# Show cooking gear needed

Part of the First Class guide: [Introduction & Overview](https://scouting.university/scouts-bsa/ranks/first-class/guide/index.md)

*2. Cooking*

> **2c.** Show which pans, utensils, and other gear will be needed to cook and serve these meals.

A well-planned menu is only as good as the equipment you bring to prepare it. Arriving at camp without a can opener, pot holder, or the right-sized skillet can delay meals or ruin food. For this requirement, you must physically assemble and demonstrate the exact pans, utensils, heat sources, and cleanup gear needed to execute your [Requirement 2a menu](https://scouting.university/scouts-bsa/ranks/first-class/guide/req2a/).

## Comprehensive Patrol Cook Kit & Gear Checklist

### Pots, Pans, and Cookware
- **8-Quart Stock Pot with Lid:** Essential for boiling pasta, heating large volumes of wash water, or simmering soups and chili.
- **10-Inch or 12-Inch Frying Pan / Skillet:** For scrambling eggs, searing meats, and sautéing vegetables.
- **Griddle (Optional):** Sits across two stove burners for cooking pancakes or grilled sandwiches for the entire patrol simultaneously.
- **2- to 3-Quart Saucepan with Lid:** For preparing side dishes, warming sauces, or heating cocoa.
- **Dutch Oven (if baking):** Cast iron Dutch oven with legs, tight-fitting flanged lid, lid lifter, and lid stand.

### Food Prep & Cooking Utensils
- **Cutting Boards:** Bring at least two plastic cutting boards (one dedicated to raw meats, one for vegetables and cooked foods to prevent cross-contamination).
- **Knives with Protective Sheaths:** Paring knife and prep knife (never transport unsheathed knives).
- **Pancake Turner / Spatula:** Heat-resistant spatula for flipping eggs, burgers, and pancakes.
- **Large Cooking Spoons:** Solid and slotted long-handled spoons for stirring pots without burning hands.
- **Kitchen Tongs:** Long metal tongs for turning meats and grabbing hot items safely.
- **Manual Can Opener:** A sturdy, reliable handheld can opener.
- **Measuring Cups & Spoons:** For accurate recipe proportions.
- **Ladle:** For serving soups, chili, and stews evenly.
- **Pot Grips & Insulated Oven Mitts:** Heat-resistant gloves for handling hot metal handles.

### Heat Sources and Stove Equipment
- **Camp Stove & Fuel:** 2-burner propane stove with regulator tube and verified fuel cylinders, or lightweight backpacking canister stoves.
- **Ignition:** Waterproof matches, piezo click-igniter, or long-reach butane lighter.
- **Windscreen:** To protect the flame from wind and conserve fuel.

### Serving, Sanitation, and Cleanup Gear
- **Personal Mess Kits:** Plates, bowls, cups, and forks/spoons for each Scout.
- **Three Wash Basins / Pots:** Sized for the 3-pot dishwashing method (wash, rinse, sanitize).
- **Biodegradable Dish Soap & Sanitizer:** CampSuds and sanitizing tablets (or unscented bleach).
- **Scrubbers & Rubber Scraper:** Sponge, nylon scrub pad, and rubber spatula for scraping plates clean.
- **Mesh Dunk Bags:** For hang-drying clean dishes in the sun and wind.
- **Greywater Mesh Strainer:** To filter solid food bits out of dishwater.
- **Heavy-Duty Trash Bags:** To pack out all garbage and food waste.

## How to Demonstrate Your Gear

To fulfill the requirement:
1. **Lay out the gear systematically:** Organize items on a clean picnic table or ground tarp, grouped by category (Cookware, Utensils, Heat Source, Cleanup).
2. **Walk through the menu meal-by-meal:** Explain to your leader exactly which pot and tool will be used for each dish (e.g., *"For Saturday breakfast, we will use the 10-inch skillet and spatula for the eggs, the 2-quart pot for hot cocoa, and the cutting board and paring knife to slice the oranges"*).

> **Tip**
>
> Keep your patrol's "Chuck Box" (patrol kitchen box) neatly organized with a laminated inventory sheet taped inside the lid. This makes checking gear before departure fast and foolproof.

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- Previous: [Develop menu budget](https://scouting.university/scouts-bsa/ranks/first-class/guide/req2b/index.md)
- Next: [Handle food safely](https://scouting.university/scouts-bsa/ranks/first-class/guide/req2d/index.md)