Cooking Merit Badge

Summary of Outside of Class Cooking Requirements

Cooking at Home

Plan meals for three days (three breakfasts, three lunches, three dinners, at least one dessert) for you and at least one adult, using at least five different cooking methods outlined in MB book.  Must be nutritious and consider food allergies, other food intolerances and safe preparation.  Plan should outline cooking methods to be used (see Merit Badge booklet for more info on cooking methods).

Create a written shopping list, including quantity needed and approximate cost.  Shop (considering supplies you already have at home).

Prepare at least five meals from plan above, including at least one breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert, using at least five of the ten cooking methods.  Serve the meal and ask the people eating to evaluate the meal.

Prepare for discussion with MBC.  Prepare a written plan (with planning menus, shopping list and report on what was prepared, with reviews), considering in your plan food allergies and food intolerance of those in your group and how to avoid food-related illness.  Plan should also note the cooking method to use, the approximate time to prepare and the time planned to serve.  In counselor discussion, be prepared to evaluate what went well and reflect on what you would do differently and what you learned.

Cooking on a Camping Trip

Plan five meals, including at least one snack or dessert, one breakfast, one lunch and one dinner, for the size of your group.  Must be nutritious and consider food allergies, other food intolerances and safe preparation.  Must consider need to cook using camp stove (3 meals), campfire coals or dutch oven (1 meal) and using foil pack or skewer (1 meal).

Create a shopping list, including quantity to be purchased and approximate cost.  Shop.

While camping, prepare at least three meals using a camp stove or a backpack stove.  Prepare a fourth meal over campfire coals or using a Dutch oven and a fifth meal using foil pack or skewer.  These meals must be made for the size of your group.  Serve the meal and ask the people eating to evaluate the meal.

Lead the clean-up of all cooking supplies and cooking site after each meal prepared.  Properly store or dispose of unused ingredients, leftover food, dishwater and other garbage.

Prepare for discussion with MBC.  Prepare a written plan (with planning menus, shopping list and reviews of prepared meals), considering in your plan food allergies and food intolerance of those in your group, how to avoid food-related illness and application of leave no trace principles.  Plan should also include a list of the cooking supplies you need (i.e., dutch oven, camp stove, etc).  If partnering with someone, note how you divided labor with your partner (including planning menus, purchasing food, cooking, cleaning up, etc).  In MBC discussion, be prepared to evaluate what went well and reflect on what you would do differently and what you learned. 

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Backpack Cooking

Plan one snack, one breakfast, one lunch and one dinner.  Must be nutritious and consider food allergies, other food intolerances and safe preparation.  Plan should consider how the meal will be prepared and cooking methods used (see requirements below)

Create a shopping list, including quantity to be purchased and approximate cost.  Shop.

While backpacking (or other approved trip – talk to MBC), prepare at least two meals and a snack.  At least one meal needs to be prepared over a fire or trail stove.  Serve the meal and ask the people eating to evaluate the meal.

Prepare for discussion with MBC.  Prepare a written plan (with menus, shopping list and reviews of prepared meals), considering in your plan food allergies and food intolerance, how to avoid food-related illness, application of leave no trace principles. how you will re-package food to minimize weight, how you will dispose of food waste on your backpacking trip and, if partnering with someone, how you will divide labor with your partner (including splitting weight of carrying food and cooking supplies).  In MBC discussion, be prepared to evaluate what went well and reflect on what you would do differently and what you learned. 

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Prepared by Noelle Sproul as of September 20, 2023 for Cooking MB Using 2023 Cooking MB Requirements