View Full Version : Which Pot(s)?
I currently use the GSI hard anodized double boiler pots which has a 1/2 liter pot that sits ontop of a 1 liter pot.
Question is which is best: a tall pot or a wide pot?
should I switch to a wide pot?
when cooking on a stove which pot heats the water faster or more thoroughly.
Has anyone done any research on this or even trial and error.
The one thing I like is being able to put the smaller pot on top that acts as a lid to the bigger pot and it still warms what ever is in it too. and both can be used as a cup albeit a very large cup.
alll input welcome.
I currently use the GSI hard anodized double boiler pots which has a 1/2 liter pot that sits ontop of a 1 liter pot.
Question is which is best: a tall pot or a wide pot?
should I switch to a wide pot?
when cooking on a stove which pot heats the water faster or more thoroughly.
Has anyone done any research on this or even trial and error.
The one thing I like is being able to put the smaller pot on top that acts as a lid to the bigger pot and it still warms what ever is in it too. and both can be used as a cup albeit a very large cup.
alll input welcome.I don;'t think it matters which heats water faster. The difference is minimal, and not worth basing a decison on. Use the pot you have or one that you like.
Not being a trail gormet, I've never found the need for two pots. I used to have a 1.5 quart pot with my Sierra Zip stove, but dropped down to a .85 liter pot (MSR Titan, with cover weighs 4 ounces) on an Esbit or Sgt Rock Ion Stove. Only once did I think I needed an ever-so-slightly bigger pot.
I use the pot for a cup, and for b-fast on the mronings when I have cold cereal. When I have a hot b-fast (oatmeal) I heat water and pour into a baggie with two packets of oatmeal. I usually "drink my dishwater" but somehow don't like to do it with oatmeal. And I like to get an early start in the a.m. and can't be bothered cleaning a pot.
Nightwalker
10-18-2005, 23:29
The pot that is the right diameter to use the flame from your stove the best is the best pot. If it has to be taller than it is wide to give you enough capacity, use a wider-flamed stove and go to a wider pot so as not to have to use an over-tall pot.
1:1 width-to-height seems to work the best, but that's only my experience. I have no hard scientific evidence to back that up.
NightThinker
Professional hiker bum,
amateur computer programmer
SGT Rock
10-19-2005, 06:57
Evernew makes a good Ti pot that has a nice base and weighs 4.1 ounces.
fiddlehead
10-19-2005, 07:20
I buy the cheap aluminum 1.3 (aprox) litre saucepans in the cheap stores. I won one of those Titanium pots once but thought it took longer to boil water so i took the handle and lid off of it and use the bag it comes with. (the pot gets all black sometimes as i cook on fires when one is available)
Anyway, i like the handle.
I look for a pot that fits in my pack the best. I have a small pack and everything has it's place.
soulrebel
10-19-2005, 07:37
the bright green one is good.
yeah the one that says Heineken on the label - 0.9 ounce
I currently use the GSI hard anodized double boiler pots which has a 1/2 liter pot that sits ontop of a 1 liter pot.
Question is which is best: a tall pot or a wide pot?
should I switch to a wide pot?
when cooking on a stove which pot heats the water faster or more thoroughly.
Has anyone done any research on this or even trial and error.
The one thing I like is being able to put the smaller pot on top that acts as a lid to the bigger pot and it still warms what ever is in it too. and both can be used as a cup albeit a very large cup.
alll input welcome.I actually use the same pot as you-I leave the small one at home though. I take the tall pot w/ lid and teh stuff sack. I can fit my stove, small fuel, lighter and bag of paper towels inside. What I do is put half a paper towel around the fuel canister to protect everything else. I can also fit another fuel canister on top of the lid inside the stuff sack..and my spoons fit down the side. Anal I am :p I am happy with how fast I can boil 3 cups or more of water in the pan. When I am alone (and not with my son) I use a Primus Tech tea kettle. It is wide and flat. They seem to take about the same amount of time to be honest. Even though the GSI one is bit heavier....well, I know that I am not leaving anything behind at least ;)
i've got 4. here are my thoughts/reasons...
MSR blacklight set... two pots, one is bigger than the other, they nest, and are non-stick. i like these for their convenience when camping with a group of people or car camping or in a primitive site, like a fishing or hunting camp. non-stick is nice. works on all my stoves (coleman double burner, peak1, msr simmerlite, and all my alcohol stoves).
Walmart Greasepot. holds about a liter/qt... i added a wire handle to it, and cut off the rolled lip (it catches food). weighs about 4oz. i use this one when i go with my daughter, as it holds our dinner comfortably... it's wider than tall, and works on all my stoves.
