As much as I like to call myself an outdoor cooking enthusiast, my idea of outdoor cooking usually involves a smart grill, a high-end pellet smoker, or some other appliance designed to take the guesswork out of the process. So spending two nights cooking every meal over an open fire at AutoCamp Catskills pushed me well outside my comfort zone.
Fortunately, I wasn't exactly roughing it. I was glamping in the mountains with a set of Gordon Ramsay-backed HexClad cookware. I've used HexClad's hybrid pans before, just never with an open flame as my primary heat source.
When it comes to cooking over fire, I quickly learned that precision goes out the window. Flames flare up unexpectedly, hot spots shift without warning, and timing becomes more of an educated guess than an exact science.
Once I got past the initial hesitation — and my concerns about whether the cookware would survive direct exposure to the flames (HexClad cookware is rated safe up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit) — I started to embrace the chaos.
Throughout the experience, I tested a mix of HexClad's mainline pans and several of its grill-focused pieces.
The griddle was an early standout. Blueberry pancakes slid off cleanly with no sticking and were quickly devoured while taking in the crisp mountain air. The hybrid fry pan handled sauteed leeks and other aromatics with ease, despite the constantly changing heat beneath it.
But I was most surprised by HexClad's perforated grill pans. We used them for fish and mushrooms, but they also excelled with ingredients you don't typically associate with campfire cooking. Strawberries, fresh herbs, and other delicate ingredients picked up subtle smokiness without being overwhelmed by direct heat.
Between meals, I chatted with Chef Linda Laestadius, an open-fire cooking specialist who joined the trip and runs Grounded NY catering. I told her I'd always assumed cast iron was the undisputed king of outdoor cooking. She agreed, to a point.
Cast iron is incredibly durable, retains heat exceptionally well, and can handle just about anything you throw at it. But she also pointed out something I hadn't fully considered: cast iron is heavy. Like, really heavy.
By comparison, HexClad's cookware is easier to move between a grill, fire pit, and prep area, and significantly less annoying to clean when the meal is over.
Before this trip, I would've assumed cast iron was the only serious option for cooking over fire. By the end, I understood why someone might choose otherwise. When you're hauling gear between your car, campsite, and cooking setup, lighter cookware suddenly becomes a lot more appealing.
It’s a good reminder that food tastes a little better when you slow down enough to actually cook it over fire.
It's not that I'm about to replace every pan in my kitchen or start cooking dinner exclusively over an open flame. But the experience did change how I think about outdoor cooking, particularly when it comes to grilling and smoking at home.
These pans feel well-suited to that in-between space where you're not trying to rough it, but you still want the cooking process to feel a little more hands-on and a little less automated. Standing around a fire forces you to pay attention in a way modern cooking appliances don't. You can't simply set it and forget it, or download an app that does all the heavy lifting.
If nothing else, it’s a good reminder that food tastes a little better when you slow down enough to actually cook it over fire instead of just heat.
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