Camp cooking for a family doesn't need a four-burner stove and a marquee. This is the full cooking kit, we currently use covering breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert for a family of four.
In a past life I was a professional chef working everywhere from café, to Pub to fine dinging and even some 2 and 3 hat restaurants. I love food and it is my favourite part of camping which makes it challenging for me to ensure I only bring the essentials; like smoked paprika.
So this kit is what survived after several seasons of trial and error. Every item stays because it does something the others can't.
What's in the cooking kit
- Kings Escape 50 Fridge/Freezer (replaces the esky on day one)
- Kings Escape 50 Fridge Cover (protects the fridge and improves insulation)
- Kings Portable Steel Fire Pit (legal fire anywhere with a sand base)
- Kings Camp Fire BBQ Plate (grill + hotplate combo)
- Campfire Cast Iron Jaffle Iron, Jumbo Single (the best breakfast tool ever made)
- Campfire Hamburger Basket (grills burgers over flames, simple and cheap)
- Coleman Daintree 15L Keg Cooler (cold drinks, not a fridge)
- Large Camping Storage Bag (keeps cooking gear and pantry items organised)
- Spinifex Weekender Camp Kitchen (prep surface and washing station)
- Coleman EvenTemp 3-Burner Stove with Griddle
- Campfire Cast Iron Camp Oven 4.5 Qt & Kings Skillet Pan (what we have) / Campfire 5-in-1 Camp Oven (what we'd buy today)
- OZtrail 12 Egg Carrier (stops eggs smashing in transit)
Prices are at the bottom. Kings and BCF run deals constantly so check the links for current pricing.
Kings Escape 50 Fridge/Freezer, ★★★★★
What it is: A 50-litre 12/24V portable compressor fridge/freezer. Fits around 68 standard cans, has a digital temperature display, solid storage room, and USB ports for charging phones off the fridge. Runs off the Kings 100Ah battery in our off-grid camping power setup.
Why it changes everything: An icebox works for 24-36 hours. After that, you're eating wet cheese and drinking lukewarm milk. A fridge/freezer gives you actual cold food for as long as you have power, and means kids can have ice creams three days into a trip. The difference in morale alone is worth it.
Pros:
- Well built and sturdy, looks fantastic
- Well insulated, doesn't draw a huge amount of power on the battery
- Deceptively spacious for a 50L: easily stores 4-5 days of food for 2 adults + 2 kids, more with planning
- Keeps items really cold
- USB port on board for charging
- 68 can capacity is right for a family of four across a long weekend
- Reversible lid, set up camp any way you want
- Digital display means you can actually see the temperature (not guess)
- 12V/24V compatible, works in cars, on batteries, on dual-battery systems
- Can run as either fridge (+5°C) or freezer (-18°C), though not both at once
Cons:
- Internal storage capacity is smaller then you would expect when seeing it from the outside but we are able to store enough food for 2 adults and 2 kids over 5 days.
- Once fully loaded, may require two people to lift
Hot Tips: Pre-cool the fridge before you leave home so it's already cold when you arrive. Strongly recommend buying the fridge cover to go with it. Also put your items in small appropriatly sized containers to make finding what you need easier.
Power draw: On a 25°C day with the lid mostly closed, we see about 20-30Ah per 24 hours from this fridge alone. Our 100Ah battery gives 3+ days of fridge runtime before needing a solar top-up. On colder days, the fridge barely runs at all. Budget-wise, this draw is average for its class.
Verdict: This is the fridge to buy. A Dometic is better but costs 2-3× as much. The Kings does everything a family needs without the premium. Power it properly and your camping game jumps a level.
View product at 4WD Supacentre ↗
Kings Escape 50 Fridge Cover, ★★★★★
What it is: A fitted insulated cover for the Kings Escape 50 fridge. Insulated liner, zip access to the fridge lid.
Why it's worth it: The fridge cover does two jobs: protects the fridge from scratches and bumps during transport, and adds an extra layer of insulation that reduces how often the compressor cycles on. Less cycling = less power draw = longer battery life. At under $10, it's the best value item in the whole kit.
Pros:
- Fits perfectly, no fiddling
- Good tie-down straps keep it secure
- Insulated liner helps with efficiency
- Under $10, absurdly good value
Cons:
- No extra storage pockets, it's just the cover
Tip: Keep it zipped up when not in use to make the most of the insulated liner.
