Pick ONLY ONE pot/pan

[calamaridog]

I was thinking non-stick, as in teflon, but rusty is right that a good hand hammered wok would be ideal. You are right that the life expectancy of a teflon pan is poor.

I'll post a pic of our outdoor wok when I have a chance. I think you will find it interesting:chef:

 

[grillmasterp]

Get one of the following lodge pieces where the lid can also function as a skillet

Camp style dutch oven lids can function like a griddle - however, I find shallow skillets much more useful

3 qt
http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Logic-Pre-Seasoned-Combo-Cooker/dp/B0009JKG9M

5 qt
http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Double-Casserole-Skillet-diameter/dp/B000LEXR0K

 

[rusty_tlc]

oh calamari your reasons are wrong on so many levels in my book, speed? non stick surface? makes me shudder.

rusty i'm kinda surprised you chose the wok over the DO.

a wok is a great tool, but it does take second seat to a camp dutch oven in my book, really, i can do everything in a dutch oven that i can in a wok, plus bake. it seems like such a perfect implement that it must have been invented by accident.

some things will take longer to cook in a DO, but most of those things cant be done well in a wok at all. besides, arent we camping to enjoy the overall experience? if it was all about speed i would eat a premade sammich, or granola bar.

another vote for a camp dutch oven

I'm a long time DO fan, starting in Boy Scouts during my teen years. Make no mistake I think they are a great piece of cookware.
But consider how long the Wok has been around basically unchanged from what we use today. A design that good must have something going for it.

When breaking camp every day, or working and commuting for that matter, we don't always have time for a leisurely meal. I would argue that while it isn't all about speed there is no reason not to have a great meal, fast, rather than settle for a Sammich.

Another thing I like about the wok over the DO is how little fuel it requires to cook a large amount of food. They have to be one of the most efficient pieces of cookware on the planet. I could gather enough fire wood for dinner and breakfast in just a few minutes, even here in the desert. And I could have a meal half way cooked in the time it would take to get a DO up to temp on a gas stove.

As far as baking, sadly where I live we are in what seems to be an un-ending drought. Fires and charcoal are not allowed for much of the year, so the ability to bake in a DO is of limited value out doors. At home we use a conventional oven, do you really bake in your DO at home very often?

 

[w_b]

...When breaking camp every day, or working and commuting for that matter, we don't always have time for a leisurely meal... ...Another thing I like about the wok over the DO is how little fuel it requires to cook a large amount of food. They have to be one of the most efficient pieces of cookware on the planet. I could gather enough fire wood for dinner and breakfast in just a few minutes, even here in the desert. And I could have a meal half way cooked in the time it would take to get a DO up to temp on a gas stove...

I've never camped with a wok and really haven't used one that often at home. These sound like valid points...

 

[taugust]

My vote is for the camp DO. You can cook anything that the wok can do and so much more. Bake bread and cake and cookies? Not in a wok. Roast a chicken or a turkey or a pot roast? Not in a wok. Pancakes, french toast, cassaroles? Not in a wok. Anything the wok can do, the DO can do as well.
Now the DO may be less efficient, slower, heavier, etc., but if I had to do all my cooking in one pot, the DO would be it.

I will admit that I have never cooked with a wok, so some of the above may be inaccurate.

 

[calamaridog]

Wok and DO are totally different creatures. One is fast, one is slow. Both are very versatile but the similarities end there.

I made chicken fried rice tonight in 5 minutes in a wok:drool:

 

[rusty_tlc]

My vote is for the camp DO. You can cook anything that the wok can do and so much more. Bake bread and cake and cookies? Not in a wok. Roast a chicken or a turkey or a pot roast? Not in a wok. Pancakes, french toast, cassaroles? Not in a wok. Anything the wok can do, the DO can do as well.
Now the DO may be less efficient, slower, heavier, etc., but if I had to do all my cooking in one pot, the DO would be it.

I will admit that I have never cooked with a wok, so some of the above may be inaccurate.

I can respect that. I would suggest you give the wok a try though. Just stay away from the electric type and the Teflon ones. It's one of those occasions when the less expensive choice is usually the best. Like cast iron you can often find the best deals on woks at thrift stores.

One question, do you really think you would want to cook seven days a week in a DO at home?

Wok and DO are totally different creatures. One is fast, one is slow. Both are very versatile but the similarities end there.

I made chicken fried rice tonight in 5 minutes in a wok:drool:

I agree they are two completely different approaches to cooking.

I'm doing Vietnamese pork with rice vermicelli noodles tonight.:drool:

 

[Robert Bills]

Do you really think you would want to cook seven days a week in a DO at home?

