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Looking For Camping Cookware?
What type of camping cookware is best for you? Camp cooking and clean-up can be easy or a hassle, it all starts with... great camping equipment. Camping cookware, like any camping equipment, should be versatile and tough. A lot of campers have a set of cookware just for camping because they don't want to risk damaging their good kitchen set and/or it's easier to keep all your camping gear organized and ready-to-go in big plastic bin(s). Kitchen cookware usually won't last long in the field anyway. Camp cooking outdoors can be a lot more demanding than what most kitchen utensils are made for. Heavy duty camping cookware is not only a good idea, it's almost a necessity. If you're camping cooking and your only pan cracks or burns through making it unusable, you're either going to have to find a way to use tin foil creatively or eat cold sandwiches the rest of your camping trip. Remember to get camping cookware with tight-fitting lids to help heat food on your camping stove more quickly and to help save fuel, this is especially important to hikers that carry everything. I'd stay away from non-stick coatings as it only takes over-heating them once and the surface is junk. Also once the surface is scorched the chemical make-up is permanently changed and I'm not sure how healthy it would be for you. Non-stick surfaces can also scratch, it's hard enough keeping them in good shape at home let alone camping or hiking. Some pots/pans come in sets that mate together or "nest" for storage and even allow you to tuck a canister of fuel inside them. This comes in handy when you're looking to save room while camping. Look for camping cooking gear with rounded corners/edges to help reduce hot-spots and for ease of cleaning. Remember that most camping cookware handles can get hot so bring something you can use to protect your hands. For quicker boiling and heating look for camping cookware with black colored bottoms because it will absorb heat better and save you some fuel.
There are several different types of camping cookware and they have different advantages and disadvantages... Aluminum pans and cookware: Advantages: Lightweight, heat quickly, and cheap. Disadvantages: Possible link to Alzheimer's, food has a tendency to stick, hot spot heating can easily burn food so you'll want to stir it, hard to clean, can taste bad, pans can get bent/dinged easily, and aluminum has a tendency to react with foods. I've seen tomato sauce eat through aluminum foil overnight. If I haven't been to the point enough yet, I would put aluminum as the last choice on my list for camping cookware. Cast-iron pans and cookware: Advantages: Cast-iron cookware probably has the best heat distribution, can be made non-stick with the correct seasoning, is durable if cared for, and can last a lifetime. Disadvantages: If NOT cared for correctly can crack/rust, heavy, higher level of upkeep, slower to heat. Cast-iron is great if you're staying around the campsite and don't have to carry it in your backpack. Stainless pans and cookware: Advantages: Nice and durable and easier clean-up. Disadvantages: Thin pans can burn food easier and thicker pans don't produce an even heat, but letting the cookware "blacken" can help with this. Stainless steel pans with an outside aluminum bottom or with aluminum sandwiched in between can help distribute the heat more evenly (just make sure the aluminum doesn't come in contact with the food). Clean-up is easier unless food isn't prepared correctly. Stainless is a good medium-weight material that falls between cast-iron and titanium for weight and durability. MSR makes debatably the best stainless camping cookware. Titanium cookware: Advantages: Durable camping cookware, very light, heats pretty quick although it can exhibit hot spots, and it's pretty non-reactive (it's the stuff hip replacements are made from). Disadvantages: Heats quickly but can burn food more easily too. Titanium can be a little more expensive but I wouldn't be surprised if you never had to buy another set and it's easier to care for than cast-iron. Take a look at titanium if you like to backpack but make sure you stir that pot and use less heat when cooking with this type of camping cookware.
Camping cook sets:
When you don't want the hassle of picking out individual pieces. Camping plates and bowls: What's the lightest, the most durable... plastic, aluminum or stainless? Camping sinks: You know you want to bring it just so you can say you brought it... don't you. ;-) Camping utensils: Find out what kind of utensils I recommend. Insulated cups or titanium mugs: Insulated for camping or titanium for backpacking? I hope you found my camping cookware page informative. :-)
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