Don’t forget these cooking and eating utensils

Everybody remembers the great dinner they had recently, but how many recall the cooking and eating utensils required to prepare and enjoy it? You may be able to gather food in the wild, but you’re not going to find stoves, pots and silverware there.

Once you’ve determined which cooking and eating utensils you’ll need and which you’ll be better off leaving behind, pack them in your bug-out bag first. Your other stuff can fit in and around these items.

Here are some you may want to include:

• Pots, Pans and Plates. A store-bought mess kit will do just fine. You can find them in a big box store’s sporting goods department for about $10. Because they inter-stack and lock together, they’re easy to carry, use, clean and pack.

• Silverware. The big box stores should sell interlocking knife/fork/spoon sets. Don’t choose plastic to keep your bug-out bag weight down. You don’t know how long you’re going to be using these utensils.

• Aluminum Foil. You can use aluminum foil to wrap vegetables, meat or fish when they are cooking over a campfire, as well as to carry cooked food when you start moving again.

• Coffee Pot. Lash a small percolator to the outside of your bag to keep it from banging around or breaking. To really be efficient, you can keep small, clean clothing items inside it when you’re moving.

• Cooking Pot. Include a large cooking pot with a lid in one of your bags. You’ll be able to heat up larger quantities of food that way, including stew. You might want to add a soft, lightweight, folding bucket for carrying water.

• Serving Utensils. When it comes to getting food from the pot or pan to your plate, items such as spatulas, ladles and meat forks are much preferable to knives, forks and spoons.

• Stoves. Single or two-burner camp stoves can make life outside your home much easier and can replace a fire if it’s not convenient to safely build one. They’re sometimes called “survival stoves” or “mini-folding pocket stoves.”

• Canteen. Make sure you have at least one military grade canteen in your bug-out bag. The better ones also include a matching cup (which can double as a boiling pot), an insulated carrier and a utility belt for transporting them.

• Water Purifiers. Carry a personal water filter, such as a Survival Spring, and a small bottle of water purification tablets. There’s nothing that spells disaster for a bug-out experience faster than drinking contaminated water.

• Dishwashing Liquid. To keep your cooking utensils clean, include a non-breakable, non-spillable bottle of dishwashing liquid. You may have to use these items for a while, so keeping them clean and germ-free will be important.

What other cooking and eating utensils do you have packed in your bug-out bag? I’d love to hear about them.