🍳 Explore My Camp Kitchen

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My camp kitchen has evolved over years of camping into a simple system that makes cooking easy without filling every cabinet. Everything here has earned its place through real camping experience.

If you ever need more room, one of the best upgrades isn’t buying more gear—it’s taking your kitchen outside. I’ll show you a few of my favorite ways to do that as we go.

Let’s take a look…

🏕️ Buggy Campsites? This Is Our Outdoor Dining Room

Before we start cooking outside, we often set up our 11.5′ x 11.5′ CLAM pop-up shelter, especially if the mosquitoes are bad or rain is in the forecast. It fits over most campground picnic tables and gives us a comfortable place to cook and eat without worrying about bugs or a passing shower.

Setup and takedown only take a few minutes, which is one of the reasons we like it so much.

The original CLAM shelter that we’ve used for years can sometimes be difficult to find. If it’s unavailable, here are a few excellent alternatives:

• CLAM – A proven favorite if you can still find one.
• Gazelle – My top choice for overall quality and durability.
• VEVOR – A great budget-friendly option that offers excellent value.

🟢 Pop-Up Shelter on Amazon →

💡 Road Ready Tip: The biggest drawback is its size when packed. It takes up a fair amount of room in our SUV, so if you’re constantly moving from one campground to another and only staying a night or two, I’d probably skip it. But if you usually spend several days in one campsite like we often do, it’s a great addition to your camping setup.

🍳 A Dedicated Camp Kitchen Table

One of the best upgrades we’ve made is bringing a dedicated table for our outdoor kitchen. It gives us a safe, stable place for our griddle, portable grill, utensils, and food prep without taking over the campground picnic table.

When shopping for one, here’s what I’d look for:

• ✔ Aluminum roll-top surface that’s easy to clean
• ✔ Packs into a carry bag
• ✔ Large enough for a portable griddle or grill with extra prep space
• ✔ Stable legs that don’t wobble on uneven campsites
• ✔ Lightweight enough to carry and store easily

There are several excellent options available, and new models come and go every year.

🟢 Compare Camping Kitchen Tables on Amazon →

🥩 Blackstone Original 17″ Griddle

If I had to choose just one piece of outdoor cooking equipment because of limited space, it would be my Blackstone Original 17″ Griddle—without hesitation.

With 267 square inches of cooking space, there’s very little you can’t make on it. We’ve cooked everything from bacon, eggs, pancakes, and hash browns for breakfast to smash burgers, grilled vegetables, cheesesteaks, fajitas, and steaks for dinner. It’s become the centerpiece of our outdoor kitchen because it’s so versatile.

It’s easy to clean, heats up quickly, and gives you plenty of room to cook a complete meal without feeling cramped. If you decide to go with the Blackstone, I highly recommend adding a heavy-duty stainless steel griddle scraper to your order. It makes cleanup incredibly fast, and after a quick scrape, a paper towel, and a light coat of oil, the griddle is ready for your next meal.

🟢 Check Current Price on Amazon →

🔥 Cuisinart Chef’s Style Portable Gas Grill

Even though my Blackstone gets most of the cooking duties, there are still times when nothing beats cooking over an open flame.

That’s why I also carry the Cuisinart Chef’s Style Portable Gas Grill. Its dual stainless-steel burners let me cook with two independent heat zones, making it easy to grill steaks, burgers, chicken, bratwurst, or vegetables all at the same time.

One thing I really appreciate is how quickly it sets up. In less than ten minutes, it’s ready to cook, and when we’re finished, the folding legs, locking lid, and built-in carry handle make it easy to pack away for the next stop.

The built-in thermometer and adjustable burner controls also make it easy to maintain the right cooking temperature, whether I’m searing steaks or cooking something that needs a little lower heat.

🟢 Check Current Price on Amazon →

💡 If you don’t have room for both a portable gas grill and a Blackstone, I’d choose the Blackstone every time. A gas grill does a fantastic job with steaks, burgers, and chicken, but the Blackstone can cook all of those plus breakfast, stir-fry, fried rice, quesadillas, grilled sandwiches, vegetables, pancakes, bacon, eggs, and so much more. For us, it’s simply the more versatile cooking appliance.

