Cooking Pot size and food preparation

[Connie]

Who has experience with the "ultralight" cooking pots?

BPL, Evernew, Vargo, MSR, Snow Peak, Brasslite, or K-Mart Grease Pot (Antigravity Gear/Trail Designs), and even the Heineken 24 oz. (MDB Store) "cooking pots".

I use a 1.3 L pot. I feel I need to be able to see the food I cook. At least, until I put it under the (Antigravity Gear) "pot cozy".

I also want to avoid "boil-overs".

What kinds of "food" do you prepare in the ultralight cooking "pots"?

I eat a lot, but really, I want to know what the "ultralight" backpackers do about food.

I think I am "ultralight" by packing powdered hummus.

[gold bond]

I freezer bag cook my meals so as long as a pot wil heat 1-2 cups of water I am fine. If I was to cook in a pot I would want something non-stick as well as light. When I used to "swirl and hurl" I would want to get out as much as I could!

[SGT Rock]

Who has experience with the "ultralight" cooking pots?

BPL, Evernew, Vargo, MSR, Snow Peak, Brasslite, or K-Mart Grease Pot (Antigravity Gear/Trail Designs), and even the Heineken 24 oz. (MDB Store) "cooking pots".

I use a 1.3 L pot. I feel I need to be able to see the food I cook. At least, until I put it under the (Antigravity Gear) "pot cozy".

I also want to avoid "boil-overs".

What kinds of "food" do you prepare in the ultralight cooking "pots"?

I eat a lot, but really, I want to know what the "ultralight" backpackers do about food.

I think I am "ultralight" by packing powdered hummus.
I'll start by saying I don't think I am an ultralighter. I have about a 10lb base for summer and a 16lb base for winter. I started at Springer 4 Jan with a 32 pound pack. The heaviest I ever was - was about 35 lbs for a 5 day section and most of the weight was food (19 lbs of food, water, bourbon, etc). I love to eat...

I use a Evernew 0.9L ti pot. I normally cook a Lipton's in it on an alcohol stove which is not a super hot burner. I say that because my experience with boil-over normally happens when you are trying to cook super fast and the water heats up then keeps on coming.

What learned after lots of playing with stoves is that most of your cooking happens above 190F. So with a normal meal that requires "boil, then simmer" what you are doing it using fuel to heat the water then maintain the heat in the correct band - I reckon you already figured this out since you are using a cozy. Well I got the idea that it didn't matter how fast you boiled water, just bring it to a boil while at the same time keeping the water/food temperature above 190F for as long as possible. This sort of cooking also prevents most boil overs in smaller pots.

You can do this with most any stove - just run it at lower settings for gas canisters or make alcohol stoves tuned for lower heat.

Now, as I said, I like to eat. So with the main Lipton's I normally had stuff like cheese, sausage, flat bread, instant pudding, tea, and lots of other stuff. One favorite tactic I discovered was to half a piece of flat bread, put cheese inside it, then put it on top of my pot while I was heating dinner. By the time the Lipton's was done I also had hot cheese sandwiches to go with it.

I also must say I love hot food. I would usually have 3 hot meals a day. Breakfast was grits, hot coffee, gorp, jerky, etc. Lunch was hot soup with cheese sandwiches and other goodies, and dinner was normally started with tea, then involved hot sandwiches, dessert, and the standard Lipton's with meat added.

[Connie]

I see alcohol stoves have a "simmer" I guess, for example, the Minibuildesign Nion#2.

I thought the alcohol stoves were all one-speed: all the way.

[SGT Rock]

I see alcohol stoves have a "simmer" I guess, for example, the Minibuildesign Nion#2.

I thought the alcohol stoves were all one-speed: all the way.
Well many of them are one speed unless you add on parts like the Minibulldesign. There are easy ways to make other stoves burn colder or hotter like a simmer cap for the standard old soda can stove. I have an optional simmer attachment for my stove too - but I never use it myself. I only added it because buyers wanted it.

