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jlb2012
10-07-2002, 18:09
At least I don't think this poll has been around yet - what type of pot do you use for cooking?

highway
10-08-2002, 05:38
MSR Titan Titanium kettle, w/lid, 0.85 L capacity, 0.27 pound, {4.32 oz} works (almost) for me.

It is tall and narrow. I wish it were shorter, wider,"squatter" [more surface area to heat, making boil faster?] and with a wee bit more capacity so a 7 oz package of Zatarains or whatever didn't almost fill it up, making stirring with cold fingers so darned difficult!

That distinctive titanium sheen is long gone from it and instead is now dark grey-brownish somewhat, blackish mostly on outside, some black burned spots on inside when I forgot to stir. In other words, my wife would have thrown it out of her kitchen long ago. But for me it's just now "coming of age"!

SGT Rock
10-08-2002, 05:58
Here is what I have been using now for almost two years. The 720 ml size is perfect for ever meal I've ever made. The size keeps you efficnet, the titanum makes it light, built in handles means you don't need a seperate grabber, the price makes it affordable ($39.95), and the curved wide bottom makes it fuel efficient. I only carry the frying pan lid and 720 ml pot:

http://www.snowpeak.com/gear/stw001t.html

Weight with carry sack and without the 570ml pot/cup is 5.4 ounces.

highway
10-08-2002, 07:18
Rock:

Hate to mention the obvious but here is a suggestion to save at least two ounces...

Ditch the carry sack
Ditch the fry pan[unless you are frying trout...Yummmmmm...!]
Ditch that pot

get the lighter and larger MSR kettle,with lid, no carry sack. While hiking, your stove nestles well-protected inside it, along with the lighter to start the stove and the next meal you are going to cook. Now there is no fumbling around wasting time when you get to camp or for breakfast next morning! It's all there, ready to cook!And its simple, just two well-designed pieces.

The pot, with handles is also your bowl and coffee cup. Heat water for grits or oatmeal or cous cous or whatever in AM and eat; heat a little more water for coffee afterwards and viola...good coffee and pot is now clean to boot!

Also, if you rely on store-purchased tasty items to eat like pasta Roni which requires you add 2 2/3 cups water (700 ml) your pot is to small to then add the pasta and flavor packet. Even if you did force it all in you could not stir it. Zatarains, requiring 2 3/4 cups pushes you over the top. Even if you just boil water and then add whatever to re-hydrate, you still save weight and can be more versatile if you ever need to cook, instead.

Just a suggestion...Darn, I have got to go hiking...Wonder how HH is doing out there....?

Peaks
10-08-2002, 07:20
How about a poll on pot size?

Myself, I carry a 2 liter pot. Probably larger than most, but all my cooking gear and clean up gear fits inside it, except the fuel bottle.

highway
10-08-2002, 08:07
My God, Peaks, that pot certainly qualifies for multiple use...you can bathe in it after cooking, or do a load of wash!:D :D

My cleanup gear is index finger of right hand [or left hand, if left-handed]!:)

SGT Rock
10-08-2002, 09:13
On the contrary, I have found that almost every recipe requires more water than is actually needed. I always use 2 cups with everything, and some packages that have larger portions are better suited for two meals. I don't like the narrow bottom straight side pots, I prefer the low wide pot with curved bottom for more ever heating, expecially with Ti which often develops hot spots because of thin walls.

I have thought of ditching the pan, but so far I have used it for omlets, steak, fried cornbread, fried sausage, and making tea while cooking in the main pot - turn the pan upside down to serve as a lid and fill it with water.

If I only carried the pot - it is just 2.8 oz, the pan is 2.2 oz, and the bag is 0.4 ounces or so. I could get rid of the carry sack, but it is where I keep my spoon, fuel bottle, and pot with lighter, scrubber, stove, windscreen, bandana, and pot cozy nested inside.

highway
10-08-2002, 09:40
I guess that is why they make Fords & Chevrolets........for those who havn't yet learned the joy of driving a Jeep!

But the fried cornbread you mentioned really just got my attention because my pot just will not do it...to narrow, alcohol stove to hot, even on simmer...and I have really tried because I love it! In fact, that is one staple that our forbears relied so much on. When they had their crop of corn, with no refrigeration, they could only dry it for meal or make whiskey-two perfectly good uses, in my estimation.

How did you keep the cornbread batter from burning with a thin-walled pot of whatever construction. I can do it in thick-walled cast iron but have been unsuccessful with any of the thin-walled camping pans I own. I have felt I would need a double pan, one below getting the heat and one above browning[not quickly burning]the batter

SGT Rock
10-08-2002, 21:08
I have a Jeep, but got rid of my Ford after the third engine. ;)

I really did fry conebread in my pan, but it was a while ago so I don't remember a lot of details other than it crumbled faily easily. I did it on a Cat Stove with the simmer attachments, sort of like making a thick pancake as I remember. Seems like Earl Shaffer talked about making them in his book, but I haven't read it in a while.

