david
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Post by david on Jan 23, 2017 9:02:18 GMT -8
I've been thinking of updating my cookware. Currently, for camping, I have a relatively heavy burner that I use with coleman green canister gas. When weight isn't a concern (car or kayak camping), I take a midsize MSR Alpine pot. For backpacking, which I do much less frequently, I take a pocket rocket and a Snowpeak cup. Recently, I did some 2 (cookware) X 2 (stove) X 2 (lid on vs lid off) comparisons for how long it would take to boil 2 cups of water. The alpine pot boiled water significantly faster than the Snowpeak (I think too much heat escaped unused up the sides of the Snowpeak but the wider base of the Alpine pot used the heat generated more completely). To my great surprise, having the lid on or off made little difference for any cookware-stove combination.
In reading other posts (on a paddling forum) regarding bear proof canisters, and in thinking about upcoming trips in bear country, I also started to think about the utility of non-stick cookware. I then looked to see how well my existing cookware (the MSR Alpine pot and the Snowpeak cup) cleaned up. I tried to do a scrambled egg in each. They both were very difficult to get clean afterwards. So I am wondering what people who want to eat more than dehydrated food (so that cookware is just used to boil water) but who are also concerned about weight, use.
The options I'm thinking about are (a) stick with dehydrated MRE's, (b) don't worry about getting cookware clean - just do what I can with a scrubby sponge and a few tablespoons of water/soap and, if in bear country, stow the dirty cookware in an odor proof container, (c) get a nonstick pot. At least as often as not, my backcountry camping has me near water (usually the ocean) so in those cases I don't have to worry about the weight of water used to clean up as I can just use what nature provides. But sometimes I'm up in the mountains. I suppose if I was being extreme, I could use my own piss to clean the pot (maybe ammonia is a good cleaner?). Anyway, I'm just wondering what people who count grams do, if anything, to keep their cookware clean.
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Post by Coolkat on Jan 23, 2017 9:12:36 GMT -8
If I'm backpacking I don't cook it if I can't clean it up with a little water and my finger. All I have is a gsi soloist and a foldable titanium spork.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2017 9:40:59 GMT -8
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BigLoad
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Pancakes!
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Post by BigLoad on Jan 23, 2017 10:31:42 GMT -8
I use some combination of freezer bag cooking and fresh/no cook foods. I do almost all my own dehydration and use very few commercial meals. Cleanup for me is at most a minimal application of boiling water. And by minimal, I mean a couple ounces per day.
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rebeccad
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Writing like a maniac
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Post by rebeccad on Jan 23, 2017 10:36:23 GMT -8
I think Ohm and BigLoad between them pretty well covered what I would say. I do nearly all our cooking in freezer bags (with largely home-made dried foods, so far tastier and healthier than MREs or most freeze-dried stuff). A few things end up in the pot, or in a bowl. The pot is aluminum and can be scrubbed with sand if necessary. The coffee cup and bowl may get rinsed with hot water if there is grease; otherwise they are washed in cold water. We virtually never use soap. I only carry it for times when the hands need to be thoroughly cleaned. ETA: If you want to see what we are talking about without buying the books, check out Sarbar's web site, Trailcooking.com. |
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david
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Post by david on Jan 23, 2017 13:21:55 GMT -8
Yikes! Using soap. HYOH I know you mentioned you want to cook things. but using soap. Where do you dump the soap? A few tablespoons of soap water in a pot are easily absorbed by a small PackTowel which can be stored in an OpSack overnight if need be, and hung on your pack the next day where it typically dries in short order and is ready for reuse. SaveSave |
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Post by johntpenca on Jan 23, 2017 14:33:06 GMT -8
You need to figure out what you want. Cooking fresh food (i.e. eggs, meat, veggies) is not what we usually do. One, they are heavy. Two, they take a lot of fuel. I'm not a paddler per say, so your reference point is different than mine. I've never used soap in the wilderness.
