Campers' Guide to Outdoor Cooking

Essential Cooking Outdoor Utensil: The Pot - Part 2

Written by GHP on 2:57 AM

Campers' Guide to Outdoor Cooking: cooking outdoor utensil


Continuing on from Part 1, we now discuss other properties of the pot that is also very important.

The Pot Handle, Rim and Edge

There are other factors that you must consider when using the pot in the wild. For this essential cooking outdoor utensil, do you want a bail handle or swing handle? A black exterior finish, a nonstick finish? A lipped rim? Rounded bottom edge?

A bail handle works great on larger pots, but you have to be wary if it falls against the side of the pot. As the pot is made of metal, the handle will conduct heat pretty quickly, and unless you have a pot holder, you could be in for a nasty burn. Ironic (*laugh*) enough, swing handles, designed to address this very problem, can get very hot also. Swing handles swing out from the side of the pot, but even with its rubber coating, the handle can get quite warm; being in the wild and using the pot as a cooking outdoor utensil, you cannot afford to burn your hands. Swing handles also make it hard to use a windscreen and to nest your pots. Your best bet: do not use pots with handles altogether. The solution? Try a handless pot and use a pot grabber or pot lifter instead. The latter items can be purchased separately and cost very little. A pot lifter will keep you from burning your fingers, and can reduce the chance of spilling your food.

Following nicely from the above paragraph: a lipped rim is essential if you intend to use a pot grabber. Not only does it give the pot grabber something to hold onto but it makes your pot stronger and less prone to warping. Distributing the heat evenly in the pot is essential for non-burnt food and easier cleaning. Pots with rounded bottom edges encourages just that.

Pots that have a black exterior finish tend to absorb heat faster and reduces the time it takes for your pot to boil water. If you don’t have a pot with black exteriors, you can spray a pot you already own with flat black paint; the same effect will be achieved. As with your home cookware, camping pots with a nonstick finish make cooking and cleaning than much easier. Therefore a nonstick finish is a must if you intend to bake using your pot.

The pot handle, rim, edges and finish might seem simple, but when the pot is used as an cooking outdoor utensil you must choose carefully based on what your needs are.

Campers' Guide to Outdoor Cooking: cooking outdoor utensil