Cook pot cleaning

I use a MSR titanium kettle and use a brillo pad—steel wool—to get it ready for the next trip. Ample rinsing helps as the pad probably removes a miniscule amount of metal from the pot but I can get all the black soot off and the inside is like new. Rinse thoroughly to remove soap residue and possible brillo parts.

Same as washing up at home: hot water and a drop of detergent, plus a sponge. Mind you, we cook over a canister stove and don't burn the dinner. Cheers

I use esbit fuel, so I generally have a sticky layer of soot on the bottom of my MSR Titan Kettle. I find that spraying the exterior/bottom of my Kettle with oven cleaner and letting it sit for 15-30 minutes works wonders. Rinse clean and give a slight sponge and soap scrubbing to remove any residual chemical does the trick. Good ole sponge and soap for my Ti Spork does the trick. That's it. Tony

My wording was a bit off, what I mean is, how do you clean after cooking WHILE ON THE TRAIL. :)

I carry a small scrubber (no sponge part, just the rough section) and a single rubber kitchen glove. My cooking is only pouring food into my pot, like the FBC method but using my pot instead, so I don't have to worry about food getting cooked to the pot so cleaning is very easy. I realized the worst part for me about cleaning pots, etc. is the cold water on my hands, so I bring a kitchen glove. Totally waterproof, unlike most WP/B gloves and very light and cheap. :) Edit: The glove+sponge weighs 1.2 oz.

Scrape out everything possible,rinse with water, scrub with a piece of plastic netting (the kind they pack melons in, great for not getting food particles stuck in), then finish up with a drop of Camp Suds if it's greasy. All washing and rinsing far away from water sources, of course…

Muddy moss from a stream bank or sand and small pebbles from the margin of a lake. Works as well as any commercial product, leaves no environmental contaminants, costs nothing, and weighs nothing in your pack. The moss-mud combo is particularly effective.

I'm with Tom. Keep it simple and natural.

We just add a little water to the pot and work the residue off the sides with our spoons and drink it down. Usually a couple times will due the trick. Pot comes clean, no need for soap, scrubbers ect. In cold weather another burn follows for hot drinks and that will take care of anything missed the first few times. Keep in mind we are rehydrating meals in the pot, not actually cooking raw foods.

River sand works the best.

I'm also with Tom- sand or something like it, when I can find it. And bare hands and water from the creek. You don't have to worry about getting sick since the next time you use the pot you will BOIL it again. If I'm out with my daughter and thus carrying separate bowls I bring half of one of those sponges with a scrubby pad on one side, and use clean water and Doc Bronners.

In the winter, snow works quite well.

Same here, sand, mud, a handful of dry grass, basically anything natural; would never even think of bringing detergent on the trail. The trick is to clean straight away.

Nothing. I do add-boiling-water meals only. In the past, I have had meals that required some cooking – I used river sand, as it was an uncoated pot (the only kind I will get – no Teflon for me). Moving to the rehydrate/cozy method removed the need to do dishes, which is part of why I go out in the first place – take a vacation from chores.

I carry a tiny dropper bottle of dish detergent, and use a drop if needed. I cook pasta and other actual food in the pot, so there is almost always a need to clean the pot. I carry a 1" x 2" square of dish scrubber, and one paper towel per meal, for wiping down the dishes. I pour the dish water into a hole in the ground, or toss it (dispersed)a distance from camp. Having tasty food is worth the hassle of clean up to me. Generally, when cooking for two, its like this: put two cups of hot water in the pot, and scrub down with the scrubber. Put any bowls into the water, and scrub down. I don't add soap at this point, as the point is to get most of the food off the pot and into the dishes. Dispose of the wash water. put two cups of really hot water into the pot, and add a drop of soap if the food was cheesy, pasta, or scallop potatoes. Scrub down the pot and the two bowls, and put the spoons in to sterilize them. Dispose of water. Put two cups of boiling water into the pot, swish the bowls and spoons in it, to rinse and sterilize, and dispose of water. Wipe dishes clean and dry with a paper towel.

Beyond any burned-on food that needs to be scrubbed off, I put everything (utensils, plates, pots) through the dishwasher when we get home. Biodegradable soap and warm water on the trail does pretty well, but a caustic detergent in very hot water in a dishwasher really removes grease and stains much better. I put it all in the next load of dishes, then they go back in a labeled box in the garage until the next trip.

Oh, "WHILE ON THE TRAIL." Multiple, small-volume rinses, rubbing and scrubbing as I go. Then a small-volume bit of hot soapy (e.g. Campsuds) water followed by hot rinse water. Takes a bit more fuel, but we usually have our two kids sometimes some other kids, so (1) the soapy water and rinse water get used for a long series of dishes and (2) the doctor along would be really upset if someone get sick on the trip, so in the interest of marital harmony. . . .

I add a little water to the pot and then use my spork to scrape all the bits off the bottom and sides and swish the water around a bit to get all the bits into the water. If there are really tricky bits or any oily residue I'll use my finger to scrub it. Once all the bits are loose and sitting in the water I drink the foodwater. Then I use a small microfiber towel to dry it. LNT, ya'll.

#ERROR!

Sand works great. If it is greasy, a drop of dish soap.

Hot beverages, with or without the addition of alcohol. AKA "Dinner Tea".

People do that at home in Japan too, add some tea to your rice bowl and drink to not leave a grain of rice uneaten (of course then it just gets washed like all the other dishes).

The GSI pot scraper leaves my HA pot immaculate. I love it. I tried to shave .5 oz my bringing a small silicon spatula head, but it didn't do a complete job.

Sand and gravel. Simple. Supply is unlimited.