Sooty Billies

[ilovemybed]

Hello all,
Just looking to canvas opinons here...
cooking over an open fire makes your pans go black. Now, I've never had a problem with this concept; I like the used look!
Someone recently reminded me of a trick to avoid this - simply put a thin coating of fairy liquid over the base of the pan, and the soot/tar won't stick.

Problem i foresee is that if the soot doesn't stick, then instead it goes all over your hands and your gear!

So: Shiny pan or sooty pan. Which do you prefer? And why!

 

[andyn]

I thought black pans were good becuase they abosrb more heat and are therefore more efficient....or is that an old "husbands" tale to get out the washing up?

 

[jdlenton]

now here's a question I've been having this debate with friends and my self

i grew up in the scouting movement where on return form camp everything was scrub shiny again
now i can see the vertues in teaching young men to keep things clean tidy and well looked after

so my billies used to get scrubbed with in an inch of there life (astonish from wilco's works great for stainless billies)

but now my stuff gets used so much i dont really have time to clean then that way any more so they stay black now this is great as long as you build a pot stand in camp that stops the bottom of your billy picking up leaf litter and other stuff off the ground and it getting welded to the bottom by the fire if this does happen then a clean is needed

the soot getting in your kit problem the pot will go black sure but if you wash off the loose soot before you pack and carry your billie in a washable canvas bag ( think old bank money bag ) then i find this doesn't happen and i can stick the bag in the wash when i get home

as for the theory of the black pot being more heat efficient than the shiny pot i dont hold much by this as a shiny pot on a fire goes black pretty quickly any way

so i used to be a shiny pot man now I'm a lack pot man that sometimes scrubs them clean



we need 2 more option
i used to keep them shiny now i keep them black
and
I used to keep them black now i keep them shiny

 

[Tony]

I clean off the stuff that’s loose and leave the rest. Getting enough off that it doesn’t get everything black seems to work well, they look a bit messy, or used they don’t get anything else dirty and it’s a lot quicker than scrubbing them clean.

I think I agree that a pot on an open fire isn’t going to cook much differently if it’s clean metal or black metal, even if there is a difference I can’t see it being that great on a thin billy, that’s just going to get hot quick no matter what.

 

[Montivagus]

I try and keep my pots shiny. I have to say though cooking over a good pile of embers is a lot more efficient than putting a pot on the fire too early and pretty much avoids blackening.
I would wonder about the insulating effect of a layer of soot and it’s bound to be a bad conductor of heat. Black is also a better radiator of heat so black pot sides will be loosing you heat.
But then witches are always standing around a black cauldron!??

 

[Tony]

Umm, just thinking about the Poll, i'm in between the don't care and the get it clean, I just clean it enough for it not to get other things dirty....

 

[Wayland]

I clean the inside and wipe down the out side to remove loose soot before dropping my billy into a skin bag to keep the rest of my gear cleanish.

Not sure where that leaves my vote.

Aha the polls just changed to include my option.

 

[Tony]

Just edited the Poll, I hope you don't mind

 

[ilovemybed]

Just edited the Poll, I hope you don't mind

No worries Tony.
I didn't include it in the poll because I took it as read that people will get rid of the loose crud (and that they at least have a go at cleaning the insides out!!)

Still, it's clearer now.

Cheers!
Neil

 

[stovie]

Tend to cook on coals, and as has been said above, this reduces the amount of black bottoms...so to speak

 

[Dan Wound]

I voted before the new option was added, I believe in cleaning it so's other gear doesn't get dirty, but I like the black bottom for two reasons 1) I believe in the heat/black argument and 2) It reminds me of all the nice meals I've had previous thanks to that particular billy.....cheers Billy, top lad !!

 

[Cap'n Badger]

Not really fussed.....all me galley gear go's in the side pouch o' me berg....so no worries about gettin' me other gear dirty......will give it a clean when I gets back, after the 'restock of me comestibles' tho....

 

[rik_uk3]

Wipe off the loose stuff, put billey in a plastic carrier bag and pack.

 

[Bisamratte]

as long as its still clean and shiney on the inside, a quick wipe on the outside and a plastic bag works for me

 

[Tadpole]

With my stainless steel billy, I wipe it clean and chuck it in the diswasher when I get home. With my aluminium stuff, I clean it with a plastic scouring pad and lots of water. Putting it in the dishwasher tends to make the whole thing go grey and nasty.
So long the stainless stuff comes out 100% clean on the inside, I don’t care what the outside looks like.
My copper frying pan is a black as tar, and never gets cleaned at all. A wipe over with a paper towel is all that gets or needs. Oh the breakfasts that has cooked.

 

[fred gordon]

I think a bit of black on the pans is something to remind you of the open fire when you get back home. You can always take the pan out when you feel you want to get out but can't and enjoy the smell of the woodsmoke. Smell is one of the strongest senses and I confess to getting the tarp out from time to time in the winter and burying my head in it, just for the smell. Sad I know! I think the Boy Scouts got us to scrub our pans to keep us busy and out of trouble.

 

[maddave]

I leave the outside black, it tranfers heat quicker in my opinion therefore using less fuel

 

[copper_head]

yeah I go for the black option as well, theoretically the black should absorb more heat (Gcse physics new it would come in handy some day ), however I just think it looks better. As for getting other gear dirty, youd have to be burning some horrible stuff to get a layer of soot on your pans, I've never had that with wood... Just a black layer of carbon (?).

 

[Simon E]

Keep it clean and shiny. Out in the field you need discipline otherwise stuff will get lost or dirty.

I usually camp near a water source anyway, but I use one of those extra rough Brillo Pad like cleaners (no soap in it and they look like Stainless Steel lathe turnings) there is very little they cant get off if its only from a couple of cooking sessions (like lunch and dinner) if you leave it on for a few days its a pain in the bum to get off.

 

[brancho]

Sad I know! I think the Boy Scouts got us to scrub our pans to keep us busy and out of trouble.

I am a Scout leader and if the Scouts are playing up they might this sort of job but I happy with them being black on the outside.