Verdict: Buy it with the fridge. Cheap insurance.
View product at 4WD Supacentre ↗
Kings Portable Steel Fire Pit, ★★★★☆
What it is: A folding steel fire pit with a mesh base that contains the fire, spark guard, and legs that hold it off the ground. Packs flat into a carry bag.
Why it's essential: Most campgrounds, national parks and free camps now have fire bans at ground level, you need a contained, elevated fire pit to legally light up. Even when ground fires are allowed, a fire pit is safer with kids around, doesn't scorch the earth, and contains the mess. No fire pit, no fire, no campfire cooking.
Pros:
- Legal to use in most parks that allow fires at all (check local rules)
- Folds completely flat
- Legs keep the ground cool so you don't damage grass or sand
- Pairs perfectly with the BBQ plate (see below)
- Mesh base means the fire gets proper airflow, burns cleaner
Cons:
- No dedicated carry bag. I use the one from my Fire BBQ Plate but need to lift and move carefully.
- Steel will warp slightly over time with heavy use (doesn't affect function)
- Not huge, big enough for a decent fire, not big enough for a bonfire
Verdict: You can spend more on fancier fire pits but this does the job. If you're camping at a park with fire bans at ground level, you literally can't have a fire without one of these.
View product at 4WD Supacentre ↗
Kings Camp Fire BBQ Plate, ★★★★★
What it is: A combo hotplate and grill that sits on top of the fire pit. One half is a flat hotplate for eggs, onions, pancakes; the other is a grill for snags, steak, and burgers.
Why we love the combo: Before we had this, I was trying to balance a pan on logs. This sits flat on the fire pit, stays stable, and gives you two cooking surfaces at once. Breakfast of eggs and bacon, done without moving anything between the two surfaces.
Pros:
- Two cooking surfaces at once, grill meat, fry eggs simultaneously
- Heats up fast over flames, faster than any gas setup
- Cleans up with a scrape and water at the end
Cons:
- The handles get hot, you need leather gloves or a towel to move it
- Surface rust if you don't dry it properly after washing, oil it after cleaning
Tip: Pre-season it when you first get it: heat it up hot, add oil, then scour the surface with half an onion or potato to clean off any factory gunk. Same technique works as a routine clean after each use, half a potato and some oil.
Verdict: If you've got the fire pit, this is the natural pairing. Don't buy a gas BBQ for camping, use fire and this plate, your food will taste better anyway.
View product at 4WD Supacentre ↗
Campfire Cast Iron Jaffle Iron, Jumbo Single, ★★★★★
What it is: An old-school cast iron jaffle iron, two hinged plates on long handles. You butter two slices of bread, load them with whatever you want, clamp them in, and hold it in the campfire. Five minutes later you have a hot, crispy, melty sandwich.
Why it tops the kit: The kids' single favourite piece of camping gear. Simple, bombproof, makes better food than most camping setups, and gets used every single trip. You can do breakfast (egg and bacon), lunch (cheese and ham), or dessert (Nutella and banana), all from the same tool.
Pros:
- Cast iron = lifetime purchase, will still work in 30 years
- Long handles keep your hands away from the fire
- Jumbo size fits proper bread, not cramped triangles
- Works on fire, coals, gas stove, induction, anywhere
- Kids can (carefully) operate one, great activity
Cons:
- Needs seasoning like any cast iron pan, oil it after washing
- Single (not double) means you make one at a time but the cook fast.
Hot Tip. Great for using up leftovers like spag bol.
Verdict: The single most-used item in this kit. If I could only keep one cooking item, it's this. Five stars.
Campfire Hamburger Basket (toast cooker), ★★★★☆
What it is: A hinged wire basket on long handles. Load it with burgers, fish fillets, or sausages, hold it over the fire or coals, and flip by rotating the whole basket.
Why it works: Cooking burgers directly on the grill means they fall apart. Cooking them in a pan means no fire flavour. This basket solves both, fire flavour, no breakage. Also works for whole fish, which nothing else in the kit can handle cleanly.
