Cooking

Cooking can be really fun, especially if you approach it in a fun way!  Consider Top Chef Competitions or trying to Cook like they did in the Old Days of Scouting or using Pioneering or Privative Skills to make cooking a little more exciting. 

Cooking Competitions

There are many types of cooking competitions and rules and approach are only limited by your imagination.

Iron Chef

Basic cookoff based on TV show Iron Chef.  Like the show, there is a "Secret Ingredient".  This is usually announced at a troop meeting before the cookoff to allow patrols to plan and gather ingredients. 

20 Points Total

• 10 points - Taste

• 5 points - Plating (appearance and presentation)

• 5 points - Originality

Dutch Oven Cookoff

Possible Points out of 100:

• 10 points - Food Presentation (appearance and verbal presentation)

• 10 points - Team Presentation (dress, cleanliness, uniforms and aprons)

• 10 points - Cookware Presentation (cleanliness for Dutch Oven and utensils)

• 30 points - Food Appearance (uniqueness and difficulty of recipe)

• 40 points - Flavor (taste, texture and smell)

Camp Cookoff Rules

Here are things to consider when making your own Camp Cookoff Rules:

Judging Consideration for Cooking Technique

• Method used

• Cost of meal

• Safe food handling techniques

• Safety  

• Appearances of cooking area

• Proper use of utensils, Dutch oven and heat source

Judging Consideration for Taste and Presentation

• Whether food has been properly cooked

• Presentation - how does it look

• Ingredients - at least 3 food groups

• Aroma - how does it smell

Cooking Method Points:

• 1 extra point - Camp Stove 

• 3 extra points - Open Campfire or charcoal

• 5 extra points - Dutch oven 

• 8 extra points - Box oven 

• 10 extra points - Solar oven 

Judging Points

• 8 point for Taste

• 6 point for menu planning

• 4 points for teamwork and participation

• 2 points for presentation

Vintage Scout Fire Skills and Cooking (First Class Requirements)

Fire and Cooking skills haven't changes that much over the years, but the approach may be a little different.  You can use vintage requirements and handbooks to recreate Scouts Skills used by the Grandfathers of our Scouts. 

1965 First Class Requirement 2h

(h) On at least one of these overnight camps, prepare from raw, dried, or dehydrated ingredients and cook over a fire in the out-of-doors a complete breakfast of fruit, hot cooked cereal, hot beverage, and bacon and eggs (or pancakes); and a complete dinner or supper of meat (or fish or poultry), vegetable, dessert, and bread (or biscuits or twist). 

From 1967 Scout Handbook

Vintage Campfire Scout Meals (Second Class Requirements)

Cook meals like Scouts of old did on a Campfire.  Best if old school methods of fire starting and used.   

1965 Second Class Requirement 10

(a) Use an ax correctly to prepare kindling or fuel wood, (b) Build a fire on a safe spot using not more than two matches. On this fire, (c) cook—without utensils—a meal from raw meat ^or fish or poultry) and at least one raw vegetable, (d) Properly dispose of garbage, put out your fire, and clean up the cooking area.

The term ''without utensils" means without such items as cook kits, foil, tin cans, and other items manufactured for cooking purposes. Native materials such as kabob sticks, greenstick broilers, etc., may be used where permissible.

From 1967 Scout Handbook

Shovel Cooking

A properly treated shovel makes for a great cooking surface.  Shovels have long been used by prospectors, pioneers and soldiers to cook up delicious campfire meals.  The shovel works just like a skillet and the handle allows you to easily adjust the heigh to your skillet over the flames.  

Cooking with a shovel seems to make your meal taste better and is certainly a fun tool to use with Scouts. 

Prepping Shovel for Cooking

Prior to using a shovel as cookware, use fire to burn off all paint and oils.  Remove handle for best results and more heat is better.  Use steel wool and soap to give shovel and thorough cleansing.  Repeat heat treatment and scrub it clean.  Coat your shovel with thin layer of cooking oil to reduce formation of rust.  Your shovel is now another cast iron implement in our arsenal of cookware. 

For longevity and taste, avoid using shovel for digging up dirt or leaving it outside in the rain to rust.  A little dirt in your food is ok, but harsh food critics will complain.  This shovel does work GREAT for snow outings where you need to dig shelters, cook meals or need a hasty sled. 

Vintage Scout Meals (First Class Requirements)

Cooks meals like Scouts of old did.  Yum!  

From 1967 Scout Handbook