If you love to camp, what should you be looking for in cookware? The best camping experiences all start with high-quality equipment, and it’s no different when it comes to the cookware.
As you may expect, the most important features of camping cookware include durability, versatility, and strength. You’re going to be roughing it, so it’s important to purchase cookware that won’t let you down when you need it the most. If an essential pot or pan breaks and you can’t cook with it, you may not be able to eat. A burnt or cracked pan will leave you with little choice, and you may have to get very creative to feed yourself. Or, you’ll be left to eat cold sandwiches the entire trip – not a pretty picture!
Most people have an entirely different set of cookware just for camping, which is always a good idea. For one, you don’t want to damage your good cookware, and secondly, it’s easier to have everything you need for your camping trip in one place.
Here are some more tips:
•Camping cookware with tight-fitting lids is also a good idea because this will allow you to heat food on a camping stove quickly, and it may even save fuel, which is very important if you will be hiking through the woods and carrying all of your material with you in a backpack.
•Don’t carry cookware with nonstick coatings because even if you overheat it once, you won’t be able to use the pot or pan again. Another concern is the safety of consuming anything cooked off a surface that has had the chemical coating altered. Nonstick surfaces are also more prone to scratches – you don’t want to worry too much about keeping your cookware in good shape while camping or hiking, so avoid this type of cookware.
•Look for cookware that easily stores away and has space-saving features. Some pots and pans are manufactured in sets that fit easily together. Space-saving while camping is very important! Also, cookware with rounded corners instead of pointy edges will make storage and transportation easier to accomplish.
•When camping, don’t forget to bring along a potholder or two because the handles of your pots and pans may become quite hot to the touch.
•Cookware with black-colored bottoms is better for camping gear because it absorbs heat and will save you fuel.
Essentially you really only need a couple of pieces of cookware to take camping and if you are really short on space then one piece will do the job nicely. Two people who don’t eat very much can get by with a one-liter pot or up to a one-and-a-half-liter pot for hungry travelers. For three hikers, a two-liter pot should be enough for everyone. A skillet or a sauté pan with high sides is also a useful piece of cookware to take camping. Of course, the more people you have, the more equipment and food you will have to bring.
In the end, camping is a lot of fun. As long as you find a set of equipment that will work well for you, you should be fine. Camping cookware needs to be durable – that is the main concern when shopping for pots and pans for your next trip. After all, you’ll be cooking outside and should avoid anything that’s too fancy. Rustic, simple, and effective makes the best camping cookware.
Article provided courtesy of Only Cookware – a consumer guide to cookware.
