Cooking pot maintenance

[tylerjwhite]

So all of my pots have a black fire layer cooked onto them. Is there a way to put oil or pig fat on them and season them like a Dutch oven? Is there a way to take better care of the new pots I'll get in the future? I will always be cooking on an open fire with titanium or stainless steel pots. I'll take any suggestions, pictures or videos you have on this please.

 

[sandbender]

The black on the outside adds character. The black on the inside needs a brillo pad and elbow grease.

You will not be able to 'season' a stainless steel pot, that is a thing for cast iron.

 

[tylerjwhite]

Ya it looks about like that.

 

[tylerjwhite]

The only picture I've got. Sorry.

 

[Robson Valley]

1. You are never going to eat off the outsides of your pots so forget it.
I won't ask to eat off the outsides of your pots, either. Am I right?
2. It looks like you have been there before and done that, so relax.
As a guest, I'd be more confident in your cuisine.
3. Scrub the bejeezlies out of the insides. Makes your food more attractive.

BTW Tyler, that's about as nice a food fire as I have seen in a long time.
Lemmee get my bread fixins' organized, I'll be there in a minute.

 

[bopdude]

I read somewhere that if you smear the outside of the pan with washing up liquid piror to use that the soot just wipes off, too much faff for me.

 

[garethw]

I generally just wash as best I can when I get home... a lot of the residue will come off, but if its sap/resine that's baked on it won't budge easily...So they all take on a "patina" after a few uses...
As has been said it adds character to the gear.. I only really wash off the excess soot to avoid soiling other equipment in the pack or the small inside of the stuff sack my pots are stored in....
cheers
Gareth

 

[mountainm]

A quick wipe with ethanol or Meths will remove the sticky Black tar easily. I clean my pots to prevent them mucking up my bag and making stowage easier.

 

[sandbender]

"...to avoid soiling other equipment in the pack or the small inside of the stuff sack my pots are stored in..."

I wrap mine in a bit of cloth to keep the rest of my gear clean.

 

[woof]

Green pad if you want the outside clean, that's what I use. Make sure you have 2 separate pads though, one for the inside & one for the outside.

Rob

 

[Midnitehound]

I read somewhere that if you smear the outside of the pan with washing up liquid piror to use that the soot just wipes off, too much faff for me.

Yep, this works very well I have found.

 

[Papa Tac]

Scrub the outside with river stone/gravel/sand (in season, of course)
Otherwise, I just let it build up until it gets too heavy.

 

[tylerjwhite]

1. You are never going to eat off the outsides of your pots so forget it.
I won't ask to eat off the outsides of your pots, either. Am I right?
2. It looks like you have been there before and done that, so relax.
As a guest, I'd be more confident in your cuisine.
3. Scrub the bejeezlies out of the insides. Makes your food more attractive.

BTW Tyler, that's about as nice a food fire as I have seen in a long time.
Lemmee get my bread fixins' organized, I'll be there in a minute.

Thanks!

I used what I consider to be a very British technique to cook with that pan, since it came from Rae Mears, who I'm sure got it from someone else as we all do. We also cooked Bannock bread on a rock that night on that fire. It was delicious!

Here's the videos associated.

Long Term Bugout 1
http://youtu.be/qJmoHr9m_nk
Long Term Bugout 2
http://youtu.be/ob7a0M-6sD8
Long Term Bugout 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWVMmjeqqVs

I'll the advice here and try the washing soap beforehand. Also the insides of my pans are still very clean. I scrub them well as soon as they are used to prevent sickness.

Thanks for the advice!

Ty

 

[tylerjwhite]

A quick wipe with ethanol or Meths will remove the sticky Black tar easily. I clean my pots to prevent them mucking up my bag and making stowage easier.

This is the main reason I ask, to keep other stuff clean.