But you can just make a stove that doesn't burn as hot. That is how I designed the stove I use. I used it in all weather starting on the 4th of January this year. There were a couple of days I didn't do three hot meals a day, and a couple of times I used a wood fire instead of my stove. But it does exactly what I am talking about when it comes to cooking without adding any parts.

[envirodiver]

I've used a Evernew 0.9 L non-stick pot for years. It came with a set that included a 1.3 L pot also. I rarely take the 1.3 L pot, but do sometimes and the weight is not that much more, but if you don't need it why take it. I've used the pot on a number of different types of stoves and it works great.

I also have an Open Country aluminum pot (about 1.5 or 2 quart) with bail that is light (relatively) and cheap (about $15). Have to watch how you pack the open country pot though cause it is not as stiff as the Ti pots and will bend.

[SGT Rock]

Here is an example of how to make a standard soda can stove that simmers:

http://hikinghq.net/sgt_stove/sgt_soda1.html

And, not trying to spam the board here, but this is what I am talking about with my stove I used on my thru:

http://www.ionstove.com/build.htm

[chili36]

I have found myself utilizing freezer bag meals the past couple years. My cook kit is a pepsi can stove, a titanium cup, a folding plastic up, contruction mesh pot stand, flashing wind screen and a lighter.

It all nestles together and serves the only purpose I use it for...boil 1 -2 cups of water at a time.

IMHO, the cooking gear just needs to meet the needs of the meal.

[Blissful]

That's what I liked about my pocket rocket, the ability to control the flame while cooking (and see the flame too).

Most anything for one pot meals can be cooked in these pots. If you want to have better dehydrated melas rather than the old standbys, ATC puts out a pretty good cookbook. Where you need to watch weight if you are going ultra light is in lunch and snacks. Dinners are actually rather lightweight. But I'd rather watch the weight in my other gear than skimp in the food area. Without good, balanced nutrition, you don't go anywhere fast.

[SGT Rock]

But I'd rather watch the weight in my other gear than skimp in the food area. Without good, balanced nutrition, you don't go anywhere fast.
Amen. Mmmmm food.....

[envirodiver]

That's what I liked about my pocket rocket, the ability to control the flame while cooking (and see the flame too).

Most anything for one pot meals can be cooked in these pots. If you want to have better dehydrated melas rather than the old standbys, ATC puts out a pretty good cookbook. Where you need to watch weight if you are going ultra light is in lunch and snacks. Dinners are actually rather lightweight. But I'd rather watch the weight in my other gear than skimp in the food area. Without good, balanced nutrition, you don't go anywhere fast.

You're right about the weight of lunch and snacks. I also need to start eating a big meal just before loading my food bag. Kinda like going to the grocery, "never go grocery shopping on an empty stomach". I sometimes come home with way too much food. But, always pack and extra day for emergency stay.

[Hoop]

Freezer bag in a .9L ti on a caldera; big enough for a filling meal, and I like to eat.

[Connie]

Blissful,

hmm.. ultralightweight lunch and snacks. That sounds like a "thread" topic to me. Do you want to start that "thread" ?


chili36, Hoop rat,

I just found "freezer bag" cooking http://www.freezerbagcooking.com/links.htm wow. looks like good food to me!


SGT Rock

Thank you for the links. It is good to know these stoves do the job.

[hopefulhiker]

I used the little MSR Titan kettle with lid.. I usually boiled two cups of water and then used it to rehydrate and cook in a "cozy" The whole cooking process takes about twienty five minutes. Ten to get the water boiling. Ten to fifteeen to rehydrate the dehydrated food and cook it

[Tinker]

For short term hiking, I use a Heineken stove of my own design and Esbit tabs for boiling water to rehydrate Lipton dinners or potato flakes.
For long term hiking, I carry an Evernew 1.3 liter pot, which heats more evenly than the Heineken pot, and can be used (carefully, because the bottom is very thin and prone to hot spots which can burn food) for more elaborate, tasty, and higher calorie foods. I can use an alcohol stove under it (the pot's wide base makes good use of the alcohol stove's flame spread), or a small cannister stove (very useful for more than one person, and possibly more efficient than alcohol - more BTUs).

