Cooking in the Dirt? This Kit Is Your One-Stop Shop

Everything tastes better outside. That’s a fact (well, not really). 

There’s nothing quite like breaking bread under the stars with your favorite people. Sizzling fajitas on a camp stove, charred campfire tortillas, and a colorful array of taco bar toppings laid out along the tailgate can be better than a Michelin-star meal. The best camp meals are plentiful and designed to share. 

But preparing and serving meals at camp, especially for a crowd, is no easy feat.

“What are we going to eat?” is a question that pops up before (and sometimes during) every camping trip. Planning, packing, and counting up servings can feel a little daunting. And since camping trips often accompany a weekend adventure, it means we’re usually pretty darn hungry by the time we fire up the camp stove. 

It can be nice to start with a pen and paper, writing out a weekend menu to visualize what you’ll be noshing on at camp. Start by creating a master list, and then raiding the pantry for staples (like salt, olive oil, etc.).

Once you’ve got that stuff covered, shop for the fresh food and pack it away in a few coolers (often organized by meal, if possible). Finally, run through a checklist of what cookware you’ll need for each meal, and toss it in one large bin or box. It’s always nice to throw in an extra plate, set of cutlery, and spatula — just in case. 

But if you want to just have everything dialed from the get-go, Gerber’s ComplEAT Collection makes it easier than ever to get a meal on the table (or tailgate, tree stump, etc.), thanks to its durable materials and compact storage systems that take the stress out of camp cooking. 

Gerber ComplEAT Cutting Board Set

Don’t let your cutting boards and knives float aimlessly around your camping box. The ComplEAT Cutting Board Set neatly nests together, with two dual-sided cutting boards (one side of each cutting board has juice grooves to keep you prep mess free) and two knives for tackling a variety of cooking projects. 

The Cutting Board Set has both a bamboo and polypropylene cutting board. (We like to use the plastic cutting board for messy tasks like slicing tomatoes, and the bamboo board for slicing and serving up charcuterie.) 

There’s a 3.25-inch paring knife that’s ideal for peeling cucumbers or slicing up strawberries for dessert, while the 6-inch chef knife is a true workhorse — slicing up watermelon for a cool snack on a hot afternoon, chopping up veggies for a stir fry, or mincing garlic for pasta.  

Gerber ComplEAT 16-Piece Set

With everything you need to cook up a campsite feast, the Gerber ComplEAT 16-Piece Set is a one-stop shop for serving up a hearty meal outside. Whip up chili for a crew in the 5.6-quart stock pot or sauté all those colorful spring veggies in the 2.6-quart sauté pan. 

The sauté pan has a detachable (and interchangeable silicone over molded) handle and a basting dome for holding in moisture. The stock pot uses the same detachable handle and comes with a slim lid, which has drainage holes for pouring off liquids. 

Four bowls, four plates, and a large salad bowl let you serve up hearty portions at camp after a long day under the sun. When you’re done, nest it all together in the provided compact storage bag for next weekend’s feast.

Gerber ComplEAT Knife Set

Camping doesn’t mean you have to make sacrifices in the knife department. Too often camp knives are flimsy and dull, thanks to season after season of getting tossed around in a camping box (we’ve been there). 

This three-knife set can tackle any camp kitchen project, with a 3.25-inch paring knife for small tasks that require precision, a 6-inch serrated utility knife for slicing bread or tomatoes, and an 8-inch chef knife that fits the bill for anything from slicing grilled steak to chopping up cilantro. With a solid set of knives, the world is your oyster. 

German stainless steel provides optimal edge retention to maintain sharpness throughout multiple trips, and the textured rubber grips offer a comfortable and secure hold while you work through all your prep. When dinner’s done, the polyester sheaths keeps all your sharps protected when you stash them in the camping bin for the next trip.

The Gerber ComplEAT Collection Changes How You Cook at Camp

Whether you’re floating the river, exploring desert trails, or just there to kick back in the woods in your hammock, gathering for a camp meal at the end of the day is the perfect way to put a bow on a spectacular day outside.

Digging into a tailgate taco bar, roasted cinnamon sugar apples on the skillet for dessert, and even peeling oranges for a sunset Old Fashioned — setting up your camp kitchen with the right gear makes it easy to whip up crowd-pleasing meals. You’ll be talking about these weekends for a lifetime. 

This article is sponsored by Gerber Gear.