MRS Titan kettle. got this as a gift. holds about .85l. weighs about 4oz. i use this one when out alone since it's stronger than the greasepot, holds dinner for 1 just fine, and my stove, cup, lighter, potstand, scrubbie, and bottle of soap all fit inside (yes, really.) it's about as tall as it is wide, and works on all my stoves.
i never noticed much difference in how fast they heated water based on width/height... the big factor for me is the wind screen... you need about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of space all around, and it should come just about to the top of the pot... i have different windscreens for different pots... wide or narrow, tall or short, the windscreen keeps the heat from being wasted as it goes over the sides of the pot, keeping it from passing by without doing some work heating the contents.
I currently use the GSI hard anodized double boiler pots which has a 1/2 liter pot that sits ontop of a 1 liter pot.
Question is which is best: a tall pot or a wide pot?
should I switch to a wide pot?
when cooking on a stove which pot heats the water faster or more thoroughly.
Has anyone done any research on this or even trial and error.
The one thing I like is being able to put the smaller pot on top that acts as a lid to the bigger pot and it still warms what ever is in it too. and both can be used as a cup albeit a very large cup.
If your windscreen goes partway up the sides of the GSI it will make it more fuel efficient. It's sized about right for most small alki stoves. Use a cozy (an insulated pot/bag holder) for keeping food warm. You can even "cook" in one, reducing fuel usage. (Example: Pour 1 cup boiling water into bag of Lipton's instant pasta/rice package, stir, seal and secure in cozy, wait 2x the cook time on the package.)
I use the larger pot with the lid to carry the alcohol stove, fuel for a couple of days, and one or two other items. Since I use the add-boiling-water-to-bag method I don't need the smaller pot.
If you're going to do lots of cooking-in-the-pot meals, you might want to get the larger, curved bottom anodized pots GSI sells. (And a controllable stove.)
Doug Frost
I have a cheap, lightweight pot I got at K-Mart. It holds a little more than a quart, and is very light. It is as wide as it is deep, about 4.5 inches both dimensions. I use a Boy Scout messkit pot lid, it's not a good fit but does the job.
I also like the pot that comes in those little plastic bags. My supplier tells me they grow it hydroponically in British Columbia, and it's very good.
I use the MSR Titan Kettle now. It does pretty much whatever I need to do with a pot, and is very light.
I use a small kettle the majority of time. I also have a couple of snow peak Ti pots when I want to go very light.
Lumberjack
10-23-2005, 12:22
I use the cheaper aluminum ones... less crying if they get damaged and when you go to pay for them. 1 liter or so cooks almost any meal I can think of except maybe a lobster.
Even when I pack the gormet stuff I stay well under a pound for the whole setup.
flyfisher
10-25-2005, 11:20
I used to use the Walmart Greasepot, until Antigravity gear came out with one that is about the same size, light (3.8 oz) black, and cheap ($8). I have a $40 titanium pot which I leave at home, because the 3 cup pot works so well. (I think the 3-cup pot's wider base is faster heating.)
http://www.antigravitygear.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=3_11&products_id=28
See my reviews of the whole set of AGG pots:
http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/Cook%20Gear/Cook%20Sets/AntiGravityGear%20Mamas%20Kitchen%20Cookset/Rick%20Allnutt
Rain Man
10-25-2005, 13:55
Has anyone done any research on this or even trial and error.
Not me on the width v. height question, but I do think it helps to paint the bottoms black (if soot doesn't do it for you). I got some super-high-temp black barbeque grill paint (I think it was) at Wal-Mart. Be careful you don't get the "engine paint" which doesn't take as high a temperature.
Anyway, black-bottom pots seem to heat much faster in my opinion. A good wind screen might be the most important factor, though!
Rain:sunMan
.
I use a K-Mart pot that weighs 4.5 oz. It is a 2qt (a little more than 1.5 ltr)..what can I say, tend to eat a lot on my thru-hikes. Has a tin foil lid and I use my bandanna as a potgrip. The combo of a black bottom and thin metal seems to heat up my meals fast.
Had it since 1999. Rather beat up looking, black with soot and is shaped rather oddly. Plan on using it until it falls apart!
My lovely pot: http://gallery.backcountry.net/pmagspct02/anf
D'Artagnan
10-25-2005, 14:44
I hope I don't get blasted for posting this, but I've switched to using a Jet-Boil. I know some will argue that it's too heavy and the fuel isn't ideal for cold weather or higher elevations, but for the convenience it offers and the type of backpacking I do, I love it. Were I to offer a suggestion regarding its design, I would like it to be a little wider and not so deep. And a larger plastic cup/bowl would be a nice addition.
