastier food and delicious campfire meals.

Dutch oven – Great for making soup, stews and more. Look for a good cast iron Dutch oven that can withstand high temperatures. For safety purposes, you can use a Dutch oven lid lifter when handling it.

Skillet – Perfect for cooking eggs, bacon, veggies and more. Most skillets are made of cast iron due to its ability to absorb high temperatures and durability.

Kettle – Don’t forget your kettle! Nothing is better than drinking a cup of hot coffee or tea after a long day. You’ll want a stainless-steel kettle for durability, or a lightweight aluminum one.

Grate – If you’re into grilling meats, searing fish and veggies, then you shouldn’t forget about a campfire cooking grate, this piece of campfire cooking equipment will really elevate the taste of your food.

Pot – Essential for cooking rice, pasta and other foods that require boiling. The best way to go is stainless steel.

Cast iron cookware is recommended due to its durability and ability to withstand high temperatures, if you’re ever questioning, what material should your cookware be, then I recommend cast iron cookware.

Hopefully, this list reminds you to take the necessary cookware for your next camping trip.

Cooler

Cooler

A cooler is one of the most essential camping gear if you plan to stay for a few days.

When looking for a cooler, you want to have a few things in mind.

Size – choosing a size depends on the usual number of people you go camping with, but it’s also important to remember that the larger, the cooler, the heavier it is, so plan accordingly.

Insulation – To keep your food and drinks cold for a long time, it is important to have a cooler with a thick insulation. A thick insulation will keep your food cold for several days.

Features – Some coolers have features like dry storage compartments, bottle openers and cup holders, think about what you need when buying a cooler.

Seasoning & condiments

Seasoning

Don’t forget the seasoning, or you’ll be stuck with bland food. Some seasoning to remember to pack:

  • Salt & Pepper
  • Oil
  • Spices
  • Hot Sauce
  • BBQ
  • Ketchup, Mayo & Mustard

Water & Soap

Water

Having water and soap is essential for your campfire cooking kits durability and longevity.

Make sure to clean all the utensils and campfire cooking equipment.

Heat-resistant gloves

Gloves

Safety first! Don’t get burned trying to handle the hot cookware.

Get yourself a part of heat-resistant gloves that will last forever.

Tableware For Your Next Camping Trip

Now that we have gone over all the essentials for cooking, it’s time to go over the essentials for serving, you don’t want to finish cooking a meal just to realize you forgot the plates or the forks at home!

Plates

Duh! Sounds like a pretty obvious thing, but you’d be surprised how many friends have told me they forgot to bring plates on the trip.

You can always resort to eating with your hands or with a spoon straight out of the pot, but let’s try and save you by reminding you to bring the plates instead.

Bowls

Making a soup or a stew? Don’t forget to get a few bowls with you.

Stainless-steel utensils

Don’t forget the forks, spoons and knives. Stainless-steel cookware is recommended because it’s easy to clean, and it’s very durable.

Cups

Stainless-steel cups or even plastic cups should do the trick.

Cutting board

Preparing your food will be so much easier with a cutting board. You can buy a collapsible cutting board for cutting vegetables and fruits with more ease.

These are the most important tableware to remember to take with you.

That concludes our essentials section, hopefully now you don’t forget anything and can get the most out of your next camp cooking.

Final Words

We have gone over all the important factors that go into finding the best campfire cooking kits.

We have reviewed some of our favorite campfire cooking kits and gave our reasoning.

Other than reviewing, we also wanted to help you get the best out of your camping trip and remind you what kind of cookware and other cooking equipment and tableware you should pack.

Hopefully, we helped you find a cooking set you really enjoy and that satisfies your needs.


Written By David Ignatchuk

May 2, 2023