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Al Fresco Cooking

With temperatures warming, we've got camping adventures on our minds. And when it comes to camping, whether by RV or car, few activities are as satisfying as cooking a meal in the great outdoors. To that end, we scoured the internet for products — from the best camping kitchens to a dual-purpose cutting board to fun and functional food prep items — that have us dying to crack open a cold one and get cracking on preparing a meal in the great outdoors.

Prices and availability are subject to change.

Related: 30 Kitchen Gifts They'll Actually Use

Amazon

Gatling Co. 21-Piece Camping Cookware Set

Price: $40 from Amazon
Buy It
When it comes to cooking gear for camping, this set has you covered on a lot of fronts: 21 of them, to be exact. It includes pretty much every camp utensil you could need, plus a headlamp, carabiner, and flint. It even comes in its own storage container. One very satisfied reviewer noted, "I've researched and tried tons of these kits and this one has far and away been the best ... unlike other kits we've had, everything goes back in its spot easily."

Walmart

Lodge Cast-Iron 5-Piece Set

Price: $70 from Walmart
Buy It
This pre-seasoned set of pots and pans is an essential item for any camp chef, whether you're cooking over a fire pit or stove. It comes with a cast-iron Dutch oven with cover, 8-inch griddle, and 10.25-inch skillet. Reviewers say it's quality cookware, and many love that it's made in the U.S.A.

Amazon

Coleman Gas Camping Stove

Price: $44 from Amazon
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It's a classic for a reason. Earning 4.7 stars from buyers, this camp workhorse features windbreak panels and adjustable burners. Some reviewers note that the knobs and propane attachment can be finicky, but as one comments: "I still prefer this design over other 'fancier' models ... since I don't really need a lot of fancy features when car camping. Just give me a reliable two-burner stove that I can wipe down or hose off at the end of a trip."

Amazon

GCI Outdoor Slimfold Cook Station

Price: $81 from Amazon
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This double-decker folding camp kitchen is a perfect way to free up picnic table space. The GCI Outdoor Slimfold Cook Station's powder-coated steel frame unfolds to reveal an aluminum top, storage rack, and four plastic fold-out side tables. It has hooks for utensils, a garbage bag, or camp towel, and folds for transport when not in use. Nearly 700 reviewers have left it with an average 4.8-star rating, praising its ease and versatility. "I think this is the best thing I ever bought! Don't know how I've camped without it!" wrote one reviewer.

Amazon

YETI Rambler Wine Tumbler

Price: $25 from Amazon
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At the end of a long camping day, after the meal is cooked and the dishes are clean, all outdoor chefs deserve a tumblerful of beer or wine as they watch the sun go down. And, with 4.8 stars, Yeti is the gold standard of stainless steel, double-walled, insulated drinking vessels. As one reviewer puts it: "It is great for camping because you don't want to use glass at campsites, and ice lasts and lasts. Great job on this one Yeti."

Related: How to Spot a Good, Cheap Bottle of Wine

Amazon

Coleman RoadTrip 285 Portable Stand-Up Propane Grill

Price: $250 from Amazon
Buy It
This portable propane grill is about the size of a carry-on bag when folded up, so it won't take up too much space in the trunk of the car or an RV storage compartment. With three adjustable burners, an integrated thermometer, and push-button ignition, it's powerful enough to rival some charcoal and gas grills. One downside? Buyers note that it's quite heavy, at almost 50 pounds.

Related: 16 RV-Friendly Meal Hacks for Delicious Eats On the Road

Amazon

All4Grill BBQ Grill Gloves and Mat Set

Price: $19 from Amazon
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This set of heat-resistant gloves will keep your grill master safe. The mat is just an added bonus. Forgot to clean the grill after your last camping trip? No problem. Just throw on the Teflon-coated fiberglass grill mat and you can cook without the grime. Reviewers give this product 4.9 stars. "I have the same product from other brands, which are good," wrote one shopper. "Nothing compares to the BBQ produced by All4Grill."

Amazon

Wealers 13-Piece Stainless Steel Family Cutlery

Price: $17 from Amazon
Buy It
Backpackers can have their sporks. When it comes to car and RV camping, it's more than OK to haul along a full cutlery set. And this one comes in a cute, multicolored carrying case made of woven cotton and linen, which keeps everything neatly in one place. "The carrying case is nice…," notes one reviewer. "I can load it up and send the grandchildren out to set the table outside."

