Camping cookware suggestions?

Allexis · March 6, 2016

Hey, so I'm going camping for a week, and usually in the past we just did hot dogs & whatnot (since it used to be a weekend affair, not a 7 day ordeal). What type of cookware should i look into for the trip? I'm going to be strictly cooking over a fire, not a camp stove.
SO Last summer, I bought a cheapy cookware set, simply because I was in a rush and on a very small budget...well I totaled that set. I'm looking online now at different sets and am looking for some guidance. I'm looking at a Stainless steel, enamel, and anodized. all three of these sets cost the same, there are plates and such in the enamel, but I have a set of dishes, so that's REALLY not a deciding factor. Which way would you go?
Is there any good web resource on cookware? Has anyone ever used a stone frying pan before? I know this is a relatively new technology in the kitchen. I tried researching on them and came out dry. The only decent resource I can find is on best pans for induction. Anybody have any health tips, brand recommendations, or other information? Thanks in advance for your help!

lappir · March 6, 2016

It's going to depend on how you are carrying these items. With Cast Iron, they are very durable and will do well over an open fire and not really show a difference. You don't want to cook acidic foods in them but all else is good. Stainless Steel will show the use over an open fire for the remainder of their life either in scorching or what ever abrasive material you may try to remove it. Either items will travel well how ever you stack them. Maybe a few vibration scratches.

Enamel and anodized will need special care with transport. Don't want either of them to vibrate and rub on anything. The enamel can crack and chip off, and you lose the protection for that area. Sometimes it will last for years more and other times not so much. Maybe the anodized will be a little less weight, but I doubt by much. I do a lot of Induction cooking so all my cookware is magnetic. Good luck. Hope this set lasts for more than one trip.

Rod

sandsys · March 6, 2016

I've read that, when cooking over an open fire, coat the outside of your pan with Dawn dish detergent first. Supposed to help with clean up. I have not tried this.

My favorite open fire cooker is a sandwich iron. Bread with egg in middle for breakfast. Bread with sandwich stuff in middle for lunch. Foil packet meat and vegetables for dinner then bread with pie filling for desert. All yummy.

Linda Sand

budeneighe · March 7, 2016

Linda is right. I used lightweight aluminum stuff when I camped and backpacked. Always had some dawn with me and it made cleanup a lot easier and kept the things on the fire from retaining much soot.

However, I also made cloth bags to store them in to reduce soot transfer to other things and to make it easier when we had to break camp fast because of weather ( or bears).

We actually found some plastic lined cloth to make these little bags and they both kept the mess inside and reduced the bumping and scraping while in transit.

As for sources, I would start with thrift shops, Goodwill and the like. You don't have to have everything before you start and as you learn more about what really works for you and what doesn't, you can trade up as you travel and refresh your pots, pans and utensils from other thrift shops for reasonable costs.

Few people that are camping are trying to maintain a Mastercook's set of pots and pans.

I will say that though we don't really camp anymore, the most useful equipment we have is a Max Burton INduction Hot plate. Of course, it takes 110vac but it works most anywhere, takes up very little space and inside, is a very useful piece of equipment. We have not cooked on gas practically ever since we got it.

Yarome · March 7, 2016

My preference has always been cast iron. They work on any cooking surface (including induction), fairly easy to maintain, durable, and provide an excellent even heat even on an unbalanced fire. The thrift shop idea is a good one. Even old battered/rusty looking pans can be reconditioned/reseasoned by running them through an ovens self cleaning cycle. Good as new if your budgets tight. There are plenty of online resources on exactly how to do that.

Avoiding acidic food stuffs at first is sound, but once they are "hard" seasoned anything goes. I wouldn't use soap on the outsides myself. Even a little getting into your food can give you the running trots something fierce and, to me, it's just not worth the little more effort needed to remove perfectly good clean ash/soot. I use stainless steel chain mail scrubbers which makes clean-up a snap and won't damage the seasoning. They can also double as hot and drying/drip pads.

They are a bit heavy but well worth their weight, IMO. Many folks tend to purchase sizes much too large for their day-to-day needs.

sandsys · March 8, 2016

Avoiding acidic food stuffs at first is sound, but once they are "hard" seasoned anything goes. I wouldn't use soap on the outsides myself. Even a little getting into your food can give you the running trots something fierce and, to me, it's just not worth the little more effort needed to remove perfectly good clean ash/soot. I use stainless steel chain mail scrubbers which makes clean-up a snap and won't damage the seasoning. They can also double as hot and drying/drip pads.

They are a bit heavy but well worth their weight, IMO. Many folks tend to purchase sizes much too large for their day-to-day needs.

I wouldn't use soap on the outsides of cast iron either. You want that baked on finish to develop on those.

As to sizing, pay attention to what you actually use now. No sense taking pots in sizes you don't use. I discovered one pot and one skillet were enough for me as long as I also had casseroles that could go in the microwave/convection oven. But, I will be the first to admit I'm not much of a cook.

Linda Sand

LFDR3116 · March 8, 2016

If I were buying for that purpose, I'd get the cast iron also. They should hold up for years.

RV_ · March 9, 2016

We came off the road to care for parents and downsized from the 36 foot fiver to a nice weekender 28' fiver. We lived in it while our house was being done most of last year. We wanted a decent nesting set and bought this set: https://www.campmor.com/c/texsport-kangaroo-7-piece-nonstick-cook-set-86704

We like it a lot.

lappir · March 9, 2016

We came off the road to care for parents and downsized from the 36 foot fiver to a nice weekender 28' fiver. We lived in it while our house was being done most of last year. We wanted a decent nesting set and bought this set: https://www.campmor.com/c/texsport-kangaroo-7-piece-nonstick-cook-set-86704

We like it a lot.

RV,

Your link didn't work for me.

Rod

Yarome · March 9, 2016

Your link didn't work for me.

Rod

X2. Try going to the homepage and search for "texsport kangaroo nonstick". There is a 5pcs nesting set available as well. They appear to be very similar to what my boys used for mess kits in the Boy Scouts. Fairly lightweight and okay for an overnight camp, but I wouldn't use them for daily cooking. For those that used similar cookware as youngin's can attest.. they don't heat very evenly due to the lightweight material and don't hold up well over a campfire.

Those might be different to some degree, but just looking at the price point I can't imagine they would be much better than the old nesting mess kits.. other than the fact that these boast "nonstick".

Just sayin...