What do you consider to be the best cookware kit?

[jgatliff]

In my opinion, the Magma nesting cookware is the best you can buy. It's very heavy duty and equally as nice as the Henckels cookware we use at home:

http://www.magmaproducts.com/Products/Cookware/cookware.html

 

[campyhappy]

I usually just have a good set of cast iron cookware whenever I'm out in the road. It cooks your food well and you can use it on an open fire. It's kinda high in maintenance but I know with care it will last long.

 

[Etzu]

I've used scores of different sets of the years. My favorite is the GSI Hard Anodized. Light, scratch proof, no teflon, light, doesn't scorch food. I've made eggs and crepes on it. You can't do that with many other types of cookware.

 

[Beowulf]

Does anyone make just a carbon steel set? I like carbon steel as it seasons like cast iron. My hand hammer wok is super non-stick at this point and easy to clean....just too big for what I want in the backcountry.

Thinking of going with a carbon skillet, but would love if someone made a nesting camping set.

Cast Iron is great, but just heavier than thinner walled carbon cookware.

 

[jgatliff]

Does anyone make just a carbon steel set? I like carbon steel as it seasons like cast iron. My hand hammer wok is super non-stick at this point and easy to clean....just too big for what I want in the backcountry.

Thinking of going with a carbon skillet, but would love if someone made a nesting camping set.

Cast Iron is great, but just heavier than thinner walled carbon cookware.

Lodge has some carbon steel options:

Carbon Steel

Tough and durable, just like cast iron, but thinly cast to heat up and cool down fast.

www.lodgemfg.com

 

[geojag]

I am a big fan of GSI hard anodized. I have pieced mine together. I have the GSI Pinnacle frypans in 8 and 10", the 2L Halulite pot, and a GSI hard anodized dutch oven. Those have always served me well. Sometimes I will take along other cookware as well, but those are a constant.

 

[DCH109]

These postings are great.

For me it is simple. I camp with my vehicle now and everything must fit in my chuck box, plus weight is less of an issue.
Plates, bowels and cups I have a vintage set make of melamine. It is robust and I like it.
Knives forks, spoon etc, I picked up at Ikea
Chef knife, either my buck knife, or my vintage Japanese stainless steel chef knife from my grandfather.
Pot, I have an old stainless pot made by whom I cannot remember. It is about 20 years old.
Fry pan, I use a lodge cast iron pan and have for years. Works fine and keeps good heat.

So the best? I think it is the one that works for you. Much of mine for example is older gear, but it works. I do not need fancy and shiny. I need functional.

 

[SBSYNCRO]

I think it really boils down to whether packing efficiency is an important criterion, and whether you cook actual meals (versus heating up a can of chili, etc) I've tended to think along two lines: (1) backpacking and (2) car camping (now called "overlanding"). For the former, I usually am just boiling water or grilling trout; for the latter I make some pretty elaborate meals.

I have a set of the fancy titanium uber-minamalist stuff for backpacking trips and that is all good. But car camping is a different challenge for me now. For many years I camped out of pickup trucks and didn't worry at all about space or weight. I would bring full-sized soup pots, cast iron skillets, cast iron dutch ovens, etc. and just put them all in a big heavy plywood chuck box along with enough kitchen towels to dampen the racket.

My transition to a Jeep has me re-evaluating the kitchen setup; now I'm trying to find that balance between my two approaches. I do NOT like non-stick coatings except for egg-frying pans. For eggs I have become fond of this pan from Jetboil. The non-stick is amazing, and it comes with its own little spatula which acts to protect the handle from scraping the pan surface. The rest of my kit is a hodge-podge of MSR anodized stuff along with an old full sized skillet from the kitchen.

I recently revised my packing plan to utilize Front Runner wolf packs, and now I find I want a lot more space efficiency, which makes frying pans without removable handles problematic. I also find it maddening to try to include coffee mugs that don't eat up too much space (WHY doesn't anyone make an insulated square coffee mug!?)

