Although I now can turn out some pretty delicious dutch oven meals my first foray into the world of dutch oven cooking was a fiasco.

Instead of doing a little bit of reading on the topic and finding out what equipment and techniques were best (and easiest) for beginners, I thought I had all I needed with the box that contained my brand new pre-seasoned campfire dutch oven. I did think it was going to have an instruction book with some recipes inside, but since I didn’t open it up until we were at the campground and ready to use it, I didn’t know that the only thing inside the box was the dutch oven and a warranty card.

The beef roast, potatoes, onions and carrots all looked delicious when I put them inside the dutch oven, but were unrecognizable chunks of gray char after being cooked in a blazing hot campfire for an hour. The hot dogs we ate instead that night were a big letdown from the delicious roast beef dinner we thought we going to have.

But instead of giving up I got educated and learned that dutch oven cooking is easy when a person has the right equipment and little knowledge. Plus the food that comes out of the dutch ovens is fantastic.

If you know someone who camps and who hasn’t tried dutch oven cooking, why not put together a “Dutch Oven Gift Set” that contains the essential equipment and a cookbook with Dutch Oven recipes?

Here’s the basics needed:

- A footed cast iron Dutch Oven (non-enameled) that has been pre-seasoned. Any size is okay but a good starter size is one that is 10″ or 12″ inches in diameter.
- Dutch Oven Carrying Case
- Dutch Oven Lid Lifter
- Dutch Oven Lid Stand
- High Heat Gloves (welding ones are fine)
- Chimney Starter for starting coals (coals are the best fuel for beginners)
- Small whisk broom to brush ash off Dutch Oven lid
- Dutch oven cookbook

Deep fried food….yum! Whoever first thought of it was a genius because there are a lot of foods that are so tasty when they’ve been given a dunk in a vat of hot oil and cooked to crispy goodness. I could go for a crunchy piece of deep fried chicken (or fish or fries or onion rings) right now! But you can keep the deep fried Snickers bars, Oreo cookies, and Twinkies. Those are some of the things that, in my opinion, should be kept far away from a vat of hot oil.

But, no matter what you’re cooking in a deep fryer we all know how messy it can be when done inside so why not give the camper or RVer on your list a portable deep fryer they can use outside.

Coleman makes a portable table top fryer that uses a propane cylinder to heat it rather than a cord that needs an electrical outlet. It’s cord free and completely portable! It has a 6 quart capacity, can cook at temperatures up to 450 degrees F, has built in carrying handles so it can be moved easily, has a striking high-gloss red metallic steel exterior that resists weather and corrosion, and comes with a 2 year warranty.

There’s also a carrying case available to keep the fryer dust free and protected from scratches while not in use that also has 2 handy pouches for storing propane cylinders that is a great companion gift.

While a food dehydrator may not be the first thing that comes to mind when trying to think of a great present to give somebody who loves camping, it’s a thoughtful and useful gift.

My dehydrator gets a big workout before every camping trip making several batches of beef and turkey jerky along with fruit leathers and dried fruit from whatever fruit is in season.

They are so tasty and much better than anything from a package bought in the store! Plus they are easy to transport and store while camping - no refrigeration is needed. My husband loves to grab a couple pieces of jerky and some dried fruit to tuck in his daypack before his hiking adventures in the state parks we enjoy camping at.