Pros:
- Under $30, one of the cheapest items in the kit
- Solves the "crumbly food on grill" problem perfectly
- Dishwasher-safe (at home after the trip)
- Fish, burgers, halloumi, toasted sandwiches, versatile
Cons:
- Basket wires are thin and the wire holding it together like a hinge will falls off after 1-2 uses. It is not really needed but be aware.
- Wire construction means cleanup needs a brush
Hot Tip: Always confirm you have the shorter handle on top before you open or your food will end up on the ground.
Verdict: Cheap, specific, does its job. Not glamorous but you'll use it every trip to cook your toast if nothihng else.
Coleman Daintree 15L Keg Cooler, ★★★★★
What it is: A 15L insulated drinks cooler with a built-in tap. Fill it with ice and water, let it sit in the shade, and kids can serve themselves cold drinks without opening the fridge.
Why it's not the fridge: The fridge is for food and cold chain. The cooler is for drinks so the fridge doesn't keep getting opened. Every time you open a compressor fridge, it has to work harder to recool. A drinks cooler offloads all the "can I have some water" traffic to a separate spot.
Pros:
- Tap means kids serve themselves, huge reduction in constant requests
- Keeps water genuinely cold for 36-60 hours with a bag of ice.
- Perfect size for 2 adults + 2 kids, easily lasts 4 days with ice still in the cooler on the fourth day
- Very easy to clean and you can confirm it is clean visually, not guessing with a water jerry.
- 15L is the perfect balance of size and capacity.
- Sturdy construction and solid handles.
Cons:
- None, amazing product
Tip: Put a bag of ice in and top up with water before you leave home, arrive at camp with the water already cold.
Verdict: Amazing product, will never go camping without it. Keep cold clean drinking water on tap and your fridge closed for your meat and drinks.
Spinifex Weekender Camp Kitchen, ★★★★☆
What it is: A folding outdoor camp kitchen with a prep surface, side shelves, and a removable zip up pantry with 2 shelves. Sets up on its own legs and packs flat into a carry bag.
Why it's in the kit: Without a dedicated camp kitchen, you end up prepping food on the main eating table, washing dishes in a bucket on the ground, and constantly shifting gear around. This gives you a proper station, washing up here, food prep here, condiments and pantry items inside a zipped up and out of the way areas. Once you have one, you won't go back.
Pros:
- Dedicated zip up pantry area for spices, snacks and fruit/vegetables that don't need the fridge.
- Side shelves give you somewhere to stage food, plates, and condiments while cooking
- Packs flat, stores in the boot without drama
- Solid enough for regular family camp use
- Optional wind breaker if your stove does not have one built in.
Cons:
- Takes up real boot space, account for it when packing
Verdict: The piece we should have bought earlier. Turns a scattered cook setup into an actual outdoor kitchen.
Coleman EvenTemp 3-Burner Stove with Griddle, ★★★★★
What it is: A 3-burner propane camp stove with Coleman's EvenTemp technology, which distributes heat evenly across the cooking surface. Comes with a cast iron griddle that spans two burners for flat-top cooking.
Why we use it alongside the fire pit: The fire pit handles dinner and the ambience, but for a quickly boiling water, cooking in the rain, or a campground with a total fire ban, you need a proper stove. Three burners means you can run a pot of water, cook eggs, and keep bacon warm simultaneously. The griddle makes big breakfasts easy and I feel there is not much I cannot cook on the flat top that comes with it.
Pros:
- Even heat across all three burners, no hot spots, no burning one side
- Griddle spans three burners, flat-top for pancakes and big breakfasts
- Coleman build quality, reliable and built to last
- Comes with multiple cable options to fit larger or smaller gas bottles
- Covers every cooking scenario the fire pit and BBQ plate can't
Cons:
- Bulkier than more compact camp stoves, needs real boot space
- Needs LPG canisters, stock up before remote trips
Verdict: Great stove if you have the boot space. Reliable, sturdy, and plenty of cook surface for a family. Not the right pick for car campers tight on space, but if room isn't an issue, this thing will last.
Campfire Cast Iron Camp Oven (4.5 Qt) & Kings Skillet Pan, ★★★★☆
What they are: The Campfire 4.5 Qt Camp Oven is a cast iron dutch oven for slow-cooked meals, camp roasts, and damper over coals or a gas burner. The Kings Skillet Pan is a flat cast iron frying pan for the stove or open fire.