Amazon

QiMH Collapsible Cutting Board with Colander

Price: $15 from Amazon
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It's two tools in one. Collapse it down and use it as a cutting board. Expand it to rinse fruits and veggies or to use it as a camp sink. You can even employ it as storage when it's not being otherwise used. One reviewer puts it succinctly: "Makes things in the kitchen so much easier! Love it."

Amazon

Camp Chef Sherpa Camp Table & Organizer

Price: $100 from Amazon
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The Camp Chef Sherpa has an aluminum rollaway top and four pull-out storage compartments — one of which can be used as a cooler or a sink — built into its telescoping frame. Buyers marvel at how much it can hold: "My husband and I sleep out nearly every weekend and I needed a way to have everything we need for cooking and cleanup organized and ready to go as soon as we were. This holds everything we need to take and then some."

Amazon

Sailing Travel Kitchen Tools Silicone Stock Pot

Price: $30 from Amazon
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RV cabinets are not known for their ability to hold a lot of cooking equipment, so this stockpot, which collapses to just over 3 inches in depth, is notable. It can be used on a gas or electric stove, as well as the outdoor grill. Notes one camper: "I purchased this pot to use in an RV ... I have very few spots where a taller pot would fit so this collapsible pot fits well. It is also lighter in weight than a regular pot of the same size."

Related: 30 Amazing 5-Ingredient Recipes for Cooking in a Camper

Amazon

AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker

Price: $36 from Amazon
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This gadget makes one to three cups of coffee — without bitterness, acidity, or grit, it claims — in about a minute. Buyers say it's easy to use and easy to clean, and some even use it when they're not camping. Wrote one reviewer: "It's not one of those coffee makers that you can turn on while in Zombie mode, but if you're one of those people capable of coherent thought BEFORE coffee, I highly recommend this — it's my everyday coffee maker and I'm thrilled."

Amazon

Happybuy Portable Camping Kitchen Table

Price: $120 from Amazon
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This multi-surface outdoor camping kitchen has wind-blocking panels and five fabric storage "cupboards." Everything folds into a carrying case for storage and transport. One reviewer noted it's easy to set up — with a minor caveat. "I had it completely set up in about 5 minutes. The canvas bags are sturdy and have plenty of room for storage. Beware the accordion shelves, they can pinch when closing them up for storage."

Amazon

Mesh Outdoor Food Cover Tents, 6 Ct.

Price: $12 from Amazon
Buy It
We've all been there: You've got food laid out on the picnic table but you're still working on flipping the steaks or putting the final touches on a salad . And here come the flies. It's one of the more annoying aspects of camp cooking, and these little tents solve that problem, and they're collapsible for super-simple storage. Notes one user: "There's always a lot of bugs where I go camping and these food net covers did their job …"

Amazon

UCO Flatpack Portable Stainless Steel Grill and Fire Pit

Price: $36 from Amazon
Buy It
Sometimes you want to grill over a fire, and sometimes you just want a fire. This old-school grill accomplishes both. It can be set up in seconds, has a built-in windbreak, 13-by-10-inch grilling area, and is stainless steel so it's rust- and corrosion-resistant. Buyers say that it doles out plenty of heat. "This keeps me warmer than the chimenea when I want to be outside stargazing. I'd give it 10 stars if I could," notes one satisfied buyer. Another reviewer comments on its grilling capabilities: "I have cooked foil dinners, steak, burgers, chicken quarter with great results ... I have camped for 50 years and this is by far the best grill design I have seen and weighs almost nothing."

Amazon

Marshmallow Roasting Sticks, 12 Ct.

Price: $20 from Amazon
Buy It
No camping meal is complete without s'mores, which means you're going to need some quality roasting sticks. Buyers say these telescoping, color-coded versions help with safety, extending "more than enough to keep you and your children away from the fire." The 12-piece set comes in a zippered bag for easy storage.

Amazon

Coldcreek Outfitters Outdoor Washing Table

Price: $145 from Amazon
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Never clean dishes in a stream or crowded campground sink again. With two sinks of different depths, this washing table has the space for dirty and clean dishes or whatever you need to do (clean that freshly caught fish, perhaps?). And, like most functional camping gear, "it folds very compactly and has a carrying handle which makes portability super nice," says one Amazon buyer.