Attitude      Friday Night       Breakfasts       Lunch       Supper     Junk Food       Saturday         Snack Breaks         Meals General         Simple is Best                                                   Dutch Oven Temp. Control

One of the biggest problems for a Scout is learning to cook in the out of doors.  All of the Scout handbooks provide excellent reading material on the hows of cooking. If a Scout applies himself, reads the books, and focuses on the need of a particular outing, he will quickly become handy at the cooking task. 

A young Scout is inclined to buy his favorite junk food.  Since the patrol usually decides what it is they want to eat, this is compounded by the number of Scouts in the patrol. The result is usually plenty of chips, soda pop, pop tarts, etc., and the food cost will be high, and nourishment  low.  It is better to plan a simple menu, and to pack light. The more we carry in the more waste we carry out.

For general purposes we can think of three meals on Saturday and one meal on Sunday for a weekend event.  For a one day float trip, a lunch meal, with morning and afternoon snacks, and a buy out meal on the way home is best.   Time will not permit Friday night meal prepartation.  Each Scout should carry two quarts of water, and crystal drink mix in a zip-lock bag. As water will be used for cooking, the Scout should not premix the drink crystals until needed. Each Scout should have his own mess kit, utensils and cup.  Some boys like the large all purpose stainless steel cup to use as a mess kit and drinking cup.

HERE IS A SUGGESTED IDEA FOR EACH MEAL OCCASION:

FRIDAY NIGHT:  Drink water,  eat candy or rasins to avoid going to bed hungary. Food is a source of energy that will keep a Scout warm on cold nights.  If you haven’t eaten before leaving home, several take-along sandwiches might be a good idea.

SATURDAY:  From here on patrol cooking is expected. As a patrol, you have decided on what to eat, and have appointed one member to buy the food.  Once at camp, all must share in the food preparation, cooking equipment cleanup, and trash disposal. Cooking is ment to be part of the outing adventure, and not the whole of it.  Food must be nutritious, filling and energy rich.  Preparation time should be kept to a minimum.  Patrol grace is to be said before each meal.

                             Dutch Oven Baking Temperatures

The top number in each cell is the total number of charcoal briquettes required. The number to the left of the “/” is the number of briquettes to put on top of the Dutch Oven. The number to the right of the “/” is the number of briquettes to put underneath the Dutch Oven. The most common Dutch Oven size is the

Temp. Size 325 F 350 F 375 F 400 F      425 F 450 F 8”     top/ bottom 15 coals 10top5bot 16  11/5 17  11/6 18  12/6 19  13/6 20  14/6 10” 19  13/6 21 14/ 7 23  16/ 7 25  17/8 27 18/9 29  19/10 12” 23  16/ 7 25  17/8 27  18/9 29 19/10 31  21/10 33  22/11 14” 30 20/10 32 21/11 34 22/12 36 24/12 38  25/13 40 26/14 16” 34  22/12 36  24/12 38  24/13 40  27/13 42  28/14 44  30/14

12” Dutch Oven.

• BREAKFAST: Suggest hot or cold instant cereals, mixed with raisins, fruit or chopped nuts, particularly for the “Pedro” patrol.   Boiling of water is easily doable for the “Pedro.” Cleanup is minimized.   Scouts with more experience can consider making pancakes or eggs with bacon. What is wanted, is patrol effort to prepare and enjoy the meal.  Hot water is the basis for hot cocoa, tea, or coffee, and is necessary for cleanup. If cold cereal is desired, powdered milk should be brought along to be mixed with water.  This goes for Sunday breakfast too.
   
• SNACK BREAK:  A mid morning and afternoon snack break should be planned. Each Scout should bring some favorite fruit, candy, or trail mix for this purpose. This should not be overdone.
   
• LUNCH:  This is usually a quick effort.  Sandwiches are a good choice, and anything from a “Dagwood” to “PB&J” is acceptable as long as there is patrol preparation and togetherness.  Water should be the choice of beverage to achieve maximum hydration for the afternoon activities.  Fruit is suggested to add fiber.
   
• SUPPER OR DINNER: A patrol vegetable stew for eight makes a lot of sense.  A large pot will be necessary. Ingredients can be zip-locked packaged for each patrol member to carry his weight share of the meal.  The ingredients should be trimmed and pealed before departure, by the Scout designated to buy the food.  This is what is needed for the stew:  1 lb. of ground beef (hard frozen when leaving home), 2 cups of chopped celery, 1 cup of chopped onions, 2 cups of sliced zucchini, 1 cup of yellow squash, 2 16 oz. cans of tomatoes (removed from the cans and hard frozen in a zip-lock bag(s) before leaving home), 1 cup of chopped bell pepper, 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of sugar, 1 tsp of italian seasoning, and 1 tsp of basil. For desert an instant pudding mix is a good choice.

On a drive-in camp location other choices for meals and meal preparation are possible.  Griddles, propane gas burners, and dutch ovens offer additional methods for food preparation. Keep in mind food preparation takes time and “simple” is the best.

                                                           Top of Page!      

[1st Baptist Church, Little Ro ck, Troop 55] [Calendar] [Adult Leaders] [BSA Advancement] [BSA Aims] [BSA Boy Leaders] [Lord Baden-Powell] [BSA Values] [Faith] [Fun] [Backpack with 55!] [What to Take & Not!] [What to Pack!] [How to  Pack!] [What to Cook!] [Where 55 Camps!] [Water Sports] [2005 Jamboree] [Orienteering Page 1] [Guidelines] [Patriotism] [Safety] [Tabs for Notebook] [Web] [Scout Outing Forms] [Troop  Master Forms]