Top tips when you're out and about

Building a campfire

Cooking over a campfire can be a really fun experience that feeds into our primal caveman nature. Make sure you enjoy a successful outdoor experience by following a few simple rules when it comes to building and lighting your campfire.

Prepare your site

• Pick a location for your fire that is at least 5 metres away from bushes, flammable materials, or overhanging branches.
• Make sure your fire is built downwind from your tent.
• Use large rocks to make a round or U-shaped perimeter.
• If it is windy, make sure that the back of the firepit faces the wind so the wind carries any smoke to the back of the fire.
• Make a chimney out of a large rock or several smaller rocks at the back of the firepit to help direct smoke up and away.

Lay kindling

• Fill your chosen fire area with paper or tinder and a couple of Zip fire starter cubes.
• Lay kindling over the paper, alternating the orientation of the wood for each layer to create a lattice pattern. Some campers prefer to make a tepee shape.
• Remember to light the fire starters with long safety matches, and keep a bucket of water or sand/dirt nearby to smother any unwanted flames.

Once lit

• Once the kindling is fully lit, add firewood. Try to find wood that is similar in size.
• Use hardwood when available, as it burns more slowly and reduces spitting.
• When the flames have begun to die down, use a large strong stick to push the cinders into a high concentration at the back of the fire and a lower concentration at the front. This gives you the option of high, medium, or low cooking temperatures.
• To begin cooking, set the grill on the rocks. Place your food directly on the grill or in a pan and cook your meal in a truly authentic style.
• When you're finished cooking, add wood for the evening campfire, sit back and enjoy relaxing in the great outdoors while keeping warm.
• Extinguish the fire completely with water before turning in for the night.

If you have any of your own top tips for building a campfire then we would love to hear them! Please share to our Facebook page, tweet us or send us an email.

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Responsible Grilling

Firing up the grill is a great way to spend your leisure time while feeding family and friends. However, owning a grill involves more than simply lighting the fire. We call it S.L.C.

• Safety
• Location
• Care

Safety

Follow these simple precautions to minimize the risk of injury or fire:

• Use Zip firestarters! Zip products are the safest and most reliable by design.
• If using a liquid fire starter, then use the smallest amount possible – do not squirt onto an already lit fire as this will cause flames to flare up and potentially become out of control.
• Make sure that small children and pets are kept away from the flames and the hot grill.
• Keep a bucket of water or sand nearby in case of emergency.
• Make sure the fire is fully extinguished before packing up.
• Never put hot ashes or coals straight into a garbage can or waste basket.

Location

Selecting the right location for your grill reduces the risk of any surrounding items catching fire. Check that there are no buildings, trees, hanging laundry, etc. in your chosen grill location. Once you have selected your site:

• Do not cook inside tents and buildings.
• Choose a flat surface to ensure that your grill is stable.
• Be aware of the ground beneath you, especially if you are grilling in public areas, as dry leaves and brush can be very flammable, and a small ground fire can spread quickly.

Care

It is all too easy to neglect grills during the winter months. We recommend getting your grill in shape by:

• Dusting the inside of the drum with a steel brush.
• You can use cat litter for soaking up any grease that has accumulated in the bottom of the base, or pour it out onto some newspapers and throw in the garbage.
• Use a wire brush to remove the rust, grime, and carbon buildup on your grill and grates. Wash with warm soapy water and dry completely.
• If your grill is really dirty, use a brush made of steel wool or steel bristles.
• Coating your grill with a film of vegetable oil will protect it from rust in the future.

If you have any of your own top tips for responsible grilling then we would love to hear them! Please share to our Facebook page, tweet us or send us an email.

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Top Grilling Tips

Keep it clean

Warm the grill to make removing grease and food easier. Once the coals are lit and the grate starts to heat up, use a long-handled wire brush on your grill to clean off any leftover food or grease. Don’t forget to scrape it again immediately after use. You’ll be ready for your next barbecue in no time.

Oil it up

Whether your barbeque is clean or dirty, lean foods with little fat may still stick to your grill. Rub Vegetable oil onto your food to keep your meat from sticking to the grill, alternatively oil the grill directly using a brush. Never apply oil directly from the bottle or from a spray, as this can cause unwanted flames and even smoke.

Make food safe

Don’t forget food hygiene outdoors when cooking. Remember to have separate plates for raw and cooked meat, different chopping boards for vegetables, etc. Also make sure to keep your food in the fridge for as long as possible and keep marinating meats in there too.

