Cook Pot

[LIhikers]

I'm presently using the K-Mart Grease Pot for my cooking needs. It works well and is big enough for when my wife and I are out together. On a recent hike of the C+O Canal I realized that it was bigger, and took up more pack space, than I needed for one person.

I'm wondering if anyone has ever cut down a 1 pound coffee can to make a pot. The metal is thin and light so I imagine the heat transfer would be good. I'm wondering if the metal will rust from the repeated heatings. And of course there will be the sharp edge to deal with some how.
Anybody have any real world experience with this idea?
If not, I guess I'll give it a try.

[JAK]

A tin can will make a suitable hobbo stove or cook pot for a week or so. It is easily replaced if you carry a tool that can do the job. It's a fun think to do and gives you another reason to buy a can of beans now and then.

[mweinstone]

a resturant or big isle size can of your chooice with a bail of heat resistant wire handle.
we used these just like any pot. works great. a standard for many years among woodsfolk.its carryed in your foodbag stuffed with foods.

[Hikes in Rain]

Gosh, I hadn't thought about that in years! My very first cook kit was made from coffee cans! Hobo stove, wire bale through holes punched in another coffee can. Worked well, but as you surmised, didn't last long. Just long enough for my parents to give me a Boy Scout cook kit for Christmas. (Still have it)

I'd worry about that sharp edge from the cut. You'd need some way of rolling it over, maybe by making lots of little cuts down from the edge and folding them over?

Or find an old Scout kit and take the pot.

[JAK]

Be careful of wire around eyes, of course. I use snare wire, which can be right nasty. I think it is how all them bunny ghosts get their revenge now and then.

[Beachcomber]

For a smooth cut on a tin can, try a bizarre-looking opening called The Whale. Yes, it looks like a pink whale. (other colors available.) Got one as a gift from my mother-in-law, thought "***?" but tried it: works beautifully, leaves no sharp edges. (Not a trail tool, but handy for creating el-cheapo disposable trail cookware.)
http://nerdapproved.com/misc-gadgets...o-sharp-edges/

[88BlueGT]

^^^ LOLLL

awesome.

[JAK]

Neato.
In a pinch, on the trail, maybe try using a real whale.



I haven't actually tried this myself.

[BJStuart]

A tin can will make a suitable hobbo stove or cook pot for a week or so. It is easily replaced if you carry a tool that can do the job. It's a fun think to do and gives you another reason to buy a can of beans now and then.

If you're cooking in the can, might want to get Eden Beans: most can will have a plastic liner that you'll probably end up eating after one or two heatings.

[daddytwosticks]

Do they still put coffee in metal cans...all I ever seem to see is plastic now-a-days!

[LIhikers]

Gosh, ....... Worked well, but as you surmised, didn't last long. Just long enough for my parents to give me a Boy Scout cook kit for Christmas. (Still have it) ........Or find an old Scout kit and take the pot.

Thanks for the feedback everybody. Guess I'll be visiting the local store that sells scouting stuff pretty soon.

[Amanita]

I would suggest at least trying to "season" your hommade pot before using it to cook food. This can help prevent leeching and corrosion. Google "Seasoning aluminum" for instructions.

[Hikes in Rain]

Coffee cans used to be made of steel. I haven't bought coffee in forever (I roast green coffee beans); Did they change to aluminum?

Either way, you're right. Steel or aluminum, it needs seasoning.

[Beachcomber]

Thanks for the feedback everybody. Guess I'll be visiting the local store that sells scouting stuff pretty soon.

The other day I saw an exact replica of the traditional Boy Scout mess kit, except without the BSA logos and the cook pot was coated. On sale at Great Outdoor Provision Co.

A related note: Yes, you can still get coffee in traditional steel (tin) cans.

So take your pick: cook Boy Scout or Hobo style!

[Hikes in Rain]

In my never to be humble opinion, the older kits are better than the new. I think more care was taken back then to ensure you got a usable product. My old pot is deep, the bail is loose enough not to catch and tip your dinner into the fire, and the lid really fits. The aluminum is pretty sturdy, too. As old as it is, and as much as it's been used by a kid, it still doesn't have dents. Things to check for in a new set.

Just had a thought, and I remembered correctly! Unless you just want the whole cook kit, AntiGravity Gear makes an aluminum 3-cup pot! $7.95 and it's non-stick. Check it out.

[Tinker]

Save your money and use your space wisely. Pack whatever you can that's cooking related (including spices and, in my case at least, bagged coffee, creamer and sugar) inside your cookset. The pot isn't taking up too much space unless it's empty.

[LIhikers]

Coffee cans used to be made of steel. I haven't bought coffee in forever (I roast green coffee beans); Did they change to aluminum?

Either way, you're right. Steel or aluminum, it needs seasoning.

Yep, the cans I get are still steel, of some sort. I'll have to look up how to season it.

Save your money and use your space wisely. Pack whatever you can that's cooking related (including spices and, in my case at least, bagged coffee, creamer and sugar) inside your cookset. The pot isn't taking up too much space unless it's empty.

I do use the space inside the pot to pack my stove, windscreen, lighter, firesteel, pot grabber,and a small sponge which has one rough side that works well to clean the pot.

[TAS]

You can get new metal can s of all sizes, stove and windblock froma lot of commerical suppliers.

I did and they do work great.

John

[RWBlue]

I have been told that Pot is much better smoked than cooked, but what do I know my token fell out of my token ring and I had to get an either net to catch it.


Seriously, I don't see why people don't buy a small Ti pot at REI. The cost is quite reasonable considering how much use it will see.

[brian039]

Seriously, I don't see why people don't buy a small Ti pot at REI. The cost is quite reasonable considering how much use it will see.

"At first blush I am tempted to conclude that a satisfactory hobby must be in large degree useless, inefficient, laborious, or irrelevant." — Aldo Leopold