How to choose a cookset

Outdoor cooking is a joy – and often one that will be keenly taken up by even the most kitchen phobic camper. Much is made of the stove, maybe even the kitchen unit. But, what about the utensils? Especially the humble cookset? These are often a last minute purchase that is given little thought.

Of course, you could just take you pots and pans from home, but they will not appreciate use on wood fires and you will soon find them bulky and hard to pack. Enter the cookset – nesting pots, pans and kettles that take up little tent and boot space.

There are a myriad of cooksets on the market, designed and built for different styles of camping. From the large, heavy duty family sets to ultra-light titanium pots there is something here for you. And, many will come with extras, like mugs, egg poachers and kettles. Most are useful, but many are not essential. It is better to invest in quality rather than quantity of items.

Experienced campers all have their own personal kitchens built up from years’ of purchases based upon trial and error. It is a personal thing, but most are based upon a cookset.

Lightweight cooking aside, my foundation features an old Tatonka family cookset in stainless steel, which has three pots ranging from two pints to six. Hot water is always needed in quantity so I purchased a separate large capacity camping kettle with whistle to tell me when it boils.

I am not a fan of frying pans supplied with cooksets. These are often too small and not up to the abuse met at the hands of spatula waving cooks. Many also serve the dual role including that as a lid for the largest pot. You often find its use split between the breakfast fry up and covering the pan of beans. However, they do make good warming trays when sitting above a pot of boiling water. Instead, I choose to use a solid built Boaties Fry Pan – its square shape is far more efficient for cooking breakfasts.

Camping cooks will find the choice if hardware has increased tremendously in recent years and while we take a look at a number of cooksets that are suitable for touring couples and small family groups, it is worth considering the add-ons like the above kettles and fry pans. A particular favourite is Millets camping wok – the handle is superb and the cooking surface allows me to flash fry quickly and efficiently. Millets has also brought out various utensils that are more familiar in the home, such as its plastic whisk and a neat salt/pepper mill. The camping world is an outdoor gourmet’s oyster where cooking gear is concerned. 

Materials

Cooksets are normally made from either stainless steel or aluminium and many will have a non-stick or hard anodised finish – remember to use plastic utensils with these. The thickness of materials can vary enormously and this is something to bear in mind when purchasing a set. The thinner the material and your pots will soon show any abuse suffered. At worst, the sides will distort and lids will no longer fit.

A thin material can also lead to food burnt by localised hot spots. If your stove has poor heat control, or you are a bit heavy on the full-blast boil mode you may well find yourself serving up charcoal. Some manufacturers are adding a copper bottom to cooksets to help spread heat, but I have a sneaking suspicion that this is purely cosmetic. You could try using a heat-spreading mat between burner and pot – the sort often found in the domestic consumable catalogues that land on the doormat.

Handles

Sturdy and secure is the name of the game. They need to securely hold a heavy pot while lifting or stirring. And they need to protect the hand from scalds and burns – many use heat-resistant plastics for this purpose.

Some handles are the old style bail that lock upright when in use. When used it places your hand uncomfortably above the steam and for stability you have to pour the pot’s contents around one of the handle’s fixing points – a messy business. However, they do hold a pot stable when stirring and you can always use a ladle to dish up.

Some handles come in two halves that lie flat against the pot’s body and cross each other when pulled out into position before cooking. I often find I forget to do this and end up trying to delicately engage the superheated halves without burning my fingers. If properly used, these are perfectly adequate.

Locking handles that store along the base of the pot tend to be very secure when open – this style is used in a number of sets tested here.

Pot grabs and other detachable handles reduce weight and bulk but you often only get one – and that will go missing when urgently needed. Most firmly hold a pan but some are hard to attach.

There is a trend in larger pots towards casserole dish style handles that lie opposite sides of its body. These make lifting hot, heavy pans easy but can catch some of the heat travelling up the side of the pot.

Remember, it is not just pot handles that get hot. Lids do too.

Features

A ridged bottom is a useful feature to prevent the pan slipping off the stove or spinning when stirring. The ridges also help capture heat. Some modern pots developed for the lightweight market incorporate a heat exchanger to capture almost all the burner’s power. Will this feature transfer to family sets as fuel costs increase. Only time will tell.

Some sets come in a bag – not only useful to keep things together but to also stop dirty pots from messing up packed gear when in transit.