[Connie]

wow. at least the server did not go down because of me!

to recap, we decided anything boilable or just add water is do-able, and my concern about the titanium pots scorching cooking food in-them is not a problem if I use one of the lower heat output alcohol stoves, recommended: this would be for adding spices to oil first, adding fresh-er ingredients and then adding "minute" or less rice, couscous or plain ramen, for example.

I have not purchased a little titanium "ultralight-er" "pot" because of these concerns. I didn't want to spend the money to "find out".

Thank you, all.

[SunnyWalker]

Envirodiver: seems to be real true for me too. Need food and can't depend and don't want to depend on a trailtown.

[Johnny Swank]

1 qt aluminum pot for just me, 2 qt for the both of us. Cooks fine on either an alcohol stove or wood fire. I need some room to stir stuff, and depending solely on freezer-baggable cooking on a long-distance hike wouldn't work out very well for me. YMMV.

[take-a-knee]

Caldera Cone for an MSR 0.85 Titan kettle. I usually freezer bag cook and place the bag into a homemade reflectiz cozy. I also carry the pot inside an evazote cozy and I use a watch cap for a "roof".

[T-Bone1]

I freezer bag cook my meals so as long as a pot wil heat 1-2 cups of water I am fine. If I was to cook in a pot I would want something non-stick as well as light. When I used to "swirl and hurl" I would want to get out as much as I could!

Please explain how you "freezer bag cook", and what you can typicallyy cook like that. I am new here and to hiking and seems to me that boiling water and adding it to a plastic bag would cause it to melt. What am I missing here? Thanks

[take-a-knee]

Please explain how you "freezer bag cook", and what you can typicallyy cook like that. I am new here and to hiking and seems to me that boiling water and adding it to a plastic bag would cause it to melt. What am I missing here? Thanks

The only way to go man:

http://www.freezerbagcooking.com/

[Nearly Normal]

I cook this way but you should be careful pouring boiling water in a zip lock. If you touch the bag with the pot edge you will melt it rendering the bag useless. Take a couple extra bags. Lots of uses.

[mrc237]

Its stated here that dinner is usually the lightest meal to carry along with breakfast. Lately I've been carrying small cookable meals for lunch figuring the weight vrs fuel use, its very doable. Having a hot lunch in mid-summer is not very appealing but eating a 2 day old bagel with PB is less appealing to me. I use a Jetboil and would rather carry an extra canister than all that weight of lunchable stuff. Like most hikers I like to eat alot and always go by the rule that "Food is disposable weight", so carrying extra dosn't mean you're carrying it forever. :)

[mrc237]

I cook this way but you should be careful pouring boiling water in a zip lock. If you touch the bag with the pot edge you will melt it rendering the bag useless. Take a couple extra bags. Lots of uses.

Its always a good idea to have your bag inside your cozy and have a pot with a spout. And always being careful with hot water. I sometimes double bag putting the second bag over the first in the opposite direction then either saving it or have both bags in the same direction for better insulation when rehydrating

[Marta]

The freezer bags can generally hold hot water while sandwich bags often can't. You can use a knit cap (watch cap, or similar) to hold the bag instead of having a special cozy. Or even a folded bandana.

A long-handled spoon makes eating easier:

http://www.rei.com/product/745318

[astrogirl]

I cook this way but you should be careful pouring boiling water in a zip lock. If you touch the bag with the pot edge you will melt it rendering the bag useless. Take a couple extra bags. Lots of uses.

I still bemoan the discontinuance of the Glad Stand-and-Zip bags. Those were totally awesome for freezer bag cooking. They stay open and don't tip over -- that prevents a lot of accidents involving melty bags or spilled food.

I still have some, and they can be washed and re-used. The zippers give up after a while though.

[sarbar]

I did see that Ziploc is bring back the stand bags - but they have the sliding zippers - those can fail. still.......

[sarbar]

Also, the Steamer bags work really well. Those stand up (Glad and Ziploc). They are not cheap though and work best for a 2 person meal.