Why we use them: The BBQ plate and jaffle iron cover most camp cooking. But for anything that needs real heat retention, a curry, a roast, eggs that actually stay in the pan, you need cast iron cookware on the stove. These two fill the gap.
Pros:
- Works on direct flame, gas burner, and coals
- Camp oven handles meals the BBQ plate can't, curries, stews, damper
- Both last decades if seasoned and dried properly after each trip
Cons:
- Heavy, plan for it in the boot
- Rust fast if stored wet, season and dry before packing away
What we'd buy today: The Campfire 5-in-1 Camp Oven, dutch oven, frying pan, grill plate and more in one package. Better value than buying the pieces separately.
Camp Oven at Anaconda ↗ | Kings Skillet at 4WD Supacentre ↗ | 5-in-1 upgrade at Anaconda ↗
Also in the kit
**OZtrail 12 Egg Carrier:** Eggs in a carton get smashed in transit. This $10 clamshell holds 12 individually and solves the problem. Tip: if mixing eggs from different packets, mark each with a whiteboard marker so you know which to use first.
**Large Camping Storage Bag:** A cheap Big W bag that keeps cooking accessories, pantry items and small electronics in one place. A dedicated bag means nothing gets left behind. We use 2 of these to carry all cooking kit and pantry items.
**Bialetti, Moka Express Stovetop Espresso Maker, 9 Cups (420 ml):** Great little espresso / black coffee maker that gets a work out. I am sure you could get a more simple and larger press but something about making coffee on this takes me back to traveling Italy and starts my day with a smile.
A typical camp meal plan with this kit
Breakfast: Eggs and bacon on the stove griddle (Fire or gas) while the jaffle iron does toasties for the kids over the fire. Everything hot at the same time, coffee made on gas or over fire.
Lunch: Sandwiches from the fridge, or jaffles again if we're feeling lazy. The hamburger basket does grilled halloumi if we're being fancy.
Dinner: Snags or burgers on the grill plate, or a proper steak on the BBQ plate directly over coals. Veggies wrapped in foil sitting on the hotplate edge. See my Tiktok for some of the food we cook up. Visit my tiktok here >
Dessert: Banana and Nutella jaffles. Every. Single. Trip. Kids lose their minds.
What we don't use (and you don't need)
- Excessive pot sets: So many camping cook sets come with 2 pans and 3 pots, it is uneccisary and usually Teflon coated. If you know you will be cooking on fire, cast iron is the way to go. A smaller cast oven with lid combined with your flat top can do 95% of things you need and is where I would start.
What we paid
- Kings Escape 50 Fridge: $263.20
- Kings Escape 50 Fridge Cover: $9.95
- Kings Portable Fire Pit: $39.96
- Kings BBQ Plate: $31.96
- Campfire Cast Iron Jaffle Iron: $29.99
- Campfire Hamburger Basket: $19.99
- Coleman Daintree Cooler: $69.99
- OZtrail Egg Carrier: $9.99
- Spinifex Weekender Camp Kitchen: $99
- Coleman EvenTemp 3-Burner Stove with Griddle: $249 (RRP, ours was a gift)
- Campfire Cast Iron Camp Oven 4.5 Qt: $79.99
- Campfire 5-in-1 Camp Oven (recommended upgrade): $139.99 at Anaconda
- Kings Skillet Pan: $19.95
- Large Camping Storage Bag: $15
- Total paid (excluding gift stove): ~$690. Add $249 to include the stove at RRP.
The fridge is over half the cost. Everything else is cheap. Prices change daily, check the links above for current deals.
The bottom line
You don't need a four-burner gas stove, a dutch oven, and a camp kitchen to cook real meals outdoors. You need a good fridge, a legal fire, and a small set of tools that work over flames. We paid around $690 for the full kit (the stove was a gift, so add another $249 at RRP), and most of it will last a decade.
If you're just starting out on a limited budget, get a quality esky, a second hand cast iron camp stove a small double gas burner (with flat top), a cast iron pot with lid and you are sorted. Make sure the cast iron pot with lid is big enough for pasta but not too big for gas stove.
Power for the fridge comes from our off-grid camping power setup. See the full kit at Our Setup.