Frying Pan

[Billy13426]

I used to have a cheap coleman frying pan in my kit but it was too flimsy and ended up getting destroyed. I am now in search of a new frying pan that is small and compact enough to fit in a small backpack. It also needs to be quite sturdy. I would also consider a cooking pot as well with the same qualifications. Does anyone know of one I should try. I was kind of considering something like the msr seagull. Your advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Rick]

U.S. GI mess kit. Great frying pan.

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[jdbushcraft]

Go to thrift stores and find a good, solid, aluminum skillet. Picked one up for $.50 and it has lasted years. Get one with a heavy bottom.

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[Billy13426]

Ok i was wondering about it I will have to find one somewhere

[kyratshooter]

Walmart makes a very nice Teflon lined 8" frypan that sells for about $5.

It is in the kitchen equipment department and not in camping gear.

It is light enough to pack and heavy enough for real cooking.

The nonstick surface is also nice since I find that when traveling light I sometimes forget the oils needed for a proper fryup.

And when you bend it, melt the handle or wear out the nonstick surface you can scrap it and buy another on your next trip to Wallyworld.

[hunter63]

I like cast iron....for out door cooking...in-doors as well.....Hands down.
Pretty heavy for packing.....

Have used the "steel" pans,...... different sizes, and have used enameled steel as well....work OK but you have to be careful thing don't burn.

The old army mess kit Rick posted has also been used with good results....and are hard to beat.

The suggestion to go with a cheap alum. isn't a bad option.....

I guess I wonder what you were using and what happened to it?.....DW beat ya up.....?

.Never heard of a frying pan being destroyed unless it was the handle breaking off?

[kyratshooter]

I prefer cooking in cast iron too, but I'm not packing that stuff farther than from the truck to the campfire.

Humm, think I need a grilled cheese samich, getting hungry around here and all this cast iron talk.

[roxanwright]

I also want to have my own survival frying pan, your suggestions guys are really amazing! Will definitely try to create one

[TXyakr]

Do you need a light weight one for backpacking?

I like one that is also a lid to a cook pot. Have some that are large enough for lids to shallow 1 - 1.5 quart cook pots that can fry a small fish without cutting it in half. Also my 0.9 liter deeper Snow Peak Titanium pot has a tiny fry pan lid but not very useful except for 2-3 eggs or tiny pieces of fish or sausage, cut up bacon perhaps. Then I got a small ceramic "green pan" at a thrift store it is a bit heavy for backpacking but I take in a canoe/kayak for fish. Liked it a lot so bought larger ones for 50% off at Walmart when I saw them on clearance.

Then when car camping I really like cast iron because it holds the heat and when seasoned properly is anti-stick. But not ideal for backpacking or small kayak. I have a ridiculous number of cooking pots and pans, a big luxury of camping is hot food, having the most ideal devices for the style of camping I am doing helps a lot.

[finallyME]

I prefer cooking in cast iron too, but I'm not packing that stuff farther than from the truck to the campfire.

Humm, think I need a grilled cheese samich, getting hungry around here and all this cast iron talk.

Yesterday I was showing my son my skills on making the BEST grilled cheese in the ol' cast iron skillet. First you turn the cook top on to 5. Then you get all your stuff together...bread, butter, cheese (gouda is best), sliced ham, and a pizza sheet. Then you spread the cheese on one side of both slices of bread. When the pan is good and hot, you throw on one piece of bread with butter side down, cheese slice on top of that. Then throw ham straight on the skillet in a different spot. Wait a few seconds then flip the ham over. A few more seconds, then the ham goes on the cheese, and the second slice goes on top with butter facing up. Pizza sheet goes over the whole mess for a few more seconds...then flip the whole samich and pizza sheet back on top. Wait about 20-30 seconds....done.

He was a great learner and copied exactly to perfect results.

[kyratshooter]

I "created" a frying pan once, back in the day.

Found a 1/16" piece of sheet metal, heated it over the forge and went to it with a hammer. Made a loop and riveted it on so I could use a branch as a handle.

It looked like a cross between a soup ladle and a 1951 Ford hubcap and the guys really gave me a hard time over it. We were supposed to be reinacting the crude frontier but they said my stuff bordered on "too crude to be believable".

[LowKey]

I get the stainless steel stuff.
I've melted far too many pieces of aluminum cookware to count (mostly tea kettles on the electric burner stove at home though.)
Plus I'm not a big fan of cooking food in aluminum. Especially anything with tomatoes/tomato sauce. Yechy metal flavor.
You can get fairly light stainless cookware at just about any camping supply place or home supply store.

