Anyone who enjoys wilderness camping will be acquainted with the concept of cooking over an open fire. The process of cooking in the open air has a special magic to it. Whether using a long handled skillet to fry fish, or simmering vegetables in a pot suspended over the campfire, everyone benefits in significant ways.

One of the immediate benefits to cooking over an open fire is that you have to slow down. So many people are convinced that multitasking is the way to go that they have lost the ability to focus and do one thing at a time. While multitasking is fine for the workplace, it is not a good way to relax and clear your mind. Cooking over a camp fire demands that you focus on preparing one simple dish, adding one ingredient at a time. You have no choice but to begin slowing down. With the slower pace comes a drop in blood pressure and heart rate.

The aroma of food cooking over an open fire has an appeal that cannot be duplicated in another environment. As the aroma makes its way around the camp site and mingles with the clean smells of the forest, tummies begin to rumble and the brains begin to anticipate the treat that is to come. Any troubles at work or at home are temporarily pushed to the background as the pleasure of the moment becomes the center of attention.

Of necessity, cooking over an open fire means going with recipes that are simple to follow. There are no complicated processes in the creation of the meal. Foods are chopped, tossed in the pot, and allowed to simmer. Even people who have trouble microwaving a frozen dinner may suddenly find themselves able to prepare a pleasing pot of soup when cooking over the camp fire. Camp fire cooking has a way of bringing out the best in people.

Even the cleanup after a meal prepared over an open fire is a simple task. There are no quarrels over what goes on which dishwasher drawer, or who will wash and who will dry. Dishes are washed out using water from the lake or river and left to air dry. The short cleanup means more time to get back to other activities, including taking a nap after the filling meal.

It is the sheer simplicity of cooking over an open fire that provides the camping meal with so much of its charm. With no complicated instructions and no need to try to prepare something that is elaborate, it is possible for everyone to relax and enjoy the trip. If you need further proof, ask someone you know who loves to camp about cooking over an open fire.