Tag Archives: Cooking/Tableware

Snow Peak Tableware

snow peak Ti mug MG-054Snow Peak Titanium Double 600 Mug MG-054

snow peak Trek Titanium PlateSTW-002T
Snow Peak Trek Titanium Plate STW-002T

Snow Peak Titanium Fork & Spoon SetSCT-002
Snow Peak Titanium Fork & Spoon Set SCT-002

snow peak Wood Party Knife NT-041
Snow Peak Wood Party Knife NT-041

Thru an associate I was able to get a unbeatable deal on some Snow Peak items. I first thought to only go for the Ti French Press and a baller mug. But decided to stick with my current coffee making method and instead upgrade my tableware. My stainless biner mug is good because it has a lid but that lid is a bit of a pain to open sometimes and it is only 12oz capacity (to the very top, no lid). Plus it weighs 9.6 oz. versus this being 5.1 oz in weight for a 20oz capacity. I think that’s an improvement even though I lose the closure option.

I never carried a plate on a bike tour before but adding 2 oz is totally acceptable and with a diameter of 7.5″ I’m sure I’ll be able to store this easily.

I don’t mind a fork and spoon that are on a diet (SCT-002 is 1.4 oz for both) but a knife has got to be a knife (NT-041 is 1.6 oz and length is 9″). The Ti knife in SCT-001 is so dainty it looks like it made for nothing bigger than those peel top mini butter pack you get in to-go food orders. Hence the Ti/steel mix of cutlery.

All are made in Japan.

Backpackers Pantry U.T.U. Wood Spatula/Knife

Backpackers Pantry U.T.U. Wood Spatula/Knife

Backpackers Pantry U.T.U. Wood Spatula/Knife

I picked up one of these for $2.50 to give it a try. The 2-in-1 design is good for bike touring and I need a spatula. The knife is a bit short to get the last of peanut butter out the bottom of even a regular 160z. jar but not too short. Pancakes were the real test, and this didn’t do so good. It is small and light but I’ma keep looking..

Pros: Light weight, small, 2-in-1, low cost
Cons: Knife too short, spatula too small, imported

Made in Taiwan

A Day on Mount Desert Island

I woke up on the small island Thompson. I rode straight to the Acadia National Park visitor center and paid my $5 to bike around. That pass was never checked by any official. From there I rode straight to the Cadillac Mountain summit. There were many cars and a few bikers. I even passed a few on the way up. Walking around with just my camera, I had a couple recognize me and we chatted a bit about travel. Lunch of P B and J then a quick ride down to Bar Harbor for some chill time in the grass by the water and boats. Found a plug and wifi next to a light post.

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Second lunch was vege patty sub from Subway. Think that was $8 w cookies and Dr. Pepper.
Sitting on a bench I met a local named Ebbin who gave me a tip about good roads to do a loop on the quiet side of the island. And that’s what I did. And that’s how I racked up 64.8 miles for the day by time j got back to the place I woke up, to camp there again.
I was eating my pasta dinner by the side of the road next to a trail head, a couple in a BMW wagon parked beside me. Both were on their iPhones figuring out a place to eat. I could hear their conversation, she was looking for one place and he was to look up another. They must have figured it out because about two min later they speed off. Probably to walk into a place 5 min before they close.
After i packed up and got back to biking to my camp spot I kept thinking about how lonely eating by the side of the road, biking in the dark and solo camping can be. The reverse is that even if the fun I’m having is balanced by the total absence of finer things, like affection, or daily showers, or eating in-doors and with company I know that not all of those would happen if I was still living the non-nomadic life. With the options I have I think I chose the right path, at least for the next few weeks.

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Simplify cleaning after cooking

One thing that is bad about bringing cooking gear is the clean up after eating. But the other night I made pasta, very simple I boiled water and cooked whole wheat thin noodles, used the pots lid to strain the water out. I added sauce from the jar to the noodle in the pot, added some salt and pepper. Good to go. Ate it right out of the pot I cooked it in. I don’t have a plate. (or a strainer)
But when I’m done I have pasta sauce all over the inside of the pot.
Here is the tip. A slice of bread. Wipe up the left over sauce with bread and the clean up after the meal is a snap. Just a fraction of the water is needed to clean up.
Same goes for the vege burgers I cook. The greasy mess in the skillet. With the corners of cheese that gets stuck on there too. And the grease on the spatula (great to have for pancakes). Wipe the spatula on the bun, or bagel, then use the top of the bagel to mop up the mess in the skillet before setting it on the burger to eat. The pan is nearly clean and I haven’t even taken my first bite yet.

MSR BlackLite Classic Cookset

I’ve had this since my living-in-a-van-and-snowboarding-everyday days. The coating is still there, it’s light enough, and doesn’t take up too much space. On a solo tour I’d probably ditch the smaller pot and just go large pot, fry pan, gripper and the stuff sack it came with.

I did use this an average of once a day for two months on my last tour. Still in great shape.

I don’t think this option is still available. I have no idea where it was made or how much I spent on it.

All I remember is I bought it at Kittredge Sports in Mammoth Lakes, CA. about 6 or 7 years ago.

MSR SuperFly Stove

Not all MSR stove are made in the US, this model is. The Pocket Rocket is not.

The Superfly cost about $10 more and is not as small but it has 4 of those things that hold the pan up, vs. 3 on the pocket rocket. And this one has a larger circle for where the fire come out. I think that gives a more even heat, kind of important when making pancakes or grilled cheese or cooking eggs.

I had just finished my touring bike and had a weekend day off that lined up with the opening of a new REI store in Yonkers. I’d never been to Yonkers and REI was giving away gift certificates to the first two hundred people in the store. So I got up early and rode about 27 miles and waited in line about 20 minuets while I ate free bagels and juice then was greeted at the door with a branded water bottle with a $25 G.C. inside.

Cost: about $30

Made in USA

 

Kupilka Cutlery Set

This is a review of a fork spoon and knife. And tea spoon.

A vast majority of “outdoor” cutlery sets are either made in China or $40+ Ti, or both.

I didn’t want either of those things. I also did not want something that folds or is just plain small.

The knife is 8” and the tea spoon is 5 ¼” to give an idea.

Kupilka calls this a “natural fiber composite material” that basically means wood and plastic. But so far seems like a good deal.

I bought this at Tent & Trails in Manhattan.

Cost: $12

Made in Finland

kupilka.fi