View Full Version : cooking equipment
i'm looking to make my own setup with stove spices etc but don't know what to get. It's got to be quite cheap and pack down compact with room for other thing. I was thinking the sweedish army trangia? and opinions/views/ideas? :shock:
Is it ment to be a one person cooking kit or do you share with others ? Do you need campfire cooking capabilitities ?
if it's for solo cooking with no campfire, i would go for a small compact cooking pot ( i got a track 900 ) lets say a primus solo cooking kit, primus lite tech ketel, GSI boiler or other small light weight pots. The windscreen and potstand can be easily made one disposible BBQ. A good lightweight and compact stove would be a trangia (or make one from cans whcih will be even lighter and cheaper.)
The swedish trangia would be a good choice if you cook both on campfire's and on stove's aswell. It's cheap, but the not lightest option.
for just campfire cooking, get a stainless storage tin with lit. Drill a hole in the middle of the lid to make a handle, by pluging it with a long bolt, a small piece of wood with hole in it and a nut. And drill 2 holes in the "pot" to you can put a heavy steel wire, so you can han the thing over your fire.
RAPPLEBY2000
24-11-2004, 14:02
as for spices and flavours, dry powders such as pepper and salt need to be kept dry so any small airtight container will do a popular choice is the 35mm film canister.
other options are ziplok bags, silver foil folded, and you can collect tiny bottles from hotels wash them well and re use as condiment containers.
if you go into your local camping shop they probably have some sort of salt or pepper container, i guess just remember how much you actually use!
as for sauces again airtight containers but make sure it is sealed well! "Coghlans" make "squeeze tubes" which are excellent for anything from butter to jam and syrups i have used them to carry mango chutney for an indian i made once.
it's sometimes worth buying a ration pack they sometimes have usefull bits,
i bought a US army MRE ration that had a tiny bottle of tabasco in about 1" tall!
other things, when you go for a coffee or burger, pick up some free sugar, salt, pepper, face wipes even packets of sauce, vinegar ect.
they are there for you to take, and quite usefull to make up cheep camping menu's.
during my mountain leadership training i knew i would be away from freash food for a while, if you are away for a week or more it's worth taking some vitamin supliments too, just the one a day cover everything pill does the job.
an area which is always missed is washing up!
you can use the same containers 35mm to carry a small amount of washing up liquid!
make sure you use the concentrated Bio-degradable soap which can also be used for personal hygine and clothes washing, a very useful addition!
hope thats given you some ideas.
TheViking
24-11-2004, 15:52
Jack, try and do a search for swedish army mess kit and you'll end up with loads of posts and threads! :D
35mm film cannisters can contain chemical left from the film, thats why some poeple don't use them for food stuff and Neither do i. 35mm's are just for tinder packing and other non-food storage for me.
actually i ment chemicals. What kind of chemicals i really don't know i just heared something about it. Since people already get exposed to all kind of chemicals i figure i just get the food grade containers for the job.
I work at a store which has a photo development lab, they got lots of jugs with chemicals with warning signs on them. Those are for development instead of coming of the film it self, but still... i also like the caps on the bought food grade containers more than the 35mm caps.
Hi I think are nitrite ones, but if you left the container with saltwater during 24h then is free of these chemical, this is what I have read in some forum but I donīt have a technical and medical certificate of that.
enjoy
bambodoggy
24-11-2004, 17:44
I've always used 35mm containers for washing up liquid.... Can't imagine they'd have that much left in them after a good wash out though!
cant imagen that they would have anything particularly bad in there.. expecially not in dangerous ammounts.. i think i will risk it but i dont think it could hurt to wash them out!
Paganwolf
24-11-2004, 18:04
What chemical is that?
Pretty sure its silver nitrate .
dont think the film would be much good if the silver nitrate fell out in to the pot.. it is sealed in cellulose.
Paganwolf
24-11-2004, 18:20
I used film pots for years to house baby tarantulas prior sale they all lived and thrived ok, there pretty susceptable to any nasties
Tantalus
24-11-2004, 18:23
non food grade plastic is often coloured with lead based dyes
electricians it has been found often have seriously high lead levels :shock:
cos after stripping the insulation off wires with their teeth they wander around munching on it without even thinking :nono:
Tant
RovingArcher
24-11-2004, 19:20
Yep, is true. There may be some traces of chemicals used in the film making process, but the majority of the chemicals that are found in the container are those used in the production of the container. Plus non food grade plastics leach their properties as well as absorb other properties from items stored in them. I couldn't say if it's enough to actually be hazardous, but there are so many other things attacking us on a genetic level, that I can't see adding anything to it on my own if I can help it.
I do use film canisters for tinder, fish kits and other non food related items, but food is kept in proper containers. Single serving condiments are found in fast food eateries and are free. So that is what I carry with me in their own packaging. Small, lite weight and already measured out.
As for a stove, right now I carry an Esbit with solid esbit fuel and some HD foil with paperclips as a windscreen. I've been eyeing the Swedish mess kit in Stainless, but wouldn't want to carry the extra weight, so if I did go with the mess kit, it'd go into the vehicle and used to pull over cooking, etc.
Even though I have no experience with it, the trangia seems to be a good little stove and when coupled with the Clickstand, would be an excellent piece of kit.
I've always found that the small Nalgene Containers are pretty good, they cost a bit more, but they're worth it. :o):
Some useful containers are M&M Minis, I use for all sorts of stuff, and the Natures Aid vitamin containers, all food safe and have very good sealable lids leak proof.
The film canisters leak, so I never use them.
Frogo
Find a friend who uses contact lenses. The small bottles of cleaner are ideal for soap and the like. Since the contents potentially go in your eyes, any residue left after washing out shouldn't be harmful.