Kitchen clean up

[Game Warden]

I use Camp Suds as an all-purpose soap, but would like some suggestions re how to clean up pots, bowls, spoons, etc. I eat out of a bowl instead of the pouch because I like feeling like a civilized man. I usually take a Brillo pad and a small washcloth, but it seems heavy and unhygienic. Any tips on how to do the dishes? Thanks.

[HooKooDooKu]

I basically do the exact same thing... except my "Brillo pad" is a small piece of one of those sponges with the built-in scrub pad (less than 1/4 of the original sponge) and my "washclosth" is a small size pack-towel that's simply used to dry the dishes.

[Feral Bill]

I am very careful to not burn food onto my pot, eat from the pot, an clean up with plain hot water. I do use two pots. True cooking and hot water for cleanup and drinks are worth a few ounces to me.

[Farr Away]

Instead of the brillo, you might try a piece of netting (like what onions or oranges come in). You could wad it or knot it to use it, but then open it up again to clean it. Instead of the washcloth, you might try a piece of an auto-dry towel. They wring out really well.

Shouldn't be very heavy either - with or without the staple. :)

-FA

[Colter]

I usually use one pot and one spoon. At the end of the meal I scrape the pot as clean as possible and lick my spoon.

The next meal the pot is sterilized by the water I'm boiling as is my spoon I use to stir my food in the boiling water.

I use no soap or scrubber with my cookware.

[Blue Mountain Edward]

Stainless pot scrubber will last a long time. Not for use on nonstick pots and pans.

[old school]

I use leaves...works great

[Slo-go'en]

I never use soap. I carry a small piece of Scotch bright pad, but if I really burn something to the pot, I use some fine gravel. Usually I just wipe the pot with my fingers and rinse.

[Odd Man Out]

Instead of the brillo, you might try a piece of netting (like what onions or oranges come in). You could wad it or knot it to use it, but then open it up again to clean it. Instead of the washcloth, you might try a piece of an auto-dry towel. They wring out really well.

Shouldn't be very heavy either - with or without the staple. :)

-FA

Me too, but I cut off the staple. I guess that make me a gram weenie. One advantage of eating out of a bowel is it is easy to lick clean. By not using soap you can drink the "dishwater"

[Game Warden]

I use one pot to make the hot water, so that's easy to clean. But licking things clean, and putting it back in my pack seems like an invitation to diarrhea and worse. Like i said, I'm a civilized man, not a dog. Soap is one of the top 10 things humanity has invented. Netting seems like a good idea; I will try that, with soap.

[The Ace]

I only have one pot (and one spork) and use it for everything. I just wash the pot out with my fingers. If something is stuck, sand works well. A drop of Dr. B’s on occasion. If I want to wash me, I have a microfiber cloth that weighs less than two tenths of an ounce that I can drop into heated water in my pot.

[psyon27]

If you use a wood stove just put some of the white ashes in the pot and scrub it clean. As long as there is some oil or grease from the food still in the pan it will get clean. Ash and oil makes soap so now you don't need to bring soap, unless you shower in the woods because this may be a bit harsh on the skin.

Ken

[lonehiker]

Freezer-bag cooking solves your problem. I simply lick my spoon clean. Every few times I will take a drop of my fuel and rub it down good then rinse well.

[Old Hiker]

http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Biodegradable-Camp-Cleaner-sheets/dp/B003EMAFO2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397143857&sr=8-1&keywords=coleman+soap+sheets

With my bandana. I just usually FBC, so the soap and water are for my hands, face and spoon.

[FarmerChef]

I never use soap. I carry a small piece of Scotch bright pad, but if I really burn something to the pot, I use some fine gravel. Usually I just wipe the pot with my fingers and rinse.

I'm like Slo except I'm cooking for 5. I have a 4 quart pot and a 2 quart pot. One for cooking and one for water/baking. Assuming I haven't burned anything, I bring along a small flexible spatula to wipe down the pot really good. Nothing unhygenic about it and it goes into our bowls or the dog. This has made cleanup night and day easier for us. If I was just cooking for one in a small pot, I might use a credit card or something similar to save on weight. We use a piece of Scotch bright pad if we need to scrub and a bit of Dr. Bronners biodegradable soap. If something does burn on, I just grab a bit of ash from the firepit or some fine sand/gravel like Slo. That works better than a brillo pad, imo.

