Camp cookware - cheap & light mini-skillet

Those tin ones are awesome, and the walmarts do well too. Just be careful not to burn the coating!
 
Joezilla said:
... Just be careful not to burn the coating!
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I still have the heavier mil-surp ones (with metal handle and no coating) for campfire use, but thought this one would do well on my canister stove. The coated pan's handle is rated for oven temperatures, but we know campfires can go way above that at times.

I found this from T-Fal on it's coatings:

All T-FAL non-stick coatings contain PTFE, (polytetrafluoroethylene) a remarkable plastic polymer. This is the slippery ingredient that makes the non-stick finish. PTFE is made up of "tetra fluoro ethylene" molecules that contain only carbon and fluorine. The non-stick coating is not attacked by acid or alkali bases and is very stable when heated. Health authorities in the US, Canada, France, Europe and other countries have approved non-stick PTFE coatings for use on cookware. Actually, it is an inert substance which does not enter into chemical reactions with food, water, or household cleaners. If ingested, it is totally innocuous to the body. Non-stick is so safe it is frequently used by the medical profession for coating heart stimulators, small pipes used as replacement arteries, and has even been injected into patients with serious kidney conditions.
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I don't see it as a piece I'll carry all the time, but it would be handy occasionally on short trips where I could carry a bit of fresh meat, a few eggs, or had the time and inclination to make some cathead biscuits or hoecakes.

Removing the handle? I guess it could be sawn or cut with a dremmel tool, but it wouldn't get in my way on my stove, or take up that much more room in my pack. It might be lighter and fit into a ziploc bag better though.
 
Does it really weigh 4 oz??

This is the one I use. It came out of a little SS mess kit I bought at one of the "Truckload of Tools" sales you see every now and then.

However to be honest I very seldom bring anything other than the pot behind it and some heavy duty aluminum foil.

If I bring eggs backpacking I normally just make them hard boiled and then I use the water for coffee to conserve weight, water, and fuel.;)
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hollowdweller said:
Does it really weigh 4 oz??...
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I don't have one in hand yet to weigh it, but that is what some serious gear weight watchers posted here. I also note that one user posted that he saved 1 oz. by cutting the handle off, then mentioned that he was scarring the coating using the metal gripper. The diameter is only 4 3/4" so the claimed weight sounds possible.

hollowdweller said:
...However to be honest I very seldom bring anything other than the pot behind it and some heavy duty aluminum foil.
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Likewise myself. But I do like the option of having a lightweight, albeit small cooking surface for foods that I would otherwise have to use a flat rock or wood plank to cook. The non-stick surface is a plus to me in reducing the need for oil to prevent sticking, and the ridged bottom does work in helping spread the heat more evenly to prevent hot spots. At least it does on some of my home kitchen pans.
 
Tefal make good cookware, despite the low cost, this will be a very well made pan with an excellent non stick coating.
 
I just bought one of these at my local big R store. Price-$4.85 thats cheap. Havent used it yet but I bought 2 one for the wife and she loves it but were not talking right now so I will have to give her review later LOL- Joel
 
Not bad, but am I the only one who usually eats 3-4 eggs? I like the price, but I need a little more surface area.
 
Snow said:
Not bad, but am I the only one who usually eats 3-4 eggs? I like the price, but I need a little more surface area.
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I'll let you know when I get one for myself what the egg capacity is. I'm willing to give up cooking surface size for something more compact and lighter than the camp skillets I already have since I solo more than go with a partner or group.

...were not talking right now so I will have to give her review later LOL- Joel
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At least she'll be happy you haven't bought any knives lately! :p

Edit to add: A large egg weighs 2oz. and a medium weighs 1.75oz. so the skillet doesn't weigh as much as three eggs.
 
My daughter went to the big city tonight and picked up my T-Fal Oneeggwonder pan.

I like it. I haven't used it yet, but I will in the morning even if my electricity is still on (ice storm coming).