I do have the recipe at my site, but for the benifit of keeping forums straight, I'll post it in the food section.

highway
10-09-2002, 07:31
I tried a couple of times but burned the batter each time. I assume to thin the titanium and to high the heat, even on simmer as the trangia simmer attachment reduces area of flame to just a small area and it burns there. If it can be done, it is one high energy product, hoe cakes of cornbread; havn't heard that name in a long time.

The other reason for doing it is I wanted to make a bread I first discovered in the real arctic tundra of the upper regions of the North West Territories, along the Arctic Circle,about a two-hour bush float plane ride north of Yellowknife. There the water is so fresh and pure, you just dip your cup into it beside the boat if you want a drink...But I digress.

The Inuit there make a fried bread called Bannock bread and it is even tastier than corn bread, and more simple to make,made from wheat flour, lard...recipes are below for both. Barry Taylor is my friend who runs a caribou hunting camp so remote the closest two-legged critter is hundreds of miles away, and you take your rifle with you when you go outside to pee; the tundra browns there hunt for a living and anything moving is edible to them. The key is to stay out of their way!

Barry Taylor’s fry pan bread: 2 c flour, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp baking powder, ½ c dried milk, 1 tsp sugar, 1 c warm water. Mix together to make thick dough that isn’t sticky. Roll into ½” thick circle; cut into wedges, fry in hot (not smoking) oil until golden brown both sides
Barry Taylor’s Bannock bread: 2 c flour, 4 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, ½ c shortening, ½ c water. Mix, cut in shortening, flour & knead for 15 min. grease bottom of 10” cast iron fry pan, press in dough & cook uncovered over low heat for 10 min each side. Watch to make sure sides don’t burn before center is cooked thoroughly.

Same problem here, though...the pot is to thin and little flame concntrated in to narrow a location. But use cast iron and it works great.

Oh, and about the lard in their diet, it is so damn cold there that your body requires it as it burns serious quantities just staying warm...much as a thru-hiker does walking, so...

stranger
12-05-2002, 19:00
I use a 1.3 liter titanium pot...it's perfect for me.

Thumper
01-31-2003, 20:43
A lot of folk use the WalMart Grease Pot - it has no handle or bail. How do they lift it after the water boils?

Sparky!
01-31-2003, 22:58
I have the Backpackers Pantry Aluminum non stick pots. I only bring one with me and that is the 1.5 liter pot. If I go with my hiking partner I will usually bring the 1.5 and the 1 liter pots that nest together. Like others, mine has my spices, spork, camp towel, matches and other odds and ends I use to set up my kitchen.

I have notha problems with it at all.... very durable and I love the clean up!!!!!!!! :D Just rinse and wipe....

Sparky!

Happy
01-31-2003, 23:20
With the WalMart Grease Pot you can carry a separate aluminum pot lifter or simply use a bandana to lift it.

jlb2012
02-01-2003, 09:42
Thumper - see the first post in the Hints from Here thread under the Ultra-light hikers forum - it details how to use a bandana to lift a hot grease pot quickly and safely

Wander Yonder
02-01-2003, 15:19
Highway, great post! I've tried similar recipes (the Native American fry bread) and they are great in the house. But I haven't had any luck doing them in titanium either.

If anyone figures out a way to make it work in a camp pot (titanium, aluminum or stainless steel) I'd love to hear about it!

Ann
02-01-2003, 19:02
Sharon,
My husband LOVES to eat Bannock Bread/Fry Breads when backpacking and it is easy to make when I pack the Trangia 27 because the frypan sits very high in a three pin nest and the flame is easy to control and can be kept VERY low. Keeping the heat and flame low is the KEY to making bread that does NOT burn. I use the non-stick frypan that comes with the set.

http://randomdeals.cc/trangia_27_5_.html

The problem with this setup is that it weighs A LOT...as in 1 lb. 14 oz. PLUS fuel, spatulas, etc.. I personally would NEVER consider taking it on an extended trip unless I had to BRIBE my husband with food.

PS...I have NEVER had luck cooking the bread without burning it on the mini trangia or cooking it on Titanium...forget about it!!!!

pobbie
02-17-2003, 11:17
I will use titainium(just got it), but I had been using a 1 quart pot from Kmart. I like the titainium cause it has folding handles and is larger (1.3 ltr) yet much lighter.