Avoid flare-ups

Flames flare up from your grill when fat drips onto the heat source and catches fire. This can char the outside of the food before the inside is cooked through. To reduce flare-ups, select lean cuts of meat, trim excess fat and remove the skins from poultry. As an added safety measure, it's a good idea to keep a spray bottle filled with water nearby to quickly douse any flare-up.

Banish bacteria

Bacteria in undercooked food can ruin a great event. That's why it's essential to make sure that your grill is at optimum temperature for killing any bugs and thoroughly cooking your food. A food thermometer is a great way to make sure your food cooks to the right temperature. Alternatively, you can pierce the food with a fork to allow the heat to cook the inside of the food faster.

If you have any of your own top tips for grilling then we would love to hear them! Please share to our Facebook page, tweet us or send us an email.

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Campfire cooking tips

The easiest way to cook outdoors is on a grill placed over the fire using rocks to hold it in place. If you are the more adventurous type, use these 5 tried and tested ways of cooking food on your next camping trip.

Cooking eggs

You will need an egg and an orange. Cut the orange in half, carefully carve out the fruit segments from both sides. Be careful not to pierce or cut through the peel. Next, crack an egg into each of the two halves of the orange and carefully place them on the bed of loose coals at the edge of the fire. Stir in some cheese and you've got mini omelets!

Tin foil dinner

This cooking method has been used by thousands of Scouts, Guides, and Brownies all over the world. It is simple to cook and makes a nice change to traditional grilling, it's a whole meal rolled into one dish!

Ingredients: Green vegetables, potatoes, cubed meat, herbs & spices, oil, and water.

Method: Lay out a large double layer of aluminum foil and combine evenly diced vegetables and potatoes with your meat. Season with a dash of herbs or spices and add a little oil and water (to help steam cook the food inside). Carefully roll the edges up tight so that nothing can get out, then place the whole package directly on the coals. The smaller you cut the food, the quicker it will cook through.

Twists

These are simple to make and can be enjoyed either as a sweet or savory snack.

Method: Mix flour, water, and a pinch of salt together to form a thick dough. For sweet twists, just add dark and golden raisins and some cinnamon. If you prefer savory, try adding some grated cheese.

Cooking: Roll the dough into a snake and twist it around a long thick green stick (with bark removed). Prop the stick over the glowing embers of your campfire, turning the twists occasionally so they cook evenly until they turn a nice golden brown. A favorite of scouts the world over!

Instant Hot Dogs

If you love hot dogs but don't have a grill, then this is for you! Lay sliced onion on cabbage leaves, add a hot dog and then top with more onions. Wrap the cabbage leaf tightly and seal the edges with some small green sticks to keep it closed. Place the packet in the fire embers for about 7-10 minutes, turning occasionally.

Cooking with wild leaves

For an authentic natural taste, try wrapping your meat, cheese, or freshly caught fish in wild leaves. For example, wrapping raw food in Cattails (Typha, readily found in marshes, swamps, and ditches all over Europe and North America) will produce a fresh earthy taste.

The best method is to wrap your food in the leaves, overlap the leaves around the raw food, and tie some wet twine around the leaves to hold it together. Carefully place the packets of food over the warm embers of your fire and wait for your food to cook.

If you have any of your own top tips for campfire cooking then we would love to hear them! Please share to our Facebook page, tweet us or send us an email.

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Freddie’s outdoor safety tips

1. When lighting your fire, place your fire starter on a bed of cinders or the coals in your grill.
2. Be sure to use long safety matches, striking the match away from you before carefully lighting your fire.
3. Avoid hazards . Do not use fire starters on a warm/hot grate and do not light fire starters in your hand.
4. Prevent a chimney fire by making sure your chimney is cleaned regularly. We recommend you have your chimney professionally cleaned twice a year, once at the beginning of the winter season and then again at the end.
5. Store fire starters far away from your fire, preferably in a separate room or shed to prevent accidents.
6. Once your fire is lit, make sure you use a fire screen. Keep in mind that sparks can sometimes penetrate fire screens. Do not leave a burning fire unattended, especially when children and pets are nearby. It’s better to be safe than sorry!
7. Do not use fire starters on a warm grate
8. Do not light fire starters in your hand

Please ensure you read the safety warnings which are included on the packaging of all Zip products before using.

If you have any of your own top tips for outdoor fire safety tips then we would love to hear them! Please share to our Facebook page, tweet us or send us an email.