This is one of those pieces of inexpensive gear that I really had some doubts about before I held it. I believe I can cook two eggs at a time in it and it will cook one heck of a hoecake. The sides and bottom are thicker than I had imagined. Much thicker than my old pressed aluminum camp gear, though not as thick as the GI skillet.

I already see me shortening the handle a bit. Not for weight, but for better balance while empty on my camp stove. I might even go so far as to totally remove the plastic part of the handle altogethr and adapt a camp pot gripper to grip the metal tab the handle is attached to. I'll wait on that though until I have used it some. I might just find the original handle needed to control it when flipping and egg, hoecake or cathead biscuit.

It did cost more at our local Wal-Mart than some paid elsewhere ($5.97 + tax), but I couldn't buy a comparable pan from REI or Campmor for that.
 
I like to bring pita bread on my solo's, so am trying to think of some fried goodies for that pan that would make a good fajita. The easiest might just be some fried steak and onions....mmmm:thumbup:
 
My Wal-mart reciept printed it out as "Saute Pan". I like fajitas at home so I am thinking of making up some fajitas in camp with it. One full pan of stirfry will fill two fajitas for me. Steak, tomatos, onion, bell pepper and McCormick fajita seasoning.

On the packaging inside it has a limited lifetime warranty and warns to use plastic or wooden utensils. I already have a small GSI nylon spatula.
 
Codger_64 said:
My Wal-mart reciept printed it out as "Saute Pan". I like fajitas at home so I am thinking of making up some fajitas in camp with it. One full pan of stirfry will fill two fajitas for me. Steak, tomatos, onion, bell pepper and McCormick fajita seasoning.

On the packaging inside it has a limited lifetime warranty and warns to use plastic or wooden utensils. I already have a small GSI nylon spatula.
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That's living large on the trail :D I'm getting one.
 
brians said:
That's living large on the trail :D I'm getting one.
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I'm thinking of using my homemade venison jerky and other dehydrated ingredients. It will only take five to eight minutes to rehydrate, drain and saute'.

My love of fresh food in the outdoors is one big hangup I have with lightening my pack weight. Most dehydrated meals I have tried are o.k. for occasional or short term fare, but I do work up a big appetite when hiking. And there is a world of difference in the taste and satisfaction of cooked food over rehydrated food to me. Now to find a place that gives away those sour creme packets! :p
 
Codger_64 said:
I'm thinking of using my homemade venison jerky and other dehydrated ingredients. It will only take five to eight minutes to rehydrate, drain and saute'.

My love of fresh food in the outdoors is one big hangup I have with lightening my pack weight. Most dehydrated meals I have tried are o.k. for occasional or short term fare, but I do work up a big appetite when hiking. And there is a world of difference in the taste and satisfaction of cooked food over rehydrated food to me. Now to find a place that gives away those sour creme packets! :p
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Agreed on the rehydrated meals. Supplementing them with some fresh cooked meat would go a long way in improving their taste and the caloric intake.

I think carving a quick wood spatula in camp might be fun, too :)
 
A few years back I took the family camping and my wife realized during breakfast that she hadn't brought a fork to turn the bacon. The wife and kids were amazed when I cracked off a piece of wood and carved out a functional long handled fork in a few minutes with my Uncle Henry. The next year we went camping again and it magically reappeared. She had kept it all that time. I was like "duh, it is disposable"! She thought it was a work of art. :rolleyes:
 
Codger_64 said:
A few years back I took the family camping and my wife realized during breakfast that she hadn't brought a fork to turn the bacon. The wife and kids were amazed when I cracked off a piece of wood and carved out a functional long handled fork in a few minutes with my Uncle Henry. The next year we went camping again and it magically reappeared. She had kept it all that time. I was like "duh, it is disposable"! She thought it was a work of art. :rolleyes:
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LOL, kindred spirits. here's mine:

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