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COOKWARE
TIPS AND TRICKS
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Paint
them black. If your
cookware does not have a black outer finish you can easily and
cheaply put one on. Go
to any hardware or home improvement store and pick up a can of black
oven paint. Adding the
black coating to the outside of your pots (don’t get the paint on
the inside) will help your cookware heat up faster.
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Use
a large coffee can to boil water.
Need to boil up some water but you don’t want to cover that
new cookware set in soot? A
coffee can or other large steel can makes an excellent pot for
yeoman’s work.
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Use
the lid from that coffee can. Need
a small cutting board? Well
the lid from the coffee can makes an excellent cutting board. When you are done with your trek you can put the can and lid
into their respective recycling bins.
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If
you are baking, frying or using a pot for a oven, consider raising
your pot off of the heat source.
Raising the pot from the heat source allows cooking at a
lower temperature and helps prevent burning your food.
A steel tuna can, with the inside edges filed to prevent
cuts, cleaned and the labels removed make an excellent riser to
protect your gingerbread when cooking.
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Mark
measurements on your pots. When
you get your cookware at home take a high quality measuring cup and
pour ¼ cup, ½ cup, 1 cup, 2 cups and so on into the pot.
Scratch a line on the inside of the pot at the ¼ cup mark,
the ½ cup mark, the ¾ cup mark, the 1 cup mark, the cup mark and
so on. Now you won’t
need that measuring cup when you are out in the field.
If your pot has a no-stick finish, take high heat paint which
you can buy at any auto parts store and paint a small mark on the
outside of the pot.
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Pack
a ¼ cup-measuring cup with your cookware.
Find a good quality stainless steel measuring cup at a
specialty kitchen store. If
you can find a cup with a small spout and no handle this will work
even better. The stainless steel will stand up to the rigors of the trail
and is easy to clean. The
small measuring cup will take up very little room, and can be used
for precise measurements when your making your chicken and coconut
curry.
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Purchase
your cooking stove at the same time.
When considering a cookware set either bring your stove with
you or purchase one at the same time.
The ideal stove should fit nicely in your 1.5 to 2 quart pot.
If it will fit in a 1-quart pot, it may be too small to do
larger duty of heating for a couple of people.
If it won’t fit in a 2-quart pot the stove you have
selected is probably to big. When
sizing your stove remember that this does not include the fuel
bottle, which will have to be store separately. Already have a stove? Than
take it with you to size up your cookware.
By putting your stove in your cookware you save room, protect
the stove, and know where it is at all times.
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Make
one-dish meals. Do you
hate cleaning or cooking? Would
you rather be watching the sunset then scrubbing pots?
Consider making a one-dish meal and eating right from the
pot. Saves time and
saves cleaning.
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Take
only what you need. If
you are going on a solo weekend trip, consider taking just a single
pot. It saves space and
weight when you are out in the backcountry.
When
buying cookware there are a number of options you need to consider.
However equipped with this information you are now more educated
on the right cookware set to get for your needs.
There really is no right or wrong answer.
If the cookware meets your culinary needs, is within your budget,
and doesn’t take up your entire backpack when out in the backcountry
then you have made a good choice.
If
you have more questions, you can always contact
us and one of our editors will gladly try to answer your questions.
As we try to remain agnostic, we may not be able to answer
questions on the lines of brand X versus brand Y.
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