"outdoors" news and stories

If you ever went camping as a child, chances are that you have a vivid memory of the first thing that you cooked or ate, whether it was hot dogs, s'mores or simply marshmallows, it was probably cooked on a stick. After all, was there any reason to go camping if you didn't get to eat food off a stick? You know that no one was out there for the mosquito bites.

Cooking on a Stick: Campfire Recipes for Kids is a book full of camping recipes that children can make on their own. It is aimed at the 7-11 age range and written specifically for kids, unlike some books that are simply about feeding them when you're doing the cooking. The book covers basic fire safety, describing how to build a fire properly (sort of seems like a boy scout/girl scout thing) and how to put it out, before introducing the young cooks to easy recipes with cute, appealing names. In addition to the stick foods (Moose Kebabs and Ranger's Apple Pie), there are foods cooked in pouches (Favorite Beans and Hibernating Bananas), grilled foods and snacks, like GORP.

And, yes, there is a recipe for s'mores, too.

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We saw a woman try to bake cookies in her car, with good success, yesterday. But the gold standard of "natural" cooking would be frying an egg on the sidewalk, though car engine cooking might be a close second. Many people say that this method works.

Egg whites coagulate between 144 and 149F and yolks need an even higher temperature, so the sidewalk would have to retain a significant amount of heat for the experiment to work. Black asphalt can be 10 degrees hotter than lighter pavement, so you may want to work in the street, to increase your odds of success.

There are any number of people who have attempted to fry an egg on the sidewalk, but the problem is that many people live in places where it doesn't get all that hot. The Alberta Egg Board says that the experiment will work when the temperature is over 35C/95F, but I couldn't find any evidence of that working for anyone. The two hottest videos I found were this one, where it reached 106F just outside of San Francisco recently, and a video in Arizona, where it was also 106F. Neither worked.

I don't know if I believe that this will work, but if you've ever tried it, let us know!

While it may seem like a "duh" moment when you hear that there are a lot of veggies that taste great at room temperature, it's a good thing to keep in mind for a picnic. I know that I tend to think of sandwiches and salads, as well as cookies and other treats, all of which can pack up nicely, but not of things that are usually served hot. At home, I usually cook and serve vegetables right away, but as I noshed on a leftover ear of grilled corn on the cob, I realized that it would be perfect picnic fare. With corn, you can grill it or boil it, tuck it into a ziploc bag (once it is cool) and bring it along. Once you hit the picnic table, you can still butter and salt it or, better yet, use some lime juice to really bring out the flavor.

Other cooked veggies that I like at room temperature are artichokes, which require a little more preparation than corn on the cob since you'll need a spoon to remove the choke, but are excellent even when chilled (try lemon juice and salt to avoid bringing heat-sensitive dips outdoors), asparagus (if they still have it at the markets in your area), zucchini/summer squash and any kind of beans. Of course, you can always add in some raw veggies, like tomatoes, cucumbers, celery and carrots, but you'll probably want some hummus or other dressing to make them a little more interesting since they're not as easy to simply spice up as cooked vegetables are.

Let's face it: if you're not in the house, you're probably not using silverware. But eating with your hands is not only messy, but sometimes it's just not all that convenient. Fried chicken and burgers are fine when eaten out of hand, but what about potato salad or pie?

This nomad traveling silverware set attaches to a lanyard that you can wear around your neck when out hiking or keep in the glove compartment of your car (for emergencies). It includes a miniature stainless steel fork, knife, spoon and bottle opener, all of which tuck neatly away in a plastic case when not in use.

You could use plastic silverware, but this is not only more practical, but it's more eco-friendly, since there is nothing to throw away. A few uses, and this $20 gadget will pay for itself - not to mention that it would made a great gift for anyone who is outdoor-oriented and not taking all their meals at a dining room table.

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I have had mixed feelings about silicone kitchen supplies in the past, but generally, I think it only makes unsatisfying bakeware and great tools - especially outdoor tools. In this case, I'm talking about silicone basting brushes. Once I got one last summer, I didn't want to go back to a regular bristled brush.

The silicone brushes are ideal for use in grilling because they are heat resistant and durable. You can spread on any amount of sauce or glaze without having to worry about the brush drying out or charring due to heat and, best of all, you'll never have a bristle come loose onto your food. They are also dishwasher safe, which makes cleanup a breeze. I use a short handled one most of the time, which works very well, but the serious griller might be more interested in long-handled versions, like the Grill Friends Angled BBQ Brush or BBQ Basting Mop.