Can You Use a Regular Pan Over a Fire

Camping is serious business, it is a time to isolate yourself from all the city distractions and focus on spending time with your loved ones, connect with nature or your inner self.

Sometimes we forget that camping has its health benefit as it can relieve stress and greatly improve your mood, this is why it should be planned with the right equipment as a simple cooking pan can ruin your camping.

This is why people ask, “can you use a regular pan over a fire’’ campfire is meant for an outdoor skillet or pan that can handle hide temperature more than a regular indoor pan. Let us talk about the pans good for campfires.

CAN YOU USE A REGULAR PAN OVER A FIRE?

Can you use a regular Pan over a Fire

No, you cannot use a regular pan over a fire when camping, while using a regular pan when there are pan materials with better heat resistance like the cast iron that heats slowly and when heated retains heats keeping your food warm.

You can also use a stainless-steel pan for camping, stainless steel materials have strong heat tolerance and can take up to 550-degree Fahrenheit, you can go for the quality ones like the Cuisinart Stainless steel pan over a fire will not leave any metal taste to your food.

Furthermore, Anodized aluminum is quite different from regular aluminum, the regular aluminum will easily get your food burnt, and though people improvise by keeping the regular aluminum pan a few inches above the fire still the anodized aluminum has a stronger heat capacity over a fire for camping.

OPEN FIRE COOKWARE

There are various types of cookware available in the market. We often think that all cookware is the same. Let’s put this in our minds that we have various types of materials for different cookware to meet our kitchen needs.

Just like ceramic or aluminum, regular pots and pans, cast iron cookware, stainless steel, and ceramic cookware .etc. It is not every cookware that will work for an open fire, especially for outdoor or camping.

For example, we have skillets or wok that are perfect for electric stove, we also have induction safe cookware for gas stove and also pots and pans for electric stove.

For over a campfire, we won’t suggest a regular pot or pans that is used to cook daily at home because they aren’t specially built to handle the stress of camping and campfire.

An open fire is a fire that isn’t effectively controlled and is mainly an outdoor fire that isn’t vented through a stack or chimney. Therefore, we need to be careful in selecting the cookware that will match our outdoor or camping retreat. 

Below are the two best open fire camping pots and pans (cookware) that will meet your budget;

CAMPING COOKWARE SET CAMPFIRE COOKING POTS AND PANS

Open fire cookware for camping

If you are looking for perfect camping cookware that is suitable for an open fire or campfire, then you need to get this open fire cooking pot set or cookware set. 

Trekking on the mountain, field trip, hiking, is very possible with this lightweight open fire cookware set. It comes with a tote bag that is designed with comfortable handles for smooth transportation of all your camping cooking accessories.

This is a perfect outdoor wedding gift for men or women, it also helps save space as it can be packed vertically in the travel bag.

This open fire camping cookware sets have strong pot handles that are perforated for hanging and suspecting pots over the open fire.

Finally, this open fire cooking pots is made up stainless steel non-stick material, backpack friendly, water resistant with up to 6 to 8 settings.

CAMPING COOKWARE TITANIUM COOKING SET

This open fire cookware set is made up of pure titanium. These cooking pots are durable. Lightweight as it is rust and corrosion-free.

camping cookware for open fire

Titanium material is odorless and tasteless. The bottom of this open fire cookware has perfect round edges and is squat for improved heating efficiency and easy cleaning.

This best budget open fire cookware has foldable handles for easy carriage and for compact storage with mesh bag included. The lid is vented on the pot to help prevent things from boiling over.

Do you enjoy camping a lot? Then get this open fire cooking pot that is the best camping cookware set that can also boil water quickly and cools very fast.

The small pot included in this camping cookware can double as a coffee mug. It also has a double handle system that serves as a cooking pan and the second as a drinking mug.

The large pot for this set of camping pot can fit a pack of instant noodle. This titanium cookware set has lots of great attributes which make it great for camping and hiking. It is very compact with its nesting design and handles which fold up.

This is make a perfect gift for someone who loves backpacking and camping!

HOW TO MAKE A GRILL OVER A CAMPFIRE

It is easy to have your grill done in a regular kitchen, how about how to make a grill over a campfire.

Below are the necessary campfire tools you need to make a grill

1 COOKING PLATFORMS OR SURFACES

  • Grill gates

     This is a useful tool to place over a fire, it is safe and stable for pans, potatoes, chicken, steak.