When I saw the Jet boil the 1st time I was impressed. Great for a quick weekend trip.
Big Dawg
10-26-2005, 14:03
Just bought me an Evernew Ti 1.3L pot,,,, 4.58 oz,,,,, & gonna test it this weekend on Max Patch (lows in the 30's) w/ my new Ion stove!! :banana
Big Dawg! I was just looking 1.3L pot today. It is sweet! Let us know how you like it. I had to restrain myself from gettign it at REI,; I am sure I can find it a wee big less $$ someplace(s) else....
Thanks, Sue
wilsonbmw
03-29-2006, 00:22
For those of you who have used the wal mart grease pot. I bought one to test some alchohol stoves ( another topic all together ). And, after several sessions of boiling water it started to discolor the inside of the pot. Dark gray, and blackish stuff. It did wipe off alittle onto a paper towell. What is it and is it bad for you?
Also, would any stainless steel container be safe to use? I found a nice 2qt storage container at Target for $7.
I have used: tall & narrow, Wide n short, & everything in between. Don't seem to make a bit of difference one way or the other. My current "POT" is a Heineken Beer can. If I fill it, it holds about 4 cups of water. It's not for cooking in (mostly) but heating water, then pouring on food in a 1 Qt Freezer ziplock. It barely registers on my 2 Oz scale (1/8 Oz increments) so maybe 1/8 Oz.
For more info, see http://www.freezerbagcooking.com/
Doctari.
Hey, I bought the same GSI Anodized Double Boiler. Cool. I like to think I'm making smart choices as I prepare, but honestly I have no clue. It's nice to know that someone else has the same stuff ;-).
Daniel, I am still loving my GSI Double boiler set, and for me, I get new gear urges every year ;) It is one tough set-after a yar of very heavy use no dinges, nicks, crunches, etc-and it still looks new!
I got the new version of the GSI double boiler - it has a lid now. It will fit on either pot. Then it wont matter which pot I take w/ me.
And I've found that the less efficient the heat source (say, alcohol vs. cannister or white gas), the more important it is to have a wide bottom on your pot. With a stove which concentrates the burning carbureted (air enriched) fuel right in the middle of the pot, a wide bottom is still better, but, especially in the case of alcohol fueled stoves, where the fuel mixes with air as it burns across the bottom of your pot, a wider pot is far more efficient. The only glaring exception to the rule is the Jet Boil system, which uses a heat exchanger, which, in effect, multiplies the area of the bottom of the pot, making a wide pot completely unnecessary (though I bet the new, multi-person Jet Boil, with the larger pot, is more fuel efficient than the old one).
For those of you who have used the wal mart grease pot. I bought one to test some alchohol stoves ( another topic all together ). And, after several sessions of boiling water it started to discolor the inside of the pot. Dark gray, and blackish stuff. It did wipe off alittle onto a paper towell. What is it and is it bad for you?
Also, would any stainless steel container be safe to use? I found a nice 2qt storage container at Target for $7.
This topic came up once before, and I believe that the dark stuff inside your pot is probably traces of the lube used when the pot was stamped out at the factory where it was made. Since it wasn't designed for cooking, I doubt the manufacturer thought it necessary to clean the inside of the pot well.
I would venture to say that any good quality stainless steel pot would be safe, but I'm no metallurgist (did I spell it correctly?). I do know for a fact that there are grades of stainless steel which are FDA approved for food preparation and cooking.
I have an old MSR Alpine stainless cookset which I'd be willing to part with for, say, $15.00 plus shipping (which may not make it worth your while). You can send me a message if you're interested. The specs are available at any retailer. The set is in good shape.
If you like aluminum, and want something that's non-stick, you can look at Mama's Kitchen at Prolitegear.com.
Oops! That's Antigravity Gear:
http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/Cook%20Gear/Cook%20Sets/AntiGravityGear%20Mamas%20Kitchen%20Cookset/Andrew%20Priest/Initial%20Report/
LostInSpace
04-03-2006, 16:17
This topic came up once before, and I believe that the dark stuff inside your pot is probably traces of the lube used when the pot was stamped out at the factory where it was made. Since it wasn't designed for cooking, I doubt the manufacturer thought it necessary to clean the inside of the pot well.
Aluminum alloys sometimes contain lead, although products designed for food preparation are unlikely to contain such alloys. However, the design of the Grease Pot was not for food preparation, so who knows what elements its metal contains. Could the residue be lead oxide?