Frying in the field

[Zammo]

Just wondering what people use to fry in the field? I decided to run a test in my garden in preperation for a trip to Wales. I attempted to make bacon & eggs. Firstly I tried my mess tins and they were pretty useless, even using a little olive oil the food stuck to the bottom and was a real pain to clean.

Then I tried a bit of kit that I had removed from my main gear as I thought it was rubbish. It's sort of a cheap copy of a US mess kit and has a frying pan clipped over a plate, a small pot and a cup. Again I put a little oil in the pan and soon had myself a nice fry up going. Plus the good thing is the food didn't stick and it was a doddle to clean.

One thing I did learn is that II will definately be taking a small bottle of olive oil along with me! All I need now is to get my hands on a camping sized spatula and tongs.

 

[ANDYRAF]

Make them when you get to where your going out of wood.

 

[Shambling Shaman]

All I need now is to get my hands on a camping sized spatula and tongs.

got some will dig them out..

 

[woof]

Spatula's are 19 pence in asda, just cut them down to fit your kit. Boots have small bottles and such which are ideal for small amounts of olive oil, butter, washing up liquid & what have you.

 

[squantrill]

I used my trangia swiss tin on a n open fire stove gave up frying and the chicken burgers were done this way..

Pour in some water!

Boil the burger till its almost cooked

Tip out the water

Wait till the fire dies a little put the burgers back on and heat them a little this dries the outside..

Tasted a bit wierd but it was food

Another tip if you want to fry use lots of oil!!

 

[Phil562]

I have a Primus frying pan, great bit of kit equally at home on a fire or a stove, just like this one:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Primus-Frying...8428536QQcmdZViewItem?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

Though I got mine in a fishing tackle shop and it was slightly cheaper then this

I know their not particularly cheap however they will last forever

 

[Wallenstein]

I've thought about trying the non-stick liners you can get...

http://www.bake-o-glide.co.uk/productfocus.asp?domestic=true&reqPage=1

... you can cut them to size, and they are good up to 260C (and can be used for frying).

You should be able to buy a sheet for about £5 and they will weigh next-to-nothing, might be worth a try.

 

[EdS]

take good quality rape oil rather than olive.

It has a delicate flavour so can be use as dressing (like virgin olive oil), is locally produced and it will take high heat (vigin and extra virgin olive oil burn very readily).

 

[Mike B]

Old Chefs trick is to "season the pan".
Designate a pan/messtin for frying and only use it for that,heat some oil and standard table salt till the oil starts to smoke, (the salt should dissolve slightly into the oil),then allow to cool off a bit,then repeat 2 more times and your pan will be seasoned.
Do not wash the pan but give a good wipe out with kitchen roll,both after seasoning and after use.
Do not fry wet cured bacon in it as it contains so much water it'll ruin the seasoning and things will stick again.
Mike B...

 

[spamel]

Fry bacon? Nah!! Get it on a stick over the coals and cook it the proper way!

 

[Mike Ameling]

It's always amazed me how some people absolutely insist on fried bacon and eggs for breakfast no matter where they are - at home, in a restaurant, in a fixed camp, or even on a quick/light trekk. They still HAVE TO HAVE their fried bacon and eggs.

I tried convincing several buddies to ... try ... just try ... roasting their bacon on a stick over the fire. They acted like I was an excaped mental patient. And when I suggested a hard boiled or poached egg instead of fried, they switched off their brains to any more of my suggestions. Such things just aren't done any other way!

I almost never FRY foods when out trekking or camping. I boil, roast, or bake things. Or I have them pre-cooked before I head out, and can eat then as-is or after warming them up.

But I also don't try to duplicate the types/styles of food that I cook at home when I'm out-n-about. If I really wanted to do that much duplication of it, I'd just stay home and do it there.

Part of it all is the Journey, and the new experiences along the way. Food and how you cook it is a part of all that.

Just my humble thoughts to share. Take them as such.