One thing about titainium is you can't bake in it- its way too thin for that so I make biscuits and coffee cake in my aluminium pot. Both turned out great but they took almost 45 minutes to bake out in the cold(about 10* at the time I was standing outside trying to look intelegent while freezing my butt off:D )

RagingHampster
02-17-2003, 11:23
I've cooked cornbread on top of chili in my titanium pot. Same thing with biscuit/dumpling/carbo-mounds in turkey gravy. I also use the lid/frypan/plate of my MSR Titan cookset as a toaster. Just press an english muffin down on it and you can toast it. Add peanut-butter and apples, or bananas. Throw raisins on too. Don't forget to sprinkle with cinnamon & nutmeg!

Jaybird
01-16-2004, 09:32
i use a Titanium 1.5.ltr pot w/ lid.

when not cooking...i carry my MSR PocketRocket stove, matches, cooking accessories (titanium spork)& coffee inside the pot...packed away in the ol' backpack!

never had any probs with my Ti pot. & it heats water quicker. ;)

****UPDATE***UPDATE***UPDATE***


i recently bought a .9 liter pot w/ lid (Snowpeak) Ti, of course...
will be my ONLY piece of cookware for my 2005 section-hike. :D




see ya'll UP the trail in 2004!

Kerosene
01-16-2004, 10:18
Titanium 1.5L non-stick with a "lid" of aluminum foil.

The Wicked Lobstah
01-16-2004, 11:44
1.5 liter GSI Hard Anodized so I can do add water meals or something a little more exciting.

Cedar Tree
01-16-2004, 13:19
I used to carry a Walmart Grease pot, but as was mentioned in an earlier post, I had to carry a pot lifter too. Just recently I found a great little pot in my local CVS Pharmacy, the CVS grease pot. It has a handle built it, it is .95 quart in capacity, it weights 4.2 ounces including top, and it cost $3.97. Its pretty sweet. Cedar Tree

hiker5
08-17-2004, 21:30
I use the wallyworld greasepot, but i'd be interested in seeing the CVS version.

I hate not being able to easily lift the lid on my walmart grease pot when the water is boiling. Most of the time i like the tight fitting lid but i can't use the potlifter to hold the pot still when the lid is on.

Thx, for the tip Cedar Tree.

Lone Wolf
08-17-2004, 22:37
1.5 quart stainless with lid plus a smaller one for sauces. Been using them since my first thru-hike 18 years ago. Also carry a non-stick fry pan.

NICKTHEGREEK
04-04-2005, 15:42
I'm very happy with my Snowpeak 3 piece Titanium cookset for water boiling and simple cooking like pasta and sauce. I believe it is no longer made, but I still see it in a few places. It mates very nicely with a primus alpine micro stove. The frypan/lid is absolutely useless in the frypan role and only fits with the larger pot. None the less, I think it was an excellent value for under $40.00.
I enjoy good food, and don't obsess over weight when my 19 yr old son is humping the kitchen, so I go for a GSI hard anodized pot and fry pan and an outback oven over a snowpeak giga-power BF stove. Nothing holds a teenage boy's attention better than the fair sex, but good chow comes in second- and we get some decent time together cooking dinner and doing some baking on the trail. All told this second rig runs around $200.00, but a good meal and good conversation in the outdoors is really priceless.

stupe
04-04-2005, 18:43
I like to cook with all kinds of pot, and sometimes a little wine or beer.

stupe
04-04-2005, 18:46
1111111111

hauptman
04-19-2005, 06:04
Call me crazy, but I have never seen the need for a pot/stove/fuel/cooked food/hot drinks! I have never carried them and never yet had a problem. I take only those foods which do not require cooking and/or rehydrating. Sure the food has a little less variety, but the weight savings are well worth it. If I do not want cold water I just stick it inside my jacket for a while. Works every time.

lobstergrrrl
04-23-2005, 21:38
Ti pot for me. It's one liter filled to the brim. A bigger pot would be handy for prepackaged noodles etc, but Ti is so expensive.

fiddlehead
04-24-2005, 02:18
I had been using aluminim 1.3 litre pots for years and just kept re-riveting the handle on a new one each time i wore one out. (one seemed to last me about 2 thru hikes) then i bought one of those expensive titanium pots about the same size. But it seemed to me that it took a lot longer to boil water with the titanium so i went back to the aluminum. I use the lid from the titanium and the bag it came in. (i'll cook on a fire if there's one available to save fuel and need a sack to put my pot in because of the dirt)
So, i'm wondering if there's been any tests done to determine which material (stainless, titanium, or aluminum) heats faster? It would be interesting to see the results and i'd be willing to bet that aluminum would win.
I'd appreciate an email on this as i'm working exclusively out of cyber cafes these days: [email protected] thanks in advance. fh

