Req 8d — Cook Your Meals
This is where all your planning comes to life. Cooking for your patrol in the outdoors is one of the most satisfying parts of camping — and one of the best ways to build teamwork.
Before You Cook
Review the fundamentals before you fire up the stove:
- Check your stove — Make sure it is in good working order and you have enough fuel. Review the safety procedures from Requirement 8a.
- Set up a clean cooking area — Clear a flat surface, lay out your ingredients, and make sure your water supply is treated and ready.
- Assign roles — Use the duty roster from Requirement 4. The cook prepares food, the fire tender manages the stove, and the cleanup crew handles dishes.
- Wash your hands — This is non-negotiable. Every cook, every meal.
Cooking Tips for the Field
Camp Cooking Tips
Make your meals successful
- Start with enough water. Fill all pots and water bottles before you begin cooking. Running out of water mid-recipe is frustrating.
- Use a windscreen around your stove. Wind steals heat and wastes fuel. A simple aluminum windscreen can cut your boil time in half.
- Keep lids on pots. Covered pots boil faster and use less fuel.
- Stir frequently. Camp stoves often create hot spots that burn food. Constant stirring prevents scorching.
- Do not rush. Let the stove do the work. Turning the flame too high wastes fuel and burns food.
- Cook with a buddy nearby. Never leave a lit stove unattended.
The Trail Meal
At least one of your three meals must be a trail meal — a meal cooked using a lightweight stove, typically during a hike or at a rest stop rather than at a full camp setup. Trail meals are simpler and faster because you are cooking with minimal equipment.
Great trail meal options:
- Ramen with added protein — Boil water, add noodles and a foil packet of chicken or tuna
- Instant oatmeal — Boil water, pour over oatmeal, add dried fruit and nuts
- Couscous with vegetables — Boil water, stir in couscous and freeze-dried vegetables, cover and wait 5 minutes
- Hot soup and crackers — Heat canned or dehydrated soup
- Mac and cheese — Boil water, cook pasta, add cheese powder and a squeeze of butter
Cleanup
Cleaning up properly is just as important as cooking. Follow the three-bucket system from Requirement 6b:
- Wash — Hot water with biodegradable soap
- Rinse — Clean hot water
- Sanitize — Hot water with a capful of bleach
Strain all food particles from wash water and pack them out. Scatter gray water broadly at least 200 feet from water sources. Leave your cooking area cleaner than you found it.
What Your Counselor Wants to See
When you cook for this requirement, your counselor is looking for:
- Planning — Did you follow the menu you created in Requirement 8c?
- Safety — Did you follow stove safety procedures? Did you keep the cooking area clean and organized?
- Teamwork — Did you work with your patrol and follow the duty roster?
- Skill — Can you operate the stove confidently and cook a decent meal?
- Cleanup — Did you wash dishes properly and dispose of waste correctly?
- Trail meal — Did at least one meal use a lightweight stove in a trail-style setting?