🔥 Powering My Outdoor Kitchen

One of the first things I did was stop buying those expensive 1-pound green propane bottles. They work, but if you’re like me, it doesn’t take long before you’re tired of throwing money away on disposable cylinders.

Your Casita already carries two 20-pound propane tanks, so why not put them to work? With a few inexpensive accessories, you can power your entire outdoor kitchen directly from the propane you already have.

🔗 5′ Blackstone Griddle Propane Adapter Hose

This adapter hose lets me connect my Blackstone directly to one of my Casita’s 20-pound propane tanks. It’s a simple upgrade that saves money and eliminates the hassle of constantly buying and disposing of those little green bottles.

🟢 Check Current Price on Amazon →

📏 12′ Propane Extension Hose with Gauge

I also carry a 12-foot extension hose with a built-in propane gauge. The extra length lets me position my Blackstone or grill wherever it works best around the campsite instead of being limited by a short hose. The built-in gauge is also a nice bonus because I can quickly check my propane level before I start cooking.

🟢 Check Current Price on Amazon →

💪 Full Beast Mode Cooking

When we’re cooking for family or friends, I go into full beast mode!

I connect both my Blackstone and my Cuisinart grill to the same 20-pound propane tank using a 2-way propane splitter. That lets me grill steaks or burgers while vegetables, onions, breakfast, or side dishes are cooking on the Blackstone at the same time.

It turns our campsite into a complete outdoor kitchen—and honestly, it’s one of my favorite parts of camping.

🟢 Check Current Price on Amazon →

🥪 Campfire Sandwich Maker

Want to make one of the best toasted sandwiches you’ve ever had? Then you need a cast iron campfire sandwich maker in your camp kitchen.

We love using ours over the campfire to make toasted sandwiches, pizza pockets, grilled ham and cheese, breakfast sandwiches, and even fruit pies for dessert. It’s one of those simple pieces of gear that turns an ordinary campfire into a fun cooking experience.

The only real downside is that it’s made from cast iron, so it’s a little heavy. The long handle also makes it awkward to store inside the Casita.

🟢 Check Current Price on Amazon →

💡 Road Ready Tip: After we’re finished cooking, we let the sandwich maker cool completely, place the cast iron end inside a small plastic bag, tie it closed, and store it in the back of our SUV. That keeps any leftover grease or soot from getting on the rest of our camping gear.

🥩 Save Refrigerator Space with a Vacuum Sealer

One of the best space-saving tricks I’ve discovered is using a good vacuum sealer before every trip.

Instead of throwing large packages of meat into the refrigerator, I divide everything into individual meal portions—ground beef, turkey, chicken, steaks, whatever we’re planning to eat—and vacuum seal each one separately before stacking them in the freezer.

Not only does this free up a surprising amount of refrigerator space, but it also keeps everything fresh for the entire trip. Around lunchtime, I simply pull out that evening’s meal and let it thaw while we’re out hiking or exploring. By dinner, it’s ready to cook.

💡 Road Ready Tip: Freeze your meat flat before your trip. Flat packages stack neatly like a deck of cards, making it much easier to fit several days’ worth of meals into the Casita’s small freezer.

🟢 Check Out the 95kPa Precision Vacuum Sealer on Amazon →

🍲 My Casita Doesn’t Have an Oven… This Solves That Problem

One compromise with my Casita is that it doesn’t have an oven. While I don’t miss it most of the time, there are trips when it’s nice to have the ability to bake or cook meals that aren’t practical in a skillet alone.

That’s why I recently added a 2-in-1 Cast Iron Dutch Oven to my camp kitchen.

The clever part is that the lid doubles as a cast iron skillet. That means one piece of cookware gives me two ways to cook—perfect when space is limited.

