Stainless or not?

[Gary]

Seems to be an inexorable mountain of evidence building for Titanium in this thread.... ):

MMMMMMM What are titaniums pros and cons? I heard it turns the food black?
Is it one of these new fades - like Ali - will it be found to be/ or believed to be bad in some way somewhere down the line?

 

[zambezi]

No it is not the pot's fault that the food turns black...that happens because I'm a rubbish cook and tend to burn everything! ):

Seriously though, the metal seems as inert as stainless and ,certainly the pots I have, are so thin that any reduced heat conductivity relative to stainless is not that relevant.

 

[Andy]

thin pots are a problem if your cooing over a heat source that doesn't cover the entire base. I guess it isn't a problem when cooking over a fire though.

 

[Gary]

thin pots are a problem if your cooing over a heat source that doesn't cover the entire base. I guess it isn't a problem when cooking over a fire though.

That would depend on the pot and method used, most mugs and pots are generally stuck to one side of the fire to allow retreival - even a pot hung over a fire will generally get heat on one side more than the other due to wind shifting the convecting currents!

 

[dave750gixer]

I tend to use titanium when hiking/camping and stainless when bushcrafting. The Ti beacause it is rediculously light weight and the stainless since it is easier to scour with sand or grass roots to clean and that puts scratches on Titanium. I use and abuse stainless but considering the cost :shock: want to keep the titanium shiny ):

The other difference is the titanium gets to sit on a nice stable gas stove whereas the stainless gets used on real fires more and the extra mass seems to let me knock it over, spill it and generally have an oops that leaves me hungry a lot less.

 

[Hoodoo]

I'm definitely in the Ti camp. Absolutely love the stuff. My only complaint is that I have not found a decent pot with a bail. But I have several or more Ti pots and cups and they are all super. I do like my stainless pots though but the older I get, the lighter I want your pack so I look at it strictly from a practical point of view. When weight counts, Ti goes in my pack. And Ti cups do not burn your lips like aluminum cups do.

My entire cookset with an esbit "stove" weighs very little. Sometimes I even take n extra bowl along as an added luxury. Ti is light enough that you can add extra cookware and still stay lighter than stainless.

And when I find some nice, small Ti billy cans, I will be in Ti heavan. :Crazy_071

 

[Toddy]

*everybody* has opinions on this topic....

I feel that the pots you carry ought to be the ones that you *will* use, not the ones you , "well, may be I'll...", so generally a small kettle, a steep sided, deep pot with a good multi purpose lid that can double as fry pan/wok/plate is ample, and a sieve/steamer of some kind that fits inside the pot is awfully handy. Aluminium spreads heat well, but can very quickly get too hot, unless you can find a set with a sandwich base or let them get really manky on the *outside*.
S.steel/cast iron are great to cook with but they are heavy, if you can find thin s.steel pots with a sandwich steel/aluminium/steel or steel/copper/steel bottom you'll have brilliant pots, but not cheap :?: Titanium? ouch on the pocket, but if light is your main consideration in buying a pot.....

That said we have a set of cast iron fry pan with an old fashioned pour edge and girdle, both with hanging chains, that are very hard to beat over open fires....there's a cauldron (ahem! a stew/ soup pot!) kicking about somewhere too. Great when there's a crowd or a settled camp but a real pain to clean and keep from rusting. Unlike aluminium though the pitting doesn't seem to matter so long as you scour them well before use.

Toddy, who found ransomes yesterday and is going to have them with lunch

 

[arctic hobo]

Especially with Trangia's you need to be careful how you store Alu pots. The aluminium can oxidise and you can get pitting that makes a perfect home for bacteria.

That's not quite right. Aluminium is always oxidised - it oxidises as soon as it contacts air. You can see this very faintly if you cut it - it starts very shiny and then quickly goes a little duller. This is the reason it does not corrode, the oxide layer means no more can be affected.

 

[sargey]

Ti mug, and hard anodised aluminium everything else is probably the best way to go. aluminium conducts heat too well for sanything you'll be putting near your lips. of course you could get an ali mug with a clip on plastic rim that leaks and dribbles your coffee all down your front :roll: ): if you don't want to spend money on a Ti mug then s/steel mugs are your second choice.

heat distribution is a problem with thin walled anything, especially Ti and s/steel. it's ok if you're making noodles or something with alot of water. but trying to make porridge can be very trying indeed.

i use a sainsburys hard anodised pie tin for a universal plate/bowl frying pan, a snowpeak Ti mug & bigger pot, and, dare i admit it? a plastic spoon!

cheers, and.

 

[leon-1]

I tend to prefer Stainless, I have other pans, but use stainless more often than not.

If it has a copper or slighlty heavier base the heat distribution tends to be a little more even and I have never managed to melt the bottom out of one yet, I can't say that for aluminium.

 

[ChrisKavanaugh]

Cast ironware should NEVER be scoured. You 'season' the iron with a thin application of quality vegetable oil applied to the warmed utensil. Future use requires only vigourous scraping of food residue with a non metal scraper ( carve another wooden utensil) and another light re application of oil. If you worry about any potential rancidity from improper storage ( you can smell it ) a bath of natural cider vinegar periodically keeps things clean. The more use cast iron gets the better the food seems to be vs a new unit. If you are setting up a more permanent basecamp at least one Dutch oven or those round african units should be considered. Ironware can be left to slowly cook ( taking proper fire precautions of course) without the constant attention other methods require. A communal meal and readily available hot water for tea or coffee over a fire creates an incredible community atmosphere, and a welcome asset if somebody staggers in hurt or tired off the trail. Cast iron is also something still produced more or less regionally. Without naming a certain nation, I LIKE my american made oven for stone soup, brit Brown Betty teapot for Earl Grey and french Opinel for the Brie :chill:

 

[Toddy]

On principle I agree with you on the cast iron. However, I refuse to cook in an orange coloured pot...even oiled and really well 'cooked in', unless kept in the warm place, they rust in our climate. It's real bother, probably why we all prefer stainless steel and aluminium

Toddy

 

[AUSSIE]

I use cast iron all the time! Keep it well oiled, naturally carbon coated, used virtually every day and you will never have a problem with rust ever!

 

[Toddy]

I use cast iron all the time! Keep it well oiled, naturally carbon coated, used virtually every day and you will never have a problem with rust ever!

See I find it too heavy to carry for one or two, and I don't like cooking with it at home but on an open hearth it's brilliant. Thus inevitably the damn stuff rots and I'm not covering it in WD40 so it needs scoured. Horses for courses. :?:

Toddy

 

[NuclearPower]

'' really like the trangia duossal pots, it has the best of 2 worlds aluminium on the outside and stainless on the inside and it does not weigh much.''


Japp! It's a very good combination.
Just don't forget that aluminium is noxious in the long run....