I have a stove top dutch oven (flat bottom, domed lid) that lives on the rear burner of my stove at home. I use for almost everything except boiling pasta. Admittedly, I'm not a particularly good cook, and nearly everything I make resembles camp food (blame it on learning to cook in the Boy Scouts), but I have found my home dutch oven to be the most versatile tool in my kitchen.

 

[rusty_tlc]

I have a stove top dutch oven (flat bottom, domed lid) that lives on the rear burner of my stove at home. I use for almost everything except boiling pasta. Admittedly, I'm not a particularly good cook, and nearly everything I make resembles camp food (blame it on learning to cook in the Boy Scouts), but I have found my home dutch oven to be the most versatile tool in my kitchen.

I have one like that, nothing better for a braised Lamb shank, or baked beans.

 

[taugust]

I have a stove top dutch oven (flat bottom, domed lid) that lives on the rear burner of my stove at home. I use for almost everything except boiling pasta. Admittedly, I'm not a particularly good cook, and nearly everything I make resembles camp food (blame it on learning to cook in the Boy Scouts), but I have found my home dutch oven to be the most versatile tool in my kitchen.

We have one as well. It gets used for pot roast with all the trimmings, and my DO sourdough bread when at home. See my thread on bread for more info. I probably wouldn't want to use it 7 days a week, unless I had to, but then I don't think I would want to wok 7 days a week, either. One of the reasons I bought it and got into using it, was for use after a disaster. I live in SoCal wildfire country, so that is a REAL possibility. Our home was one of the few locally (10%)that survived the Cedar Fire in 2003. Even after they let us back in, it was weeks before we had power or phone service. Cooking with a camp DO would have been pretty easy in the fireplace.

 

[AndrewP]

Let's be serious here, you're never going to have just 1 item. If you did, a cast iron skillet would be hard to beat. A cast Camp Oven would be even better, but it's big and heavy. I love mine, but it only comes along in the wagons.

If you are going really minimalist, then you'll be cooking on a wood fire. that basically means iron/steel cookware as opposed to fancy stuff like stainless or aluminum. A wok is not a bad choice, but then a skillet is more traditional in the USA. It's also easier to throw in the fire and cook there. It's much better for pan cooking steaks or other meats, too.

A wok excels at stirfry cooking, but for the things you are likely to eat, while camping, a skillet is more practical. If space an weight are not an issue, then a Dutch Oven with feet is impossible to beat.

You'll still need something to heat up water for coffee, unless you really evolve beyond all your vices.

I buy my camping cookware in thrift stores. Go there and see what's available.

 

[RHINO]

rusty and calamari, ya guys make great arguments and ive really thought it over,,,,i have an old steel hammered wok as well, and i have done some major heavy cooking in it. i think the choice between the wok and camp DO is a hard one.

as you mentioned about the long history of the wok in asian countries, so too can be said for the covered pot (DO) in european countries. also of note is the food types from these two different areas. its really and interesting thing to learn about all by itself.

for me the DO wins by a very small margin, as i'll bet for you guys the wok wins by the same small margin, eh?

well at least if we ever camp together we'll have all the basis covered.:chef:

 

[rusty_tlc]

Let's be serious here, you're never going to have just 1 item. If you did, a cast iron skillet would be hard to beat. A cast Camp Oven would be even better, but it's big and heavy. I love mine, but it only comes along in the wagons.

If you are going really minimalist, then you'll be cooking on a wood fire. that basically means iron/steel cookware as opposed to fancy stuff like stainless or aluminum. A wok is not a bad choice, but then a skillet is more traditional in the USA. It's also easier to throw in the fire and cook there. It's much better for pan cooking steaks or other meats, too.

A wok excels at stirfry cooking, but for the things you are likely to eat, while camping, a skillet is more practical. If space an weight are not an issue, then a Dutch Oven with feet is impossible to beat.

You'll still need something to heat up water for coffee, unless you really evolve beyond all your vices.

I buy my camping cookware in thrift stores. Go there and see what's available.

I agree that in reality one isn't limited to a single pot or pan, I just put that limitation on to encourage discussion of the merits of different choices.
I also agree that a cast iron skillet is hard to beat, I almost always have mine when camping. You will notice a cast iron skillet is also on my short list of options.

 

[robertdarin]

Just for the record i take both my cast iron and my wok on almost every trip i take... but as far as versatility in the back country i am going to give it to the cast iron.the simple fact that it is so thick for me is not a down side as i do not like dealing with an inconsistent heat source. a wok handle can easily be burned up in a flame if you are not paying attention (ask me how i know), while a cast iron can be set next to a new fire with not many coals and will still heat up with no hot spots. Either way i take both with me but i almost always end up using the cast iron more.:beer:

 

[calamaridog]

Most of my camp cooking has been done in my pressure cooker lately. I can put stew on the table in 1/3-1/2 the time it takes with a DO.

You can't beat the DO for some cobbler though:ylsmoke: