Cooking safely in a tent with kids

[SleepWhatSleep1]

Pre-kids i happily cooked just outside my tiny tent or just inside the porch if raining.
3 kids later and we've now got a tunnel tent with an additional porch bit to come off the side entrance. We had planned on cooking in the porch, but now it's arrived it's got huge no-cooking notices blazoned on it!
I don't fancy cooking just in the middle of a field in case the toddlers wander up and touch something hot. Obviously can't cook inside the tent itself due to CO.

What do you do?

We cook outside with stove on a table. One of the adults will sit by the stove while cooking and while it is still hot

Take a tarpaulin with you and make a cooking area in the trees!!
We do this if it's bad weather.
One year in Scotland - horrendous weather and all huddled under our makeshift kitchen when a little Robin flew down and sat on the back of the cooker to get a warm!!

cook outside. it's just not safe inside a tent. not just the co2 but also the speed at which tents burn/melt.

Section the cooker off with windbreaks as a barrier.

Eat cold food. Cook when not raining.

I cook in a separate utility tent with the door open.

Door open on the side porch, table in the doorway, and an induction hob.

I looked - what utility tent do you have? Was it expensive?

There won't be trees to tie a taup to unfortunately. Could do windbreaks but am hoping for an all-weathee solution.
Dh thinks I'm being over anxious about not cooking in the porch with the side off. We have a small one ring canister cooker.

It's very dangerous to cook inside a tent because of CO2 and fire risk.
Please never do it.

We just cook on an open air fire. We have a 2 year old and almost 1 year old. We section off a circle with logs around the fire. Toddler knows not to go in there and one of us keeps an eye on both at all times

One adult supervises and the other cooks!

I hate cooking on gas to be honest when camping. Much prefer on an open fire.

Would a gazebo type shelter work? If you had two sides open at any time that should give enough air and shelter?

Please please never cook inside your tent or even bring the BBQ into the tent after it has cooled. Sadly I know of someone who died from Carbon monoxide poisoning on their camping holiday because of this. Lots of camping stoves have their own mini windbreak and can be used in our lovely British weather outdoors!

I'd be more worried about the fire risk than the CO risk to be honest. Dh always used to cook in the tent when we camped on a gas stove.

I wouldn't now. You don't need trees for a tarp, you can get them with poles. Or sometimes I see people cooking outside and using an umbrella if it's raining, a big golf umbrella.

I bought a caravan, seemed easier!

Could you put the door of the side door up on King poles just while you're cooking? You'd just have to drag the table outside but you'd have shelter from the door

Go on a different holiday 😱

Please don't cook in the porch - when ds was younger we would cook under a large golf umbrella if necessary ..I camped with on my own sometimes - during bad phase of wandering would strap in car seat.....
the single burner things are rubbish if there is any wind so you will need windbreaks anyway..
now we've camped a lot more - we eat out more and wish I'd done that when dc were younger

we also have a polycotton tarp that we pitch as rain protection that is the cooking area as well ...partitioning cooking areas with chairs and tables is the best bet...if you start young/shout a lot they do catch on quite quick

If you camp at a youth hostel you can use their proper kitchen. And dining room. And go inside when it rains.

this sort of thing.....

www.tauntonleisure.com/robens-tarp-3-x-3m/p13103?source=froogle&utm_source=froogle&utm_medium=comparison_shopping_feeds&utm_nooverride=1&gclid=CKvGufT7xNMCFewW0wod-LAPjQ

some pictures - I haven't read all of it but should give some ideas
www.getoutwiththekids.co.uk/camping/camping-tips/the-tarp-tent/

Cook outside. It's always been my rule, whatever the weather. When I was at school I was very outdoorsy and we did a lot of camping overnights etc. They showed us a video of why to never coook in a tent. The thing (one of those old triangle orange canvas vangos) burned down in about 10 seconds flat. YouTube it, its terrifying! Scared the hell out of me and I've never done it since, especially not now we have dds, and a much bigger tent, with porch area etc. The thought of what could happen to them makes me put up with rain! Love the idea of a tarp in the trees though, that's clever!

Tarp, poles and windbreaks. I'm sold!

...Just got to persuade DH now... Especially as he bought the porch just for cooking in!

Last year the tent opposite us went up in flames and within seconds was disintegrated. They weren't even cooking but the gas cylinder was not attached properly. Very very frightening.

Induction hobs would be fine in the porch tbh, just put the table in the middle.

I hate those suitcase stoves, nearly had an accident with one last year.