On my first camping trip as an adult, I brought seven separate containers for condiments. Ketchup. Mustard. Relish. Hot sauce. Salt. Pepper. Butter. They took up half the cooler and everything tipped over in the car on the way there. The cooler smelled like mustard for a month.

The next trip, someone at the campsite next to ours walked over with a muffin tin. Each cup held a different condiment. He set it on the picnic table and I felt like an idiot.

The Muffin Tin Is a Camping Multitool

A standard 12-cup muffin tin is the perfect camping serving tray. Each cup holds about half a cup of whatever you need. It is flat, stable, and has a built-in handle on each side. It will not tip over on uneven ground. It will not blow away in the wind. It costs $6.

Fill the cups with individual portions of whatever people need at mealtime: ketchup, mustard, relish, salsa, shredded cheese, diced onions, pickles, jalapeños, hot sauce, sour cream, butter pats, salt and pepper. One tray. Everything accessible.

Other Ways to Use It

• Mini camp stove cooking. Crack an egg into each cup, place the tin over a camp stove grate, and you have individual fried eggs cooking simultaneously. No pan needed.
• Spice and seasoning organizer. At home, portion your spices into the cups and cover the whole tin with plastic wrap. At camp, peel back one section at a time.
• First aid station. Bandaids in one cup, antiseptic wipes in another, gauze, tape, tweezers — everything visible and reachable when someone cuts their finger.
• Kids’ activity tray. Put snacks in six cups and small toys or crayons in the other six. Keeps little hands busy while you set up the tent.

The best part about the muffin tin hack is that it uses something you probably already own. You do not need a special camping condiment caddy or a portable spice rack. Grab the muffin tin from the back of your baking cabinet, wipe it out, and pack it. It has been the most unexpectedly useful item in my camping bin for three years now.