SGT Rock
04-24-2005, 10:06
Just my informal observations, but aluminum and titanium pots do about the same and steel is a little slower. I think the reason titanium ends up being about the same as aluminum is because they make those pots incredibly thin. I wish I had the technology to make my own pots because I would build a wok. My point being that since the aluminum and titanium are about as fast because of material thickness, that the pot shape would be more of a factor. Instead of small bottom and tall nalgen shaped pots, a wide, curved bottom pot would be more effective. I think something like an 8" Wok (I can't find any on the Internet) would be cool and highly effective - and would hold about 1 liter.

Alligator
04-24-2005, 10:42
Just my informal observations, but aluminum and titanium pots do about the same and steel is a little slower. I think the reason titanium ends up being about the same as aluminum is because they make those pots incredibly thin. I wish I had the technology to make my own pots because I would build a wok. My point being that since the aluminum and titanium are about as fast because of material thickness, that the pot shape would be more of a factor. Instead of small bottom and tall nalgen shaped pots, a wide, curved bottom pot would be more effective. I think something like an 8" Wok (I can't find any on the Internet) would be cool and highly effective - and would hold about 1 liter.Stainless steel woks, but no small titanium were found.
http://www.wokshop.com/HTML/products/woks/woks_mini.html
http://www.fieldandtrek.com/product-GSI-Outdoors-Alpine-Mini-Wok-22094.htm

SGT Rock
04-24-2005, 11:09
I've seen the second one, it is 6.4 ounces and only holds 24 ounces of liquid and has no lid. The other wok ends up at a 9" wok without a weight listed when you follow the buy link. GSI also makes a 9" anodized aluminum wok with lid for camping, but it is 27 ounces!

erichlf
04-24-2005, 11:28
I've seen the second one, it is 6.4 ounces and only holds 24 ounces of liquid and has no lid. The other wok ends up at a 9" wok without a weight listed when you follow the buy link. GSI also makes a 9" anodized aluminum wok with lid for camping, but it is 27 ounces! You can hammer a wok out of a sheet of aluminum. Look aroud on the web about metal working. That is of course if you really wanted to sit there and bang one out.

Heater
04-24-2005, 19:10
You can hammer a wok out of a sheet of aluminum. Look aroud on the web about metal working. That is of course if you really wanted to sit there and bang one out.
And... it could also be used to wear as a hat to thwart off any alien attacks you might encounter on the trail. That would save room in your pack! :D
:banana

skeletor
08-01-2005, 21:31
Here's the deal.. you have to get the pot up higher off the stove. Use the wind screen to raise the pot off the stove; then crimp a slit every so often around the top of the wind screen. This will allow the the bottom of the pot to be heated evenly thus reduceing the chances of a burned spot. no wind screen you say-some aluminum foil and some extra tent stakes will work.

Also if you want to bake a desert (ie: cobbler) then you will need your lid.... build a small fire on top thus giving you a convetion heating. ( less heat on the bottom more on the top.) this will take some practice to get to basics down so don't try it for the first time on the trail.

Sorry to go back to an old topic but thought that you all might like to try the advice before th next trip!!;)

justusryans
08-01-2005, 21:52
And... it could also be used to wear as a hat to thwart off any alien attacks you might encounter on the trail. That would save room in your pack! :D
:bananaWould also help with those brain sucking alien space rays! Oooooh, my fragile little mind!:jump

Frolicking Dinosaurs
08-01-2005, 22:35
You silly boys! Tin foil is the only reliable deterrent for brain sucking aliens.

I have a snowpeak titanium cook set - the two person size. I carry it and my stove in a large aluminum pot I've had since the 1970's. Laugh all you want - it works for us.

ShakeyLeggs
08-01-2005, 22:49
Reciently bought a Snow Peak Mini Solo TI (http://tinyurl.com/d8h5n) set. I am really impressed only weighs 5.5oz.

I used to use MSR Titan (http://tinyurl.com/agmf3) but at 9.6oz it had to go.

jackiebolen
08-01-2005, 23:49
I used a titanium 750 ml. pot. Worked well for me...just the perfect size for cooking up a liptons. A tad small for stovestop stuffing or mashed potatoes, but you can just cook those in batches if necessary.

A good way to save a bit of weight is to make your own lid and windscreen out of tinfoil.

justusryans
08-02-2005, 00:21
I use a 2 liter MSR titanium. I know, I know, overkill! Well there are always at least 2 and sometimes 3 of us so it works for us. Plus it is usefull for fording rivers. Just use your spork for a paddle.