Cooking with scouts: safety first
Cooking is one of the best ways to get young campers involved, but it needs adult supervision. Fire, hot coals, boiling water, and sharp knives are the main hazards. A few ground rules help:
- An adult stays with the fire or stove at all times it is lit.
- Keep a bucket of water or a shovel nearby, and follow campground and local fire rules, which may restrict open fires.
- Use long tongs and heat-resistant gloves for coals and hot foil.
- Wash hands before handling food, and keep raw meat separate from food that will not be cooked.
- Cook meat until it reaches a safe temperature, using a food thermometer. US guidance is 160°F (71°C) for ground beef and 165°F (74°C) for poultry.
- Check your troop or organization’s own rules about knives, stoves, and fires.
Easy recipes scouts can cook
Foil dinners
Often called hobo dinners or silver turtles, these are popular because each person builds their own. Layer sliced potatoes, carrots, onions, and ground beef or sausage on heavy-duty foil, season, and seal tightly. Cook on hot coals, turning once, until the food is done through. Cooking times vary with the fire and the size of the packet, so check the meat with a thermometer before eating, and open the packet carefully because steam is hot.
Walking tacos
Open a small bag of corn chips, spoon in warm seasoned taco meat, and add cheese, lettuce, and salsa. You eat it from the bag with a fork. It needs one pot of meat and almost no dishes, so it works well for a crowd.
Campfire nachos or quesadillas
Layer chips with cheese and beans in a foil pan, or fill tortillas with cheese and cook them in a skillet. Both are easy for beginners.
Pasta and one-pot meals
Pasta with jarred sauce, or mac and cheese with canned chicken, is simple to scale up. Make sure the patrol has a way to drain hot water safely, such as a pot lid held with gloves.
Dutch oven cobbler
Dutch ovens let a group bake at camp. A basic cobbler uses canned fruit and cake mix. Adults should handle the lid and coals, since they are heavy and hot.
Breakfast ideas
- Egg-in-a-bag omelets: crack eggs into a freezer bag with fillings, squeeze out the air, seal, and boil. Use bags rated for boiling.
- Oatmeal with dried fruit and brown sugar (see oatmeal and oats for camping)
- Pancakes with pre-mixed batter
- Breakfast burritos with scrambled eggs and cheese
Desserts
S’mores are the classic, and variations like peanut butter cups or fruit slices add interest. Banana boats (a banana split, stuffed with chocolate and marshmallows, wrapped in foil) and apple crisp in a pot are other favorites.
Giving every scout a job
Jobs keep everyone busy and make cleanup less painful. Common roles:
- Cook: works the stove or fire with an adult nearby
- Assistant cook: measures and stirs
- Water and fire: fetches water and tends the safety bucket
- Cleanup crew: washes, rinses, and sanitizes
- Trash and storage: packs food away and handles garbage
Rotate roles each meal so younger scouts get turns with the interesting jobs.
What to pack for a scout camp meal
For a scout trip, pack a patrol box or bin with a stove or fire grate, pots, a skillet, spatulas, tongs, heat-resistant gloves, a thermometer, foil, a can opener, cutting boards, hand soap, dish soap, basins, sanitizer, and trash bags. Check with your leader for a troop-specific packing list, including what each scout brings personally, such as a plate, cup, and utensils.
Planning an outing for a pack? See camping with Cub Scouts. Looking for a full plan for the weekend? See our camping weekend menu or the 3 day camping menu, and for gear, see car camping cooking.