Hi, I've been backpacking on and off for several years and am just now really getting into it. I've been working on lightening my pack load and am putting together a light-weight cook set. I'm going to be doing a lot of extended trips in the High Sierra this summer and plan to catch and keep trout to supplement my freeze dried meals--ideally I will just skewer the fish and cook them over a fire, but in several places fires are either not allowed or there is just not enough wood to burn, and this means I will need to use my canister stove. This leads me to wonder--what can I cook the fish in?
I don't want anything aluminum because of flavor, health, durability, and weight reasons. Unfortunately this means no aluminum foil. What I have been looking at are primarily the Snow Peak Ti 1400 because of its lid, and the Snow Peak titanium plate. I've never used either, though, and am concerned the plate would be too shallow to flip the fish and the 1400 lid would be too small in diameter to be practical. Has anyone ever fried anything in either of these? Is there anything else I should look at? Thanks in advance for the help. Ideally I'll be able to keep the weight down and the cost to a minimum, but I'm willing to pay for titanium.
I wouldn't use titanium to cook anything directly on it. It heats unevenly and unless coated with nonstick, the use of which I minimize for health reasons, stuff sticks to it like crazy.
Aluminum foil does the job - I foil wrap fish and put it in the coals of a fire, or on rocks in a pot with an inch of water in the bottom, to cook it. This minimizes cleanup and makes for nicely done, moist fish. Adding lemon juice, garlic powder/parsley or olive oil gives the fish a light hint of flavor. I use either hard anodized aluminum or titanium pots - either works well for the times I can't have a fire.
Aluminum got a bad rap for a while, but the research claiming it was dangerous was debunked a long time ago.
I have a hard anodized nonstick MSR pan - now, nonstick - that is proven to release toxins when overheated. I rarely use it, usually just to cook eggs in frontcountry camping, as eggs don't require high temps to cook.
_________________________
"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities. In the expert's mind there are few." Shunryu Suzuki
Registered: 09/15/12
Posts: 202
Loc: Northern KY USA
I think it's either aluminum or Ti. I have a MSR Teflon coated super light fry pan that works great for fish. Other than over fire, the other metal is unobtanium for now, in the lightweight realm.
A friend of mine used a MSR frying pan, the one without a handle, and the Pocket Rocket stove to fry trouts while frountcountry camping.
_________________________
It is one of the blessings of wilderness life that it shows us how few things we need in order to be perfectly happy.-- Horace Kephart
Our long-time Sponsor, BackcountryGear.com - The leading source for ultralite/lightweight outdoor gear:
Affiliate Disclaimer: This forum is an affiliate of BackcountryGear.com, Amazon.com, R.E.I. and others. The product links herein are linked to their sites. If you follow these links to make a purchase, we may get a small commission. This is our only source of support for these forums. Thanks.!