favorite kitchenware?

[Sharon D]

I am in the thinking and online shopping phase of pulling together a small but functional kitchen set for my UHaul CT. At the moment it only gets used on occasional weekends, and mostly just heating up water. But I would like to think about doing more. I am a fanatic about not having stuff everywhere though, so I want small and compact stuff.

I have been looking at some of the collapsible bowls, colanders, and coffee drips. Also, backpacking pots/pans and tea kettles. For example: this collapsible coffee drip: Amazon.com : GSI Outdoors 79480 Collapsible Java Drip Coffee Maker : Camping Coffee And Tea Pots : Sports & Outdoors

Possibly collapsible colanders like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Prepworks-Prog...dp/B00EZQQJ78/

Those of you who have already stocked your kitchens, do you have any advice or warnings? Anything you tried and removed from your kitchens?

Sharon

[Ricky 4]

I use the Progressive bowls from Camping World-they collaspe and have lids.
I have a small colander and small electric skillet-9 inch.
We have limited room also so we always are the lookout for compact small items.
It is fun to hunt and find items.

[Carol Ann in TO]

I have a set of GSI halulite pots and the small kettle too. Small and light.
For coffee, an Aeropress. Best coffee and with the above kettle it's just a couple of minutes to make a fresh cup


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[mary and bob]

We have some of the collapsable stuff from Camping World, mainly because we stopped at one and saw them. Over the years we have accumulated lots of extra cookware and utensils to use just for camping. But what we take depends on where we are going, for how long, and what we are cooking. Having two campers that we regularly use, plus a 3rd that gets little use, we still have to move things from one to the other. Good Will and Salvation Army stores can be good sources for inexpensive cookware at really good prices.

[TomK]

Sharon, we have the collapsible GSI Mellita style coffee filter holder you mentioned. It does a good job, but if you have the space I recommend the original Mellita brand. It is easier to see how full the cup is, and easier to clean. It's also indestructible. Here is the one we prefer:

Amazon.com: Melitta 64008 Red Ready Joe Filter Cone: Disposable Coffee Filters: Home & Kitchen

It comes in black as well. They are made for size#2 filters, but most people like size #4 better because they are less apt to overflow. I've tried every possible way to make coffee, but never had a better cup o' joe than made with the Melitta system. Period.

This is the kettle we use. It's stainless and indestructible as well. You can even hang it over a campfire.

Amazon.com : GSI Outdoors Glacier Stainless Kettle : Camping Coffee And Tea Pots : Sports & Outdoors

Hope this helps.

Tom

[Darwin Maring]

Our favorite kitchenware is the place settings at a restaurant.

[Sharon D]

Tom, I have that red Melitta and a cheaper green one... I take one to Japan with me because there is always a thermos of hot water, but never good coffee. I thought the collapsible one might pack better. I have heard good things about the Aeropress, but I wonder about cleaning it out. A Melitta filter is really easy.

Thanks for the recommendations about tea kettles. I have a regular whistle kettle, but it and my 40 year old pots take up a little more room than I want to use. So, the camping ones are tugging at my heart strings.

[Fran L]

We've got this little collapsible tea kettle:
Amazon.com: Better Houseware Collapsible Tea Kettle, Lime Green: Teakettles: Kitchen & Dining

Plus we use a leftover set of T-Fal Ingenio fry pans that stack and have removable handles..same set we use everyday at home. Originally found them at a Tuesday Morning and then after years of use, bought a newer set on Ebay.

[TomK]

Sharon, No doubt the collapsible filter holder is more compact when folded up. One advantage of the collapsible one is that the lid acts as a dish to catch the drips when you remove the holder from your cup. When you go back to Japan, see if Snow Peak brand (Japanese Co.) is cheaper over there. They make some of the very best camp cookware you'll find. Especially nice is their titanium line. I am a spork collector (I know, that's weird) and Snow Peak makes the best. That's all I need to eat as far as silverware goes. My wife laughs at me, but I got used to using one in the Army. I am very opinionated on this. Sorry. Here's the best spork in the world: (in my less than humble opinion, haha)

Amazon.com : Snow Peak Titanium Spork, Anodized Blue : Camping Flatware : Sports & Outdoors

Tom

[DaMScampers]

I will second Carol Ann's recommendation of an AeroPress. Not only is it relatively small but it makes seriously delicious coffee and cleanup is a cinch.