(ii) Rotisserie grill and spit

 This is another useful tool for camping as it reduces your cooking time because of its design to handle multiple cooking at the same time.

(iii) Dutch oven Stand

  This is Stable to place your cookware, close enough to the heat up and cook your food

(IV) Cast Iron cooking Tripod

Want to have a memorable campfire experience, go for the cast iron cooking tripod, it allows you to hang your cookware over the fire.

2 POTS AND PANS

  • Skillet: Cast iron skillet can retain heat for a long time, keeping your food warm and you might want to get a larger skillet to feed the entire camping mate.
  • Cast Iron grill and griddle: this helps in whipping up meals like eggs and stakes.
  • Cast iron Dutch Oven: This is good for large meals and it can serve different recipes such as baking bread, soups, baked beans, etc.

3 UTENSILS

Grill Utensil set: This is a full package of all the necessary campfire utensil needed for a good campfire experience.

These grill utensils set comes with tongs, spatula etc.

Long-Handled Spoon: you do not want to get your hands burnt; this is what you need to easily stir your soup.

Three-in-one folding grill tool: This will take up lesser space but gives you everything you want. You do not want to gather more gear than you need.

Other campfire cooking accessories;

Steel log grabber-adjust logs, coal and rocks. Keeps you safe from the heat

Stainless steel wire grill brush- keeps your grill clean, used to remove grease and food particles

Grill Gloves- You will need flexible heat-resistant grill gloves to protect your hands from the flames. The flexible grill glove is necessary so that you can easily handle your campfire cookware and utensils.

HOW TO BOIL WATER OVER A CAMPFIRE

One of the best outdoor experiences in boiling water. Do you want to prepare and purify water? While this can be done through several means, below are steps on how to boil water over a campfire;

How to boil water over a campfire - water bottle for camping
  1. Walk around the campground and look for some branch of wood or fallen stick branch from a tree with a possible “Y” shaped structure that is flexible and strong.
  2. Trim the lower region of the “Y “shaped stick and cut about 3 inches off from one part of the “Y” branched stick. Leave the remaining branch about 2 to 3 feet is ideal.
  3. Make a fire and place your water bottle for camping on the fire. Now place this trimmed stick into the water bottle used for boiling water. The “V” notch or “Y” shaped stick will serve for pulling the water bottle out of the fire.
  4. The “Y” shaped stick serves as a hook and catches the shoulder of the water bottle and allows you to move the water bottle around.
  5. Please note; the water container must be made up of metal material.

Secondly, to boil water over a campfire, you could also use a mini camping stove, a pot, water, and lighter. This is enough to boil your water and quite easy to do.

HOW TO COOK OVER A CAMPFIRE

Cooking over a campfire shouldn’t be a long lost tradition. It is still in operation in most part of Sub-Sahara Africa. It is fun, easy and the food is very tasty. Below are easy steps on how to cook over a campfire;

  1. Gather enough wood and rock/stone around the campfire environment.
  2. Build a campfire by laying down 4 to 5 rocks beside themselves forming a round structure. Place the dry sticks/wood in-between the rocks.
  3. Light up the wood with a match. Control the fire by placing a grill gate on the open fire. A grill gate is a safe, stable surface for cooking food directly or placing a pan or Dutch on top of it.
  4. Place your campfire pot or pan on the grill gate. We suggest a cast iron camping pot because of its quality. A skillet can also match your outdoor or camping recipe.
  5. You could also select a cast iron or aluminum skillet to cook a variety of camping scrumptious meals.

PAN FOR OPEN FIRE COOKING

Outdoor nesting cook set for open fire cooking

A good pan for open fire should be of a nested component so that it can be easily carried about in terms of hiking and mountain climbing. Pans for open fire cooking are lightweight, tough and durable.

Some open fire cooking pan set contains frying pans, spatula, serving spoon, cutting board, heat resistant trivet and locking bungee.

A very good pan for open fire cooking should be made up of stainless steel, Teflon, non-stick tendency, or cast iron material. It should also be rust-proof suitable for a camping environment.

camping pan for open fire cooking

A very good example of pans you can use for open fire cooking is the Stanley Base Stainless steel cook set and the GSI outdoor Nesting cook set.

They are both perfect for family camping, easy to clean and maintain, and works perfectly even on stove fire. They are suitable for fast cooking as they support good heat retention.

You don’t need much space to use this open fire cooking sets as they work perfectly for RVs.