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Choosing The Right Wood

Not only are we passionate about lighting fires, we really want to share our love and enthusiasm for all things fire.

Why use wood

Wood is a natural and sustainable choice of fuel for domestic fires and has been in use since the first fire many millenia ago. When we warm our homes with wood, we participate in a natural cycle that we share with our ancient ancestors. Wood fueled the open fires of the hunter-gatherers, the brick ovens of the first bakers, and, until the 19th century, all our homes.

Today, we still love to sit in front of a fire and coming in from the cold instinctively draws us towards it. We all know that familiar feeling of returning home after a busy day out to a cold, chilly house and desperately wanting a roaring fire to warm you up fast!

Whether it is gazing into the magical flames or unwinding with a glass of your favorite wine, Zip firestarters and the right wood will help you achieve a speedy, toasty house leaving you more time to relax and enjoy your well-earned rest at the end of a busy day. 

Woods for instant, great warming heat:

• Ash: Believed by many to be the best wood for burning. It can be burnt green but burns best when dry and seasoned.
• Birch: Good heat and burns quickly. Smell is pleasant, but it can cause gum deposits in the chimney if used a lot.
• Cedar: Great heat, small flame, a nice scent, and lots of crackle and pop. Cedar is a great splitting wood and good for cooking.
• Eucalyptus: A fast burning wood with a pleasant smell and no spitting. It is full of sap and oils when fresh and can start a chimney fire if burned unseasoned. May not be the best for cooking with.
• Larch: Crackly, scented, and fairly good for heat. It needs to be seasoned well and forms oily soot in chimneys.
• Plum: A good burning wood with good heat output.
• Rowan: Is a good burning wood that has a slow burn with a good heat output.
• Thorn: Is one of the best woods for burning. It produces a steady flame and very good heat output with very little smoke.
• Beech, hickory, hard maple, pecan, and dogwood are also excellent sources of woods which produce high amounts of heat, are easy to burn and produce few sparks and little smoke.

Woods for a warm, slow burn:

• Apple: This is a good fuel that has a slow and steady burn when dry. Sparking and spitting is also at a minimum and it has a nice scent. This fuel is great for cooking.
• Cherry: A slow to burn wood that produces a good heat output. Needs to be seasoned well.
• Hawthorn: Is a good traditional firewood that has a slow burn with good heat output.
• Laurel: Produces a very bright flame but only reasonable heat output. It needs to be well seasoned.
• Oak: Oak has a light flame and the smoke is pungent if not seasoned for two years after winter felling. Summer felled oak takes years to season well. Dry old oak is excellent for heat, burning slowly and steadily.

Woods to avoid when making a fire:

• Alder: Poor heat output and quick burning makes this a low quality firewood.
• Chestnut: A poor burning wood with poor heat output.
• Elder: Burns quickly without much heat output and has thick smoke. Probably best avoided.
• Laburnum: A very smoky wood with a poor burn. Do not use.

Kindling:

• Pine species generally burn with an impressive flame, but are liable to spit. This type of kindling needs to be seasoned well and can leave an oily soot in the chimney. Pines also smell great whilst the high resin content make it an ideal kindling for your fire.

Aspen, basswood, cottonwood, chestnut, yellow poplar and spruce produce relative low amounts of heat and whilst easy to burn also pop, throw out sparks and produce a fair amount of smoke. They are most suitable for use as kindling.

If you have any of your own top tips for choosing the right wood then we would love to hear them! Please share to our Facebook page, tweet us or send us an email.

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Chiminea Safety

There’s no better way to prolong your time outside than by firing up the chiminea!

Don’t leave the lid on

Always remember to take the lid off when making a fire, it sounds obvious but is easily forgotten! Leaving the lid on can be very dangerous as the pressure from the flames could cause your chiminea to explode.

Keep away from anything flammable

Make sure that you do not put a chiminea directly on to wooden decking. It’s always best to place something underneath such as a slab of concrete or stone.

Equally, do not use your chiminea inside and make sure that there are no overhanging trees above the chiminea, as all of these factors are a fire risk.

Remember they’re fragile

Traditional clay chimineas are prone to cracks and are easily broken. A way to avoid this is by lining the base of yours with a thin layer of sand- this will prevent the hottest part of the fire from coming into direct contact with the clay.

If you have any of your own top tips for chiminea safety then we would love to hear them! Please share to our Facebook page, tweet us or send us an email.

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