Welcome to the Gear Highlight for January. Since I was talking about simple meal ideas for our time in nature, why not talk about my cookware and stove?
I use the Stanley Adventure Camp Cook and Kettle sets, as well as a Coleman butane camp stove. I do have links to the ones I use on my Gear page, so go ahead and check them out.
Cookware
Let’s start with my thoughts on the cookware set. It took quite a bit of research for me to find what I was looking for make this purchase. This wasn’t even my first choice in the beginning, but after reading reviews, seeing what all came with it, and how cost effective it was I couldn’t say no.
What I like
I do like how everything can puzzle together inside the pot, making it compact and ensuring everything is kept together (and not driving me crazy by rattling around in the car). It comes with everything a camper might need like, a pot, frying pan, cutting board/trivet, drying rack, silicone potholder, serving spoon, spatula, and enough tableware for four. Some reviews complained about the size of the dishes and sporks, but neither I nor anyone who came with me last season had any issue with them. All of the items are dishwasher-safe! This is important to me, because you know you’re girl can’t be bothered to wash a dish by hand if there’s an option.
Now for the kettle set…I didn’t use it much last season, but fully intend to this coming one. It is made out of the same materials as the other cookware so I don’t anticipate a performance issue. It is the perfect size for coffee/tea if that is your thing, or making oatmeal like I talked about last week.
What I don’t (there isn’t much)
This is probably a me problem and a learning curve thing, but stainless steel pots are tricky to cook in. I did have some instances of scorching, food sticking, stuff like that. I tend to use cast iron or ceramic at home so I am not very skilled with this type of cookware. Knowing me, the heat was up too high and I just need to be a bit more patient.
The flatware can’t be used to cook (duh, but I tried). I attempted to use a spork to stir stuff and flip bacon…it got a little melty. It’s still usable, just has more of a rounded edge🤣. Again, this is more of a me thing than an issue with the product itself.
While the nesting part of this is awesome, it is a bit tight. It takes some work to get it all inside. Mainly the frying pan; there is a bit of a trick to it. Once it’s figured out though, there isn’t much of an issue.
Camp Stove
The camp stove is a pretty basic one-burner butane. It comes in a hard carrying case and has instructions readily available if you’ve never used one before. The butane canister (which comes separately) pops into the compartment on the side of the burner and has a safety mechanism in place so you can’t light it if the canister isn’t correctly attached. You can put it in incorrectly and the fuel will leak out, but the flame won’t start so there won’t be a fireball flying at your face.
To get it fired up, all you have to do is turn the knob and push down the ignition and it will light right up. It does heat things up quickly, so make sure to keep an eye on your food. This may have also contributed to my cookware problems…but again, me problem.
If the burner gets wet, you will have to wait for it to dry out before being able to light it again. You may be able to light it manually, if you’re comfortable doing that, but beware of burns.
There isn’t much I don’t like about the stove. It is basic and doesn’t have any bells or whistles to try out. It creates fire, cooks, boils water, and lights my bug repellant when my lighter is missing. It’s something nice to have if you’re in a burn ban, missing your lighter and being eaten alive, or don’t feel like lighting up a whole fire just for a couple of eggs.
Do you have any go-to cookware for nature stuff? Anything else you’d like to know? Comment below.
And as always…Be safe out there! REMEMBER YOUR MAPS AND PASSPORT STAMPS!! Seeyalaterbye <3
Also, if you feel called to help a sista out with her travels, check this out!
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