I'm not happy with my jumbled mess of kitchen gear (but it does ALL fit into a single wolf pack!). So now I'm on the hunt for a more efficient set of nesting cookware + mugs + utensils.



I'll have to admit that I very much like the look (and price) of the Stanley "Adventure Base Camp" set. Actual stainless steel with a sandwich bottom means real cooking is possible without scorching, however, it is nearly double the size of the MSR pots I use now...

https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-Adventure-Base-Stainless-Steel/dp/B01MTFIMUC

 

[ahjushi]

I'm in the same boat as you, @SBSYNCRO...I'm trying to build a set that is space-efficient. To that end, right now I'm looking for stainless steel (maaaybe silicone) foldable/collapsible cooking utensils (spatulas, spoons, tongs, etc.). Anyone have recommendations in this area? So far what I've seen has mostly been plastic, which to me has no business near fire. I kind of like these from GSI but I can foresee them melting just looking at a campfire:

 

[Ragman]

I am a big fan of Magma as well but have recently been putting together a lighter weight kit for use in the Jeep. For this I highly recommend the Banks Fry-Bake set of pans. They are anodized aluminum pans, quasi-dutch ovens that are made in the US. If you are interested my review is here

 

[krick3tt]

Did not go in for bling and really never thought of it as a kit. Got my flatware from a surplus store, my plates and bowls are blue enamel ware, utensils are from thrift store, also use paper plates on the metal plates for easy clean up. Coffee cups from REI, pots and pans are from Bed and Bath. Kind of a miss mash of different items.
I know this was about what is the best 'kit' but that is a bit sophisticated for me as I have been doing this type of campaign for 40+ years and never thought to spend a lot of money on fancy kit stuff. Now when I was backpacking it was all titanium/aluminum light weight stuff and plastic spork.

 

[geojag]

I am a big fan of Magma as well but have recently been putting together a lighter weight kit for use in the Jeep. For this I highly recommend the Banks Fry-Bake set of pans. They are anodized aluminum pans, quasi-dutch ovens that are made in the US.

I recently picked up the Alpine and Alpine deep, with one lid, a potlifter, and the Rada serverspoon. I met a guy canoe camping who has been using the Banks pans (the same set) for almost 40 years, that impressed me. They do take seasoning and become fairly non-stick. While my GSI frypans have always served me well, the fact that you get baking capability in such a small, light package convinced me to give them a try. I got them with canoe camping in mind, but will definitely use them out of the truck as well. I am looking forward to testing them out more!

 

[Ragman]

If anyone is interested I just did a review of the Magma 10 piece Ceramica set as well-you can find it here.

 

[Laps]

I am a big fan of Magma as well but have recently been putting together a lighter weight kit for use in the Jeep. For this I highly recommend the Banks Fry-Bake set of pans. They are anodized aluminum pans, quasi-dutch ovens that are made in the US. If you are interested my review is here

Well done video and I ordered a set of the Banks pans after watching.

 

[SBSYNCRO]

Coming back here to post about some new cookware I just used on a 4-day trip and really fell in love with. This might not fit your specific situation, but it was perfect for me. I bought a large set, pulled the three things I need for camping, and gave the rest of the set to one of my kids who is in grad school and needed pots and pans for her apartment.


The removable handle gives them the advantage of being a lot more compact, and everything nests together. The quality of the pans is very good, but much lighter weight than the All Clad LTD pans I was dragging along with me. I was able to slow simmer a pot of elk bolognese for about two hours on a Cook Partner propane stove without any scorching. One night I made yakitori with sticky Japanese rice and didn't clean the pot I used for the rice until the next morning. It literally just wiped clean with a paper towel for both the bolognese and the sticky rice - the non-stick coating really works. I also made buckwheat pancakes on the large pan and was able to flip them without a spatula, they slid around so easily.