Mikey - yee ol' grumpy blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

p.s. In years past, I carried along a frypan, or used the bottom of my 18th century trade kettle, tin cup, or even used a hot/flat rock. And then throw in the improvised fry pan from a garden hoe or a shovel - even a simple flat sheet of iron. But that slight change in diet made things better overal. But the '57 Buick hubcap incident is best left untold.

 

[Ratbag]

..... But the '57 Buick hubcap incident is best left untold.

Ah go on. Go on, go on....

Rat

 

[John Fenna]

I have posted a review of a little mess set like the one you used in the Reviews section. The reviewed item is actually non stick!

 

[BOD]

A good fry up is part of the ritual of starting a journey.

Whether it is a day's coastal sailing, a passage race across the sea, a plane to another land or just a walk in the woods, two fundamental rituals must take place - what I call morning prayers in the loo; and a good sized plate of bacon, sausages and eggs.

I can eat anything on the journey but it has to start right.

 

[Zammo]

Thanks for all the replies. I do like the non stick version you've reviewed John plus also Phil's primus frying pan but I can't really justify buying it so I was thinking of just buying a few of the non-stick liners Wallenstein suggested. Then I have the choice of using my set or even my old mess tins.

Will have to give carving a spatular and tongs a go failing that I will cannabilse some cheapo ones.

BOD I agree you have to have a fry up when camping!

Mike, wrapping bacon around a stick and stuck in the fire, i'll take you word for it that it tastes nice. But I would give poaching an egg a go, should be a lot easy to clean up than frying.

 

[fishy1]

Thanks for all the replies. I do like the non stick version you've reviewed John plus also Phil's primus frying pan but I can't really justify buying it so I was thinking of just buying a few of the non-stick liners Wallenstein suggested. Then I have the choice of using my set or even my old mess tins.

Will have to give carving a spatular and tongs a go failing that I will cannabilse some cheapo ones.

BOD I agree you have to have a fry up when camping!

Mike, wrapping bacon around a stick and stuck in the fire, i'll take you word for it that it tastes nice. But I would give poaching an egg a go, should be a lot easy to clean up than frying.

Or you could try scrambling the eggs, it's really easy and very nice and easy to clean the pan.

 

[StJon]

Can't remember all the details but a scout master fried an egg on a bit of paper soaked in oil at a camp once... anyone any ideas? For me its sausage impaled on a green stick, then rap the bacon round the sausage, never take eggs
jon

 

[Paddywacker]

I fry my eggs in an orange peel. Cut the Orange in half, scoop out the flesh, crack the egg into the "cup" and stick in the embers of the fire. You enjoy eating the orange and then have your egg.
I've also cooked sausages in a banana peel. Same process, peel back one sliver of banana peel, take out the fruit, stick in your sausage and place in the embers of the fire.

 

[BOD]

I fry my eggs in an orange peel. Cut the Orange in half, scoop out the flesh, crack the egg into the "cup" and stick in the embers of the fire. You enjoy eating the orange and then have your egg.
I've also cooked sausages in a banana peel. Same process, peel back one sliver of banana peel, take out the fruit, stick in your sausage and place in the embers of the fire.

That sounds great I will try that. thanks PW

 

[Mike Ameling]

Ah go on. Go on, go on....

Rat

Umm ... aaaah ... errrr ... well you see ...

That '57 Buick hub cap was something of a ... we're desparate ... improvisation. But some individuals involved did not take into account time, rust, flaking chrome, and leaked bearing grease in their decision to raid that junker car for cooking equipment. Some of that you just can't clean off well enough.

Any further comment could lead to that promised dire revenge for the ... gastronomic terror ... inflicted on un-named/un-known parties involved.

Let's just say that I would rather clean and use the blade of the shovel used in the latrine for a frypan than do that other little ... experiment ... again.

Yes, have done that too. Kind of why I finally "cured" myself of that part of the usual morning ritual/habit. But the cafeen is still a problem.

Mikey - still aware of how ones past can haunt your future