🍽️ One Piece of Cookware… Endless Possibilities

💡 Road Ready Tip: Cast iron holds heat extremely well, so you don’t need to cook on high. Medium heat is usually all you’ll need, which also helps conserve propane.

🟢 Check Current Dutch Oven Price on Amazon →

🍽️ How I Instantly Create More Counter Space

The original sink cover works exactly as intended, but after a while I started looking for something that was a little more convenient for the way we cook.

That’s when I discovered this roll-up sink rack. If I need to use the sink, I simply roll it back. When I need more counter space, I roll it over the sink again in seconds. It’s one of those small upgrades that makes cooking in a Casita even more enjoyable.

🟢 Check Current Price on Amazon →

💧 An Extra Layer of Confidence

Even though I cover how to properly sanitize your fresh water tank in one of my guides, I still like having one extra layer of filtration before I drink the water.

That’s why I keep a Brita Faucet Mount Water Filter installed in my Casita. It takes just a few minutes to install and gives me filtered water right from the faucet for drinking, making coffee, and cooking.

I have no problem drinking water from my fresh water tank because I keep it properly sanitized. The Brita filter simply gives me a little extra peace of mind while also improving the taste of the water.

💡 Road Ready Tip: Sanitizing your fresh water system and filtering your drinking water serve two different purposes. I recommend doing both. I also connect a Camco TastePURE RV Inline Water Filter to the campground water spigot whenever I’m hooked up to city water. It filters the water before it ever enters my fresh water tank, while the Brita faucet filter gives me an extra layer of filtration right at the sink for drinking, cooking, and making coffee.

🟢 Check Current Brita Faucet Mount Price on Amazon →

🧲 Keeping Cooking Utensils Within Easy Reach

One thing you’ll notice when you step inside my Casita is that I use magnetic hooks on the vent hood to hang many of my cooking utensils.

It keeps spatulas, spoons, and other frequently used tools within easy reach without taking up drawer or counter space. The magnets are surprisingly strong, and most of the time I can leave the utensils hanging while traveling without them falling.

I use the DIYMAG Heavy-Duty Magnetic Hooks, and they’ve become one of those simple little additions that makes the kitchen feel much more organized.

💡 Road Ready Tip: Before traveling, give each utensil a quick tug to make sure it is secure. Heavier or awkwardly shaped items may be better placed in a drawer until you arrive.

🟢 Check Current Price on Amazon →

☕ Our Coffee Routine Has Evolved

We started with a hand grinder and a French press, but after a few trips we decided simpler was better. The French press was a chore to clean, and hand-grinding coffee every morning quickly lost its appeal.

Now we use pre-ground coffee with a Hario V60 Pour-Over Coffee Dripper and disposable filters. Cleanup takes seconds, and we can brew a fresh cup directly into our mugs.

🟢 Check Current Price on Amazon →

💡 Road Ready Tip: I also recommend using a whistling tea kettle instead of a saucepan. The narrow spout gives you much better control when pouring into the V60, making it safer and much less messy inside a small Casita.

🍷 Any Wine Drinkers Out There?

If you enjoy relaxing with a glass of wine around the campfire, this is one of those little luxuries we never leave home without.

We use the CIRCLE JOY USB Rechargeable Wine Opener, and it makes opening a bottle effortless. It even includes an electric vacuum pump and wine stoppers, so if we don’t finish the bottle, we can reseal it and enjoy the rest another evening. It takes up a little room in our silverware drawer, but for us, it’s worth the space.

🟢 Check Current Price on Amazon →

💡 Road Ready Tip: Once you’ve opened the bottle, I recommend using JoyJolt Stemless Wine Glasses. Their wider base makes them much less likely to get knocked over inside a Casita than traditional stemmed glasses.

Here’s another trick that’s worked great for us: don’t throw away the box they come in. Simply cut the top off and keep the partitioned bottom as a storage tray. We’ve used ours trip after trip, and it keeps the glasses protected while traveling. I store the entire box in the very top cabinet above the refrigerator, and it fits perfectly.