View Full Version : cleaning cookware...
how does one go about cleaning cookware and utensils after breakfast/dinner? obviously, you wouldnt want to dump the little bits of leftovers (not that there would be any...)
simply wipe it out? rinse?
thanx
--andrew
(planning a 2004 through hike, curious about little details...)
Kerosene
12-01-2002, 11:47
I usually just rinse my utensils, cup and pot, swirling the water around with a clean finger to get the obvious detritus off.
I used to bring a pot scrubber (0.5 oz), but I used it so rarely that I've dropped it from my gear list. If I really need to scrub something then I'll get a little sand and scour out my cup (my pot is non-stick). I also bring along a few paper towels for quick clean-up of an unusually messy spill or cleaning (which I pack out in my garbage baggie).
Lone Wolf
12-01-2002, 11:51
What Kerosene said. I've never used sponges, scrubbers, soap, etc. A little fine sand and water with clean fingers and a good swish/rinse works just fine.
Maybe I'm the exception, but I use a little warm water, a few drops of mountain suds, and a small sponge. I also carry the tiny remants of a stainless steel scrubber in case something gets burned on.
Hammock Hanger
12-01-2002, 14:49
I duff my pot... a leaf or two, maybe a piece of moss, sand/dirt/mud if needed. You can either scatter the material of if the pot was really dirty carry out the duff. The key is to EAT it all. (not really hard for a hungry hiker). Rinse.
Dishwater tea: I watched a number of hikers who drank their dish water. I will never be that hard core. HH
EarlyRiser
12-01-2002, 17:39
I drink the dishwater, espeicaly at night. somtimes i make hot chocolate out of it. ramen water is hard to drink down though, very salty.
SGT Rock
12-01-2002, 19:14
Most of the time I can clean the pots and cup with simple water and a little hand rubbing. Sometimes I drink the rinse water if at a dry camp, but usually it gets dumped away from camp and away from a water source. The pot gets sterilized on the next boil so 've never used soap on my pots - just my hands.
A couple of times I've had some stiff stuff left and used leaves to get it out. Long pine needles in a bunch make a great natural brillo pad. On the rare occasion I've had a nasty mess that was very hard to get out. I once carried a small piece cut from a pot scrubber that weighed a staggering 0.1 ounces, but I would often find it "hairy" on the next use because I wouldn't see it for days, sometimes weeks because most hiking food cleans easy.
Now I have made a "Scrub Sack" using those net bags like oranges or onions come in. I use this sack to carry my pots in, and on th rare occasion I need a scrubber, I ball it up and use it then clean it off because it is very easy to clean. My "Scrub Sack" weighs a mind boggling 0.2 ounces - OUCH! Somebody carry my pack before I compress my spine too much!
Hammock Hanger
12-01-2002, 19:20
You better be careful, your ounces will begin to add up and bite you in the butt...:D
Hammock Hanger
EarlyRiser
12-01-2002, 22:00
yeah, youd better watch out for the weight, you doubled the weight of your scrubie, and now you dont get any of that nutritious "hairy" stuff! :cool:
Leaves, pine needles, etc, as the scrub pad. Fling spent water into the woods.
SGT Rock
12-02-2002, 09:30
The good part in all that is I eliminated a 0.4 ounce sack I was using for my kitchen, so I lost a net total of 0.3 ounces.
Ray Jardine - LOOK OUT!
wacocelt
12-02-2002, 14:13
OK, the inside of the pot is covered. how do you folks deal with the layer of soot<sp> which builds up on the bottom of the pot? My little beer can alcohol stove would turn my titanium pot coal black in one, hard to rinse or wipe off, makes it a pain to store. suggestions?
My alcohol stove doesn't blacken my pot, but it is aluminum. Are you using rubbing alcohol?
wacocelt
12-02-2002, 14:41
Denatured, perhaps I don't have enough elevation off of the flame?
I've got about a 1.5 inch gap between my stove and the pot. For the resident chemists amongst us, is it possible for the titanium to react with the burning alcohol in a way which aluminum doesn't?
You shouldn't wipe the black off. It improves the efficiency of your pot. Just put it in a stuff sack to avoid soiling everything else in your pack. My alcohol stove has blackened my Ti pot, but it doesn't rub off too readily. I've used both denatured alcohol and methanol. Esbits, on the other hand, leave a gooey residue that you probably will want to wipe off. I'd carry a paper towel so you don't have to leave it on a leaf in the environment.