Enamel cooking pots

[firecrest]

Is it safe to cook with enamel pots on an open fire?
I was looking at some on ebay, such as this breadbin, which looks good for cooking in

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LARGE-ROUND-VINTAGE-ENAMEL-BREAD-BIN-IN-BLUE-WHITE_W0QQitemZ150278411498QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item150278411498&_trkparms=72%3A984|39%3A1|66%3A2|65%3A12&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14.l1318

But would something like that just explode?

 

[SOAR]

is this the one?.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LARGE-ROUND-V...12|39:1|66:2|65:12&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14.l1318

 

[firecrest]

yeah that was it

 

[British Red]

It'll cook - but a stainless steel pot from Lidl or Aldi will be a lot heavier and spread heat better. I picked up a great all stainless pan in a simila shape including a steamet and rice basket for about £12 a few years back - its seen amny a chilli and rice in the fire and has gone that weird rainbow colour pans do after lots of open fires. Still going stong though

Red

 

[SOAR]

I think it would be ok for use on a fire, think it might be a bit heavy though.

By the way I really like your Artwork some very nice pastel and oil work on your link, you have a very natural talent for drawing people and animals.

 

[Neil1]

Firecrest,
I cooked curried goat at the moot for all the mods, so I needed a big pan and was lent a large enamel pan. It had two hours suspended over the fire with no ill effects to the pan or the diners.
Hope that helps
Neil

 

[firecrest]

Thanks soar I didnt put the link up on signature until i was pestered to do so at the moot!

Yeah I suspect this paticular breadbin is too heavy to cart around, but I saw some great enamel antique pans come up on ebay a while back which had very long handles so you could potentially sit by a fire and hold onto the handle. I thought it looked pretty useful but i didnt bid.

 

[British Red]

You might be surpirsed at the weight - breadbins don't weigh much as they don't have to be that strong. Sadly that thin-ness willl make a less effective pan. Nothing worng with enamel but I would agree - buy a pan not a breadbin

Red

 

[spamel]

Take a look on ronnie sunshines website for the cowboy cookset. It is blue enamel, four plates and cups, a billy, a coffee pot and a frying pan and I thin it is around the 25 quid point. Quite a bit of kit for 25 quid. They clean up easily and nobody I know who uses them has complained about them, in fact they sing their praises.

 

[Mike Ameling]

Nothing wrong with enamel cookware and cooking over an open fire. But get a pot/pan designed for how you want to use it.

And be a bit careful how you treat it. If you "bang" it too hard, that enamel will chip.

Enamelware has been around and used since the mid/late 1800's. It's been tried and tested for several gererations.

Mikey - yee ol' grumpy German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

 

[Mesquite]

And if you do chip the pan be careful as to what you cook in it.

Last I knew of it, is if you cook rhubarb in a enamel pan it has a reaction and if you eat it the rhubarb can cause you some serious damage.

 

[rik_uk3]

And if you do chip the pan be careful as to what you cook in it.

Last I knew of it, is if you cook rhubarb in a enamel pan it has a reaction and if you eat it the rhubarb can cause you some serious damage.

Can you expand on this statement please, details etc?

 

[Mesquite]

Can you expand on this statement please, details etc?

IIRC what happens is that a chipped spot on an enameled pan allows the iron core to be exposed which then reacts with the acids in the rhubarb during cooking. This then makes the rhubarb go 'off' and if eaten can lead to sickness and the trots in worst case scenarios.

Additionally, older enameled pots have been known to have lead and cadmium used as pigments in the colouring but this was banned in the late 70's. But it can still occur in enameled products from countries that don't have such strict control over the use of these types of metals.

 

[sam_acw]

Kephart was a fan of enamelware. The stuff was common from the 1870s onwards, before that untreated tin was the thing.
It is funny, talking about going on e-bay for it - I could just go to the supermarket as even the local Tesco stocks it.

 

[addo]

Firecrest, Your illustrations are amazing, I love that sunset, and the man blowing the tinder into flame. And the Venice one and ....

 

[rik_uk3]

IIRC what happens is that a chipped spot on an enameled pan allows the iron core to be exposed which then reacts with the acids in the rhubarb during cooking. This then makes the rhubarb go 'off' and if eaten can lead to sickness and the trots in worst case scenarios.

Additionally, older enameled pots have been known to have lead and cadmium used as pigments in the colouring but this was banned in the late 70's. But it can still occur in enameled products from countries that don't have such strict control over the use of these types of metals.

You can get the trots from drinking too much beer etc, don't sweat on it

 

[firecrest]

Firecrest, Your illustrations are amazing, I love that sunset, and the man blowing the tinder into flame. And the Venice one and ....

LOl The sad thing is I only put a small section up of the work Ive done, its stuffed in every cupboard, shelf wall and floor of my house. I need a mass sell-off somewhere.

 

[stevec038]

Is it safe to cook with enamel pots on an open fire?
I was looking at some on ebay, such as this breadbin, which looks good for cooking in

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LARGE-ROUND-VINTAGE-ENAMEL-BREAD-BIN-IN-BLUE-WHITE_W0QQitemZ150278411498QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item150278411498&_trkparms=72%3A984|39%3A1|66%3A2|65%3A12&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14.l1318

But would something like that just explode?

I have been using a blue speckled enamal 24oz cup to cook with for years. I have also used the same size tin cup all over open fires. I keep equipment down to bare minimums and usually find something else to do while the water boils for coffe,tea,oatmeal,soup, rice and whatever else I can find on the trail. I don't eat it all from the cup at the same time, I'm lazy but not a complete savage. It will soot up on the outside quite a bit and weighs more than some other things you could use (recycle an old tomatoe can-size is up to you will save several ounces) but will work just fine. The same sort of cookware has been used on open fires for hundreds of years. Have fun. Stevec038

 

[spamel]

There is some enamel gear at S&A. As I posted in another thread, phone before ordering to avoid dissapointment. 2 quid per item, so you can pick and choose as you please.

http://www.surplusandadventure.com/shop/bargains/deluxe-enamel-mug-plate-bowl-334776.html

I quite like the white and blue look, although how long it would stay that colour in use is another matter!