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zeke
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Peekaboo slot 2023
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Post by zeke on Jan 23, 2017 15:16:30 GMT -8
I kayak for as many as 8 nights out in a row. I still carry Add Boiling Water meals only. I dehydrate at home. I also like a couple of meals from Mt House. I eat oatmeal for breakfast, or a couple of bars. I mostly only boil water for dinner. I eat lunch in the boat, as we stop along the way. Most of my paddling is in salt water or brackish, so I carry every gallon I need. I have yet to cook in a pan. I save that type of thing for home.
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Westy
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Diagnosed w/Post-Trail Transition Syndrome
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Post by Westy on Jan 23, 2017 15:58:00 GMT -8
I still carry Add Boiling Water meals only. That would be me. After a long day of hiking, cleaning cookware is a non-value added task. To me having any sort of cooking residue invites visitors. Hope you get a feasible answer. My kitchen Kit.  |
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crawford
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Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.--Edison
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Post by crawford on Jan 23, 2017 16:09:28 GMT -8
Depending on what you want to do, foil pack cooking can be a nice treat. I've only used it first day as it is thawed by the end of the day and needs to be refrigerated or cooked/consumed. There are a multitude of different recipes for foil packs that can be premade and frozen. Then right before you leave the house you slide the frozen foil pack into a reflectex cozy. It keeps for the day as it thaws very slowly in the cozy. That can be cooked over a fire or using a stove (just requires a bit more attention and uses up some fuel!).
The type of cookware you might want is really dependent on the type of food you might try to prepare. Obviously, your test used one of the hardest things to clean, other things are not as hard. Stainless steal can work for many different things so long as a little oil is used to coat the pan/pot first.
I personally would stay away from the nonstick stuff, it is too easily scratched and suddenly you have flecks of nonstick in your food. Stainless is a better alternative as you could use sand, very lightly, to scrub clean if you needed.
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Post by bluefish on Jan 23, 2017 18:40:49 GMT -8
I'm fond of ova-easy egg crystals cooked up in my GSI 2 liter non-stick pot with a little olive oil for flavor and further non-sticking. As the residue is a little greasy, I heat a little water and add a couple drops of Dr. Bronner's soap. Dr. Bronners isn't the best cleanser, but it helps and is non-harmful, and completely biodegradable. I'll clean myself with a few drops at times with a little water and micro-fiber towel, so it's multi-purpose.
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almostthere
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putting on my hiking shoes....
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Post by almostthere on Jan 23, 2017 20:39:55 GMT -8
Heck, when I flew to Alaska and stayed in a BNB I took a bunch of Packit Gourmet meals, and ate 'em when we weren't going to restaurants. Home of the $7 bag of Cheetos - pheh, who wants to spend that much on groceries?
If I'm fishing and can make a fire, I take a skillet and a little oil backpacking -- it requires no soap to clean it up. Maybe a quarter of a paper towel to wipe up.
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markskor
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Mammoth Lakes & Tuolumne Meadows...living the dream
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Post by markskor on Jan 23, 2017 23:39:07 GMT -8
I heat a little water and add a couple drops of Dr. Bronner's soap. Dr. Bronners isn't the best cleanser, but it helps and is non-harmful, and completely biodegradable. A bit off-put by mention of any soap used...do not believe any soap is completely biodegradable. Respectfully...why? |
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Post by bluefish on Jan 24, 2017 4:47:30 GMT -8
Because Dr, Bronners is as innocuous a product as you could ever find. It's entirely organic and made of various organic oils. It's edible for God's sake. It hardly foams. REI sells it for backpacking soap, and it's been used for backpacking since the 60's. www.rei.com/product/730925/dr-bronners-organic-liquid-soap-travel-size I've used it since '75. If you spill a little whiskey or brush your teeth, you're doing more damage than it does . It's not the greatest soap, and does not work like dishwashing liquid, or even something like Ivory. It helps a little to lessen the amount of olive oil left behind. Sorry, if it was offensive. I once taught classes on LNT and conservation principles for the USFS, so I don't camp anywhere near water sources, even on lakes in the Sierra where it gets tough to do sometimes. No argument will get me to change my mind, as I've done my own little tests, but I won't mention soap again, as it may encourage others to use a soap that contains phospahates or other chemicals that have residual consequences. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2017 4:54:48 GMT -8
bluefishThanks for posting the background info on how you came to use Dr. Bronners.
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