The Kitchen Boxes
Since I posted What’s In The Boxes – Part 1, I’ve had a number of requests to show what’s in the other boxes. In this post I’ll show you the next two boxes, the pots, pans, lights, cooking and crockery boxes.
Packing the two food storage boxes neatly was fairly easy because I could find containers to fit into the available space and fill that with whatever I needed. It’s a bit different with the other boxes. Each item has its own shape and size and not much can be done to change that. The result is perhaps not as neat as the food boxes, but things are logically grouped and easy to find.
Box 3
When the trip started I had a single electric hotplate and a set of aluminium camping pots that neatly fitted into each other. The hotplate had done sterling service for close on 30 years before it finally gave up the ghost. The hotplate’s replacement is one of the handiest gadgets available to modern campers, a Snappy Chef Induction Cooker. But induction only works on cookware that is magnetic so my very neat aluminium pot-set also had to be replaced. It has taken a while to get the right-sized pots and pans that can be packed easily. This is still a work in progress, but I’m almost there!
NOTE: Cast iron cookware and induction stoves go together like peanut butter and jam. A topic for a future post
Whats in the pots and pans box:
Cookware:
- Skillet
- Pot with lid
- Saucepan with lid
- Gas flame diffuser (also makes perfect toast on a gas cooker)
Packing tip: A roll of non-slip matting from Crazy Store is dirt cheap and can be cut to size to keep pots and their lids from rattling and chafing.
Sprays and ointments
- Sunblock, large bottle
- Tabbard for mosquitos
- Mosquito coils
- Hand sanitizer, large bottle
- Clean and Kill
- Target general insect spray
- Air freshener
General
- Fly swatter
- Spare toilet paper
- Assorted plastic bags
- Microfibre sleeping bag inners
- Spare dishcloths and towels (padding)
- 1 litre stainless steel insulated coffee press
- Assorted plugs, hooks and pegs.
Some Handy Tips
A useful assortment of hooks, wedges, carabiners, pegs and plugs.
Plastic door wedges are excellent for levelling a gas cooker.
The wedges are also useful to steady a wobbly table or chair.
These Lumeno Flexi-ties come in assorted sizes and are perfect for keeping things in place.
A ski rope doubles as a washing line.
Old bicycle tubes keep tent pegs and other loose items together.
These Increda-pegs are super versatile. Almost unbreakable space saving, washing pegs, handy hooks and, above all, proudly South African. No more old-fashioned wooden or plastic pegs that keep falling apart.
Box 4
This box carries all the crockery and cutlery but also doubles as the easy-reach box for quick roadside refreshment stops. It has four of everything, convenient when friends join in on a day-trip or come over for dinner in camp.
What’s in this box
Cutlery and Crockery
- Four each of
- Dinner plates
- Side plates
- Cereal bowls
- Knives
- Forks
- Spoons
- Teaspoons
- Mugs
- Plastic tumblers
- Serving spoons, knife, can/bottle/cork openers, gas lighter, egg lifter, tongs, scissors, vegetable peeler, small whisk
- One-cup coffee press
- Ceramic mug – my everyday favourite
- 2 x insulated travel mugs (coffee on the go)
- 2 x stainless steel tumblers
- 2 x enamel mugs for heating milk, etc. (Works well on gas and induction stove)
- Toast rack (doubles as a plate rack)
- Silicone trivet for hot pots (doubles as padding)
- Cutting board
- Small cheese grater
- 180ml Containers
- Instant coffee
- Tea
- Sugar
- Hot chocolate
- 850ml Container ground coffee
- Soap dish, unscented soap for washing hands. Perfumed soap gives food a bad taste.
- Altasware 1L stainless steel flask
- Salt & pepper cellars
- Toothpicks
- Small dishwashing liquid and sponge
- Dishcloths (double as padding)
I’ve gone into a fair bit of detail in this post. I hope it will help as a sort of checklist for folks new to camping. In a future post I’ll give you a look into the last two boxes.
8 Comments
Taryn · July 22, 2021 at
Thank you so much for this very handy article. Very neat and tidy!
Off The Hamster Wheel · July 23, 2021 at
Thank you.
Hulda Heiberg · July 22, 2021 at
Dankie Frank, vir die deel van hierdie deel van jou pakkery en die volledig gedetailleeerde inligting daaroor.
Deon Pretorius · July 23, 2021 at
Hi Frank
Thank you for sharing.
We are slowly but surely getting our camping gear together and I am using your ideas as a guide.
Keep up the good work.
Stay safe.
Deon
Off The Hamster Wheel · July 23, 2021 at
Thanks Deon, I’m glad the information is useful.
Off The Hamster Wheel · July 23, 2021 at
Dankie, ek is bly julle he dit geniet. Ek hoop die detail kan mense help wat nie so ervare is soos julle nie.
Rob Parkinson · July 23, 2021 at
Thank you for the enlightenment.
Your neat packing makes me ashamed of mine.
Off The Hamster Wheel · July 24, 2021 at
Neat or untidy makes no difference as long as you know where to find the stuff 🙂