What's a survival frying pan? The one you steal from the wife so she doesn't clock you one when you come home late?

[hunter63]

Have one of these in my primitive overnight pack, along with a tin cup and billy can.
Found another one and thinking about a possible folding handle...think of ways to cut and hinge....pan was $3 bucks.

Like this one.....

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[kyratshooter]

I made a folding handle skillet for trekking out of one of those. I will dig it out and take a picture of it tomorrow so you can see the hinge and handle socket. it is a good bit of work and hardly worth the effort since those skillets are so light and handy anyway.

I have the nesting billy/large cup/small cup also, and two nesting sets made from the copper kitchen canister sets that were popular a few years back and then appeared in yard sales nationwide for $1 per set. I put folding handles and bails on them and they worked very well. I cooked a lot of meals out of them.

I have also taken off on several weekend excursions with only one of the old one pint tin cups as my only utensil. Works great as long as your menu revolves around rice and jerky with bannock bread baked on a stick.

[hunter63]

I am still debating cutting this up.......as they are light , and not really a problem packing.
Trader at Rondy had some for sale.

Don't know who made them but looked like some one had cut the handle off.........taken a old door hinge and nailed it back on.
Not done real well at all.

So it is a was a project for consideration........
Pic's would be good.

[TXyakr]

I used to have a cheap coleman frying pan in my kit but it was too flimsy and ended up getting destroyed. I am now in search of a new frying pan that is small and compact enough to fit in a small backpack. It also needs to be quite sturdy. I would also consider a cooking pot as well with the same qualifications. Does anyone know of one I should try. I was kind of considering something like the msr seagull. Your advice would be greatly appreciated.

I don't have a MSR Stainless Steel cockpot/pan but they look like a good choice to me, especially if you need to reduce weight but not go ultra light. A video review below:



I bought a larger Brunton aluminum 3 piece cook set with a 8" diameter fry pan lid and the primary pot is only about 3.25" deep, but both top and bottom work OK to fry up food. Stainless Steel will last longer if weight is not an issue and/or you can go smaller.

I also have Snow Peak (Japan) Trek 900 (as mentioned before) that is OK for 2 people plenty big for cooking part of small game or fish and not needing to cut up real small. But 5" diameter fry pan is not very useful. Also Titanium and stainless steel do not conduct heat like brass bottoms or solid cast iron so I only use these for when I am traveling light. On a rare occasion when I stop by a thrift store I see a great SS brass bottom pan or pot (Paul Revere or similar) for a good price, NOT put in kitchen with wife's stuff! Most of my visits to thrift stores and yard sales I find nothing I want, which is fine.

I saw this slightly larger Titanium pot and fry pan from Snow Peak at REI (has some reviews you can read) but look at other retailers for just the set you want an possibly a better price, I watch for discounts.

http://www.rei.com/product/668927/sn...ompact-cookset

There is also the Chinese Manuf., Keith-Ti, that makes fairly good Titanium products, look around at their website then find them at various retailers online etc. Ti is generally thinner than aluminum or stainless steel but stronger and lighter, however it can still be damaged especially if you put a lot of pressure on it. I.e. load gear on top of it in a bag etc. it will develop stress fractures over time and crack, does not conduct heat as well, if surface is not treated food sticks so you should use oil etc. (201mm = 7.9")

http://www.keith-ti.com/English/product/Ti6034.html

TOAKs Titanium medium Fry Pan 130mm (5.1") $17.50
http://toaksoutdoor.com/titanium130mmpan.aspx

TOAKS make many more cook sets and Ti products as well, not just fry pans

[jdbushcraft]

Hit antique and second hand stores. I bought a great old aluminum 8" skillet for $.50. It has cooked a lot of camp food.

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[natertot]

For backpacking and canoeing, I use the military one like Rick posted. MilSurp store near me had a bunch of those for 2.99 a piece a few years ago along with the utensil sets that lock together for 1.99. Five bucks for a pan, plate, and utensils seemed like a good idea, so picked me up four of them. They have served me well thus far.

[dandan]

I cook outdoors , and have both a cast iron one , and a Ikea alu one.
The cast iron one is a boat anchor , and can easily get rusty , although I keep it oiled.
The other is a beaut. MUCH lighter , and easier to use.

It has a foldable wood handle , and is easier to pack away.

Both are ridged pans , and cook steaks , fish , sausages really well over my Folding Firebox stove

[Zack]

U.S. GI mess kit. Great frying pan.

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Yes. This.