[Game Warden]

FBC puts all those nasty petrochemicals into your food.

[lonehiker]

FBC puts all those nasty petrochemicals into your food.

Don't you spice your food? But, actually, that is a false statement. Temperatures are not nearly high enough for that to happen. Try again......

[Wise Old Owl]

If you use a wood stove just put some of the white ashes in the pot and scrub it clean. As long as there is some oil or grease from the food still in the pan it will get clean. Ash and oil makes soap so now you don't need to bring soap, unless you shower in the woods because this may be a bit harsh on the skin.

Ken

Huge thank you +1!

[Rocket Jones]

FBC puts all those nasty petrochemicals into your food.

Complete nonsense.

[SouthMark]

Complete nonsense.

Ditto......

[hobby]

One advantage of eating out of a bowel is it is easy to lick clean

Gross

[RangerZ]

One advantage of eating out of a bowel is it is easy to lick clean

Gross

I was going to let that one pass.

[Wise Old Owl]

Yea me too - Molly Cyrus moment....

[psyon27]

Just a couple tips if you use the ashes from your stove/fire.

Hardwoods make better ashes for this purpose.

I don't suggest doing this with aluminum pots as the lye in the ashes will likely eat at your pot. Stainless steel lasts longer. Don't know about titanium but I would imagine it wouldn't have any adverse effects on titanium as titanium is very unreactive.

Ken

[dmax]

I use a small piece of an onion sack. I used to used a sponge/scrubber, until I found out about all the germs they hold.

[illabelle]

One advantage of eating out of a bowel is it is easy to lick clean

Gross

hahaha! :eek:

[QHShowoman]

Scotch-Brite makes a pre-soaped mini sponge, with a scrub pad on one side. They come 6 in a package and cost maybe $5.

I usually take a whole pad for car camping and it's enough to last me several trips, if you just use the pad for scrubbing and soaping (if you soak the pad and wring it out, it will obviously lose its soapiness). If I am camping with other people, I also bring a 1 oz dropper bottle of campsuds, since there will be extra dishes to wash.

For backpacking, I take half of a soap mini-pad and an REI mini multitowel (weighs less than an ounce). I bring the whole multi towel (it's washcloth sized) and wrap my pocket rocket in it, which protects the stove as well as the inside of my Trek 700 (I store my stove in my pot). In addition to using it for drying dishes, the multitowel comes in handy if I need to wipe condensation off my tent, etc., so it's worth the extra weight, which isn't much.

[illabelle]

We are only out for short sections (7-8 days max, mostly just weekends), and I'm cooking for 2 or 3, so this may not apply to others.
I bring two pans, a teflon-coated titanium pot, and a worn-out fry pan. I like having both so each meal can have a little mush and little crunch. I don't clean the fry pan, but I'm careful how I use it and how I store it. We eat no meat so I don't worry about whatever meat-loving bacteria or parasites might be lurking. I don't use it for anything sugary and avoid putting cheesy things in it. After it cools, the pan and spatula go in a plastic grocery bag.
We eat and drink from bowls. Cocoa, oatmeal, mashed potatoes, etc, are hydrated in the bowl. Things that need to cook go in the pot, but I might not add the dehydrated cheese sauce (or whatever) until the bowl. That helps to keep greasiness out of the pot.
After a meal, I heat a little water, and use only my fingers to clean the bowls, spoons, and pot (if used for anything other than water). A little more water to rinse, and I'm done. Half a cup of water is usually enough for the wash, and a little less for the rinse. If our bowls get greasy (from added butter or cheese), I might need a little more water, warmer water, or an extra rinse - or we can just pretend it isn't there. I usually plan so that one of our messiest meals is at the end of the trip, and carry the dishes home dirty.

[cheetahgeek]

I only use the pot to heat hot water so no need to clean up. Used to use a dutch oven type thing, bowl sets in water pot. Cleaned the bowl with hot water bath after cooking is done. Foods are different than when cooked in pot but makes life easier.