One of the many things that I like about Girl Scouts is that the girls learn new skills, and quite often, it’s from each other.
In this photo, taken at an Outdoor Cooking Class, Zali taught Kayla and Rachel how to slice onions for a Campfire Beef Stew.
While slicing onions is a common cooking skill, the girls soon discovered some unusual cooking techniques that allow campers to create a grand variety of recipes.
From baking in a box (Box Oven Pizza) to baking on a stick (Cinnamon-Sugar Biscuit Stick), there really isn’t anything you can’t cook in the Great Outdoors.
And for a sweet treat, forget about s’mores, try the Banana Dessert Tin Foil.
Outdoor Cooking Links:
Outdoor cooking traditions have been handed down for centuries, but now the Scouting movement is largely responsible for upholding and sharing this knowledge.
Find recipes sorted by cooking technique or food type at Outdoor Cook. I’m intrigued by the Ziploc Bag Egg Buffet, and I can assert from experience that the Apple Squish is delish.
The Netwoods Virtual Campsite includes many favorite Scout camping recipes and it provides illustrated instructions for making a box oven or a vagabond stove. WARNING - Be sure to use hot coals - not recycled sterno cans - as the heat source for your vagabond stove, otherwise you may find yourself taking an hour to make one grilled cheese sandwich (like me!)
Chuckwagon Diner sorts recipes into categories that includes Kids As Cooks, Rubs and Sauces, and the tempting Pie Iron Recipies.
Enter to win a cash prize in the Outdoor Cooking Contest for the best outdoor cooking recipe or just peruse this extensive databank of recipes.
Find kid-friendly recipes on Kids Campfire Cooking.
The Eight Basic Skills lists Girl Scouts outdoor cooking recipes within a progression guide to help select cooking projects by age level.
What’s your favorite outdoor recipe or technique? Please share in a comment.
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livingbylearning 06.13.08 at 7:54 pm
A GS Volunteer alerted me to the potential dangers of cooking with Ziplocs, mentioned in some of these links. The following is copied from Green Blood News (all GS, all the time):
Circulating around the Internet again is instructions on cooking omelets in Ziploc bags. This is not recommended until further research is done on cooking with plastics.
There is still question about the cancer causing breakdown of plastics and their contact with food during cooking.
THIS IS FROM A COOKING WEB SITE AND ADDRESSES THE ISSUE:
“We have contacted the Ziploc company and they replied by telling us that ZIPLOC brand Bags cannot be used to boil food. They also told us that they do not manufacture a “boilable” bag…. yet.”
“They do not recommend using any ZIPLOC brand Bag in boiling water, or to “boil” in the microwave. ZIPLOC brand Bags are made from polyethylene plastic with a softening point of approximately 195 degrees Fahrenheit. By pouring near boiling water (water begins to boil at 212 degrees) into the bag, or putting the bag into the water, the plastic could begin to melt. Might I add that eggs and cheese have fat which gets much hotter than water thus the likelihood of melting the plastic increases.”
“It is so easy to start something unhealthy like the idea of a ZIPLOC OMELET. All you have to do is type it up and send it out to everyone you know via e-mail. It spreads like wild fire. The ZIPLOC OMELET instructions start out by telling you “This works great !!!” But who ever started the idea had not contacted the company who manufactures the bag to see if such cooking techniques were recommended. Therefore people receiving the instructions might just assume this idea is safe and it is not.”
“The specific concern centers on the possible contamination of foods with known carcinogens that may be present in plastic containers and wraps.”
“This issue is certain to generate much research to clarify the potential risks. Until this issue is fully resolved, consumers who want to take a cautious approach should not use Ziploc type bags for boiling food in water or in the microwave. People should continue making omelets the old traditional way until plastic bag manufacturers come out with an approved safe bag that while heated containing food will produce no carcinogens.”
Denise 07.08.08 at 2:41 pm
Not keen on cooking on top of a can either - when my daugther’s troop went camping we were the only two using a mess kit to cook our burgers and dogs - what can I say - out of the box again!