Building Your Campfire Kitchen Must-Have Tools

Building your campfire kitchen will assure you have everything you need for the perfect camping meals! There’s nothing quite like cooking around a campfire. From the fond memories that are formed during these cooking sessions to the delicious smoky flavor the fire gives the food, campfire meals are some of the best kind out there.

That said, if you plan on doing a lot of campfire cooking—and you should be—you will want to be properly equipped. After all, the right tools make every task easier, and this is just as true for campfire cooking as it is for anything else.

Wondering what kinds of tools you should be investing in? Lucky for you, we’ve done all the necessary research and have compiled a list of the best campfire kitchen tools there are. Add these to your camping collection and you’ll be ready to create any kind of meal or snack imaginable over a campfire.

Get a Fire Going

First things first, you will need to get a good fire going before cooking anything. Depending on how much you’ve practiced, this could be a cinch. However, for the vast majority of us, this does still require a bit of effort.

Related Read: Campfire Construction 101

Fortunately, there are some gadgets that can make the fire building process go a little smoother. Try these on for size:

• Fire Ring — Clearly, you’ll need a place to put your campfire. While most campgrounds do provide this for guests, those who do a lot of boondocking may want to carry their own fire ring. Luckily, there are portable versions, making this fairly doable.

• Fire Starters — Fire starters can make getting your fire going a much easier process. These are especially useful if your firewood happens to be a little bit wet. For this reason, we recommend always keeping a few on hand.

• BBQ Dragon Fire Lighter — This lighter-and-electric-bellows-in-one is a super nifty tool that, when used in combination with fire starters, will most definitely make your life easier.

• Log Tweezers — Sure, you could just use a fire poker, but these log tweezers can make moving firewood around to suit your needs even easier by giving you much more control than a poker ever would.

• Suede Gloves — When working with fire and hot tools, wearing a good pair of suede gloves is always a good idea.

Get Cooking

With a nice, hot fire built, it’s time to get cooking. Obviously, the tools you choose will be dependent on what you decide to make. However, by having each of the following items on hand, you’ll have the best-stocked campfire kitchen around and will be prepared for anything.

• Campfire Rotisserie Grill and Spit — First and foremost, every campfire chef needs an over-the-fire grill. This awesome option combines a traditional campfire grill with a spit, making it a multifunctional cooking tool you won’t want to leave home without.

• BBQ Tool Kit — This BBQ tool kit includes a grill brush, tongs, a meat thermometer, and much, much more. In fact, we’d even go so far as to say it has everything you’ll need in terms of cooking utensils, and it all packs away into a handy carrying case, making it super portable and perfect for the camping life.

• Cast Iron Grill and Griddle — Looking to make pancakes for breakfast? Or want to grill something without putting it directly on your campfire grill? This is the tool for you! Place it on your campfire grill and you’ll be in business.

• Dutch Oven — No campfire cooking kit is complete without a good old-fashioned Dutch oven. This particular tool is ideal for making a wide variety of foods, including delicious baked goods you wouldn't normally consider making over a fire.

Related Read: Campfire and Dutch Oven Recipes

• Dutch Oven Lid Lifter — The trouble with Dutch ovens is the fact that the lids can become super hot and difficult to remove. This Dutch oven lid lifter solves that problem by allowing you to reach in and lift the lid without even getting your hands near the fire or the hot oven.

• Dutch Oven Lid Stand — Wondering where to place that Dutch oven lid after lifting it off? This little stand ensure you don’t have to put it on the ground, keeping things clean and keeping your food dirt-free.

• Cast Iron Skillet — Another campfire kitchen must-have, a cast iron skillet is perfect for making eggs, potatoes, and a number of other delicious foods. Just be sure to keep it well seasoned and you’ll be good to go for a long time to come.

• Campfire Kettle — Like to drink coffee and tea? A campfire kettle is perfect for heating the water you’ll need for these things.

• Pour-Over Coffee Maker, French Press, or AeroPress — Of course, you’ll need a way to brew any coffee you might be planning to enjoy. While an old-fashioned percolator is fine for this, we much prefer a pour-over dripper, French press, or the AeroPress.

• Campfire Tripod and Tripod Grill — Want more control over the temperature your food is cooked in? A campfire tripod allows you to hang a Dutch oven over the fire and adjust how high or low it hangs, thereby changing the amount of heat it receives. A grill option allows you to grill foods in the same way.

• Telescoping Roasting Sticks — While cooking fancy meals over the fire is great, these meals are no replacement for hot dogs and marshmallows roasted on sticks. These telescoping sticks are ideal for those roasting sessions.

• Pie Iron — A pie iron is fabulous for making a number of foods. From hot sandwiches and pizzas to pies and other desserts, you might be surprised just how many things you can make in this handy contraption.

• Pie Iron Kickstand — Need a place to set your pie irons while the cool? This pie iron kickstand is perfect for that very purpose.

• Pie Iron Storage Bag — Another great pie iron accessory, the pie iron storage bag will keep up to four pie irons safe and sound while you travel (and in between uses).

• Cast Iron Waffle Iron — Those who like to have waffles for breakfast will find this cast iron waffle maker to be quite novel. Cook your waffles over your morning fire and serve them up with syrup, jelly, or fruit. No matter how you serve them, you’re sure to please your campmates.

• Campfire Toaster — Waffles not your style? If you prefer toast, there’s a tool for that as well. This campfire toaster basket allows you to toast bread, English muffins, bagels, and more over hot coals.