If you love camping, there is no need to use your no-longer-good-enough-for-the kitchen pots and pans. It’s time you get some “real” camping cookware, and this set is just right.

HOW TO COOK OVER A FIRE WITHOUT A GRILL

According to Glampingorcamping.com, you can use only the fire coals and the crane method also fits well in campfire cooking without the grill.

You can create a fire pit and set your pot between two rocks.

You can also use a tin foil with your food wrapped in it, let the wrapped food be in the heated coal.

You can use a flat rock surface, get it heated up and place your pan on the flat surface to cook your food. Note that the flat rock should be on a stable rock as well.

CAMPFIRE FRYING PAN

Most campfire frying pans are made up of stainless steel with aluminum clad bottom, Enameled Cast iron skillet that is perfect for even heat distribution. Apart from being useful over a campfire, you could also use these frying pans at home over the stovetop.

Primus campfire frying Pan

A very good example of a campfire frying pan is the Primus Campfire Frying Pan that can be placed directly on an open fire and offers a compact size. It also comes with a storage bag and a foldable stainless steel handle.

Outdoor camping cast iron frying pan

While the cast iron campfire frying pan does not impart flavors or absorb odors. You can easily sear, bake, sauté, broil, braise, fry, and grill with a cast iron campfire frying pan.

Furthermore, you can use this cast iron campfire frying pan also on the grill, stove, and oven apart from a campfire.

They are both easy to clean, as it requires hand wash, dry and rubs with cooking oil. Perfect skillet for your campfire!

OPEN FIRE COOKING TECHNIQUES

There are various open fire cooking techniques that are available and easy to follow. The various open fire cooking techniques can serve different camping recipes.

One of the most popular open fire cooking technique is the use of hardwood coals. The coals allow you to easily cook your camping food on top of the coals as they are red hot.

The camping pot can also be placed on top of a grill gate while the red hot coals are arranged neatly underneath for a smooth cook.

Another open fire cooking technique is the use of dry leaves and dry wood for cooking as these materials can be easily sourced from around the camping environment. They are easily flammable and heat up pretty fast.

Furthermore, the use of a rolling stick placed underneath a campfire is another excellent open fire cooking technique. This open fire technique is perfect for roasting meat, marshmallows, hot dog, corn on the cob, and vegetables too.

With a simple roasting stick, you control the food over the fire. The rolling stick is turned several times until the heat penetrates the food evenly leaving you with a tasty and delicious meal.

OPEN FIRE COOKING EQUIPMENTS

Open fire cooking equipment’s are equipment’s that are used to support your camping experience, making camping easy and fun for you.

For a great camping adventure, you will definitely need awesome open fire tools or equipment’s that are suitable for outdoor use.

Below are the most popular open fire cooking equipment you need to bring along for camping;

Campfire Grill grate and stand (2) Camping Portable Smokers (3) Dutch oven,

Campfire Roasting Sticks (5) Open Fire Cook Sets (6) Camping Rotisserie Grill and spit (7)   Camp chef cast iron Dutch oven stand (8) Campfire grill Heavy-duty Log Tweezers,

(9) BBQ Dragon fly Lighter (10) Suede Grill gloves (11) Locking Tongs (12) Campfire Tripod (13) Cast Iron Loaf Pan (14) Cast Iron Skillet (15) Cast Iron Grill and Griddle Combo.

HOW TO BUILD A CAMPFIRE FOR COOKING

Cooking has become convenient with the aid of our burners, stoves, cooking tops we can create fire effortlessly. In camping you will not have the above to help you out, this is why you will have to learn how to build a campfire for cooking.

This is according to Earth easy camping cooking guide;

NOTE: The goal is to have all the wood turn to coal at the same time to give an even and longer cooking time from the coal.

1 PREPARE THE SITE

Find a fire site away from tree branches

Use large green logs or rocks to make a U-shape perimeter

Put a large flat rock at the rear to direct smoke upward (the rock acts as a chimney)

 LAY THE KINDLING

Fill the U-shaped area with tinder or crumpled paper

Lay kindling over paper in alternate direction, use little dead branches or small sized wood, and cover the whole fire area with the kindling stack

Light the paper to start the fire

Have a bucket of water near the fire area too

BUILD THE FIRE, GRADE THE COALS

Add firewood when kindling is ablaze

The wood should be of the same size

Distribute the wood evenly on U-shaped area

After fire burns out, adjust the left-over coal to steady the heating.

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