On Trail Cooking Tips

To ease camping-pan cleanup, rub the outside of each one with liquid soap, and line the inside with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Photo by Heidi Nyland.

Does the thought of washing dishes after a campfire cookout dampen your getaway plans? Take along a stack of burnable paper plates, rather than Styrofoam or plastic. You'll find paper plates without plastic coating at environmentally friendly grocery stores and in the organic section of your usual market. Stack several of the notoriously flimsy plates to build a supportive platform. After you eat, fold or roll the plates and use them to start or stoke the evening fire.

As for the pots and pans you use for camping: Before you start cooking, rub the outside of each one with liquid soap, and line the inside with heavy-duty aluminum foil for cleaning ease. (Use caution when stirring to avoid tearing the aluminum.) When the meal is done, remove the foil, and wad it up for the recycling bin back home. The outside of the pots should easily wipe clean, because of the soap's protection.