[Jeff in Salinas]

I use the Aeropress at home and will definitely have one in the future FGRV. You can reuse the filters easily also so a small pack will last a long time.

[Gilda]

My advice is to keep your kitchenware simple. Think like a backpacker. We use a nesting set of 2 pots with lids, a 9" teflon-coated fry pan with folding handle. My husband loves his one cup cone for making drip coffee. That's it! (See photos) We like Rubbermaid products to store food in the cooler and icebox.

You do not need a colander. Just drain excess water by holding lid slightly off to the side when pouring. You don't need a tea kettle when a saucepan boils water just as well. You do not need a toaster because you can simply toast dry or buttered bread in the skillet.

One of the joys of camping is simplicity. Another joy is "glamping", but that's another story.

[mary and bob]

I don't drink coffee but Mary does and likes her Kuerig. I make ice tea and like my teapot. We created extra storage space to take things that make long term camping easy and convenient.

[Donna D.]

Eating healthy has long term effects. Buy the cooking stuff that helps you cook the foods you want to stay healthy. And yes, even weekend cooking. Double-duty is always a plus! I like my collapse collander. Use it to drain pasta, but also fruits and vegetables after washing.

[Roger C H]

We had an aluminum camping set where everything nested into the biggest pot.

We found out that aluminum will make everything it touches black from the aluminum oxide that rubs off because of the movement of the trailer.

We bought a small pot set from Fred Meyer which is a story in itself. They had a set on display with metal lids. I took one of the boxes beneath the display and when I got it home all the lids were glass. We don't want glass for the breakage factor, so we took the set back to FM returned it and took another box from the display which had a different shape. Looking at this one at Customer Service, we discovered that this also had the glass lids
.
We asked the department manager if we could buy the display set because it didn't really depict the sets accurately, but he said no. However, the store manager was glad to sell us the display set for the same reason. So we carry the largest pot, the largest saucepan and the small skillet with us, using the two small saucepans and the large skillet at home.

We use the large pot to heat water for doing dishes, pouring part into our sink for washing and use the pot for rinsing.

[stevebaz]

We use this 7 piece Stansport stainless steel set. We bought it online for the best price on Amazon. They have a thick bottom. Handle is removable and we went to the manufactures website and ordered an extra handle. Way too expensive for a handle but oh-well shipping stuff sucks. You don't need the extra handle but I wanted it. The nice thing the whole set stacked fits through the Scamp narrow door in the bottom cabinet. We do have to hold it together with a bungee since we store it they way we do. One thing to watch for, remove the handle while cooking on high heat. Its easy it pops on and off and locks in place.

[blodn1]

I don't have my camper, yet, but when I do, these will go in it. I use them for Prius camping, and they're compact and energy efficient.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
and http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Ian G.]

My favorite is our Magma Nesting Cookware, it will outlast our Boler
Magma Nesting Cookware

Next favorite is our coffee maker, the AeroPress
AeroPress® | AEROBIE® High Performance Sport Toys

[Jim Bennett]

Our cookware is a Magma Nesting set too. Fantastic stuff to cook with, and nests nicely in compact form. Not super light, but light cookware does not cook as well. We have been using it for two years now.



We love the set so much, and we often need a second fry pan which stores separate, so just a few days ago we ordered this saute pan that nests with the rest. If you want, you can also add a colander, but we have a folding rubber one we use for now.



Being the coffee snob I am, I have been mostly using an AeroPress for almost 10 years. It works great at home, in the trailer, or in the backcountry, and makes a great cup of coffee. I use the stainless steel filter you can get for it, as it leaves the coffee brighter tasting that paper filters do.



To grind the coffee beans camping, I use the Porlex Tall Hand Coffee Grinder. The fourth manual grinder I have had, and definitely the best. I also roast my own coffee beans, but that gets done ahead of time at home.



Another big key to our camp cooking is our Dickenson Spitfire 180 BBQ. I did a review on it a couple years back here. This is one high quality built unit, that performs wonderfully, and will undoubtedly last us for many, many years. It doesn't look quite this pretty any more, as it needs a good cleaning after tons of use.

[Sharon D]

Thank you all for your comments. Keep them coming. Has anyone tried the Trangia cooking sets? They are tempting to me.


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