Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Will be going on a motorcycle trip and tenting it in the city park. I have a pocket stove, (takes the little red butane? canisters). Can I heat water in a procalain tin cup(the blue with white flecks), and can I cook foods in the can(no not the bathroom!)such as spaghetti oh's etc. Won't have a lot of room for cooking utensils. Debating on taking the stove or just take a thermos and have it filled with my breakfast (coffee)the night before at a c-store, and then just eating out, or cold spaghetti ohs etc.. Will probably only be staying one full day.
Aaron

Can I heat water in a procalain tin cup(the blue with white flecks)

Yes, but you won't be able to drink the hot drink out of it. OUCH! The long answer is that graniteware is used for cooking pans, I have two roasters and a bean pot myself. The cup should take the heat just fine. Use a hot pad, and let it cool a bit before drinking from it.

can I cook foods in the can

Again, yes, but expect it to boil/bubble over. When you heat the bottom of the can, the liquid there will boil and make steam, which will bubble up through the contents of the can, sometimes rather explosively. Usually the can will be so full that stirring is difficult if not impossible. Stirring can keep the contents from boiling over, but will also cause spillage. Catch 22. I suggest pouring 1/3 of the contents into another vessel, cooking the contents with constant stirring (a chop stick works if you make sure to stir the bottom to prevent burning), then when the contents are boiling take it off heat and stir the 1/3 back in and let is set for a couple of minutes to heat the cold stuff and cool down the hot stuff.

Oh, and take off the paper label before you put the can on your burner.

Catherine

Several of these take up no more room than a large grapefruit and weigh near nothing.

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Sounds like you may not have saddle bags. I motorcycle camped for years. I have an Optimus 80 stove and a pot that will hold it a small tea kettle made for back packers and a small cast iron fry pan. That and a set of silver ware and chop sticks served me for many a trip and a few over 2 weeks. One trip was planned for 5 days on a bike with no bags but the trip stretched to 2 weeks. I use a tank bag and a duffel bag. ( bike broke down ) After I got home from that trip I left a couple weeks later on the bike with bags. I packed up and the bags was about 1/2 full.



I would say to find a pot that the stove fits in and use that. You won't really need a tea kettle or fry pan for that amount of time. Make your coffee, then heat your one can meal. the heat some water in the pot to clean it.

I like the instant noodles that cost about $1 a pack, That is why I pack a pair of nice chop sticks. Chop sicks clean up real slick and the pan also clean up real easy.

But no mater what. Have fun and go with the flow.

Randy

Here is a pic of my core motorcycle cook kit. I am not to big on plates and such, just something extra to clean and carry around.



The stove fits in the tall pot behind it. Add what eating utensils I might need, a little spatula for fry cooking, A little bottle of Campsuds and a Tuffy pot scruber. When on the bike with saddle bags will often take a more conventional pot.

Randy

I have some suggestions for motorcycle camp-cooking. The first, if you like Spam, is to look for the foil-wrapped single-slice-o-Spam they're selling now. Needs no refrigeration, provides enough meat for a hearty hot sandwich, and can be heated quickly in a tiny pan over a pocket stove. Or you can mix it in with your eggs in the morning. Or eat it cold. My second suggestion is to look on Ebay or similar sites for the self-contained aluminum one-man "mess kit" that the Boy Scouts used to sell. It provides a small pot with lid, a drinking/measuring cup, a plate and a folding-handle skillet in a package about the size of a canteen. Very handy. You might also consider an item sold by Civil War "sutlers" (merchants) called a "mucket." Available on the Net in pricey period tin or cheap modern stainless, it consists of a large mug/small bucket - hence the name - with a mug handle, a bail handle, and an attached hinged lid. You can cook in it, eat out of it, drink out of it, hang it on your belt and take it with you, and store your spare socks in it.

Enamel-covered steel with specks of contrasting color in it - sometimes called "speckleware" or "splatterware" - is designed for cooking and is often available in the camping aisle at big-box stores like Wal-Mart, or at yard sales. Just watch out for chipped or worn areas which can burn you and will rust through if left bare.

Yes, you can safely cook in a can. Many canned items are at least partially cooked in the can as part of the manufacturing process. That's how they get the same amount of pasta in every can of chicken noodle soup. If you're as frugal as I am (read "cheap"), you can even make a pot at home before your trip out of another -- slightly larger -- can. Put a coat-hanger-wire bail on it so you can pick it up when it's hot. You can store the can-o-dinner inside it and toss it after just one use if you want -- no clean-up! As a biker, you will want a folding military-style P-38 or P-51 can opener if you don't already have one.

Ride a couple miles for me while my leg finishes healing and I rebuild the fairing on my beloved Consuela!

And please...don't stomp the Spam!

Hey Vernacular. Welcome to the asylum.

Randy

Thank you. If you're one of the keepers I'm just visiting. But you sound like a fun guy to sit around a campfire with.

if you want a hot meal and light for traveling go to your army-navy surplus store and get you some meals in a bag can be heated up and taste pretty good now days.