Lightest non stick fry pan

I'd like to know, too! I have a Ti frypan (the lid of BPL's Firelight 1300) but very much hesitate to use it for pancakes. I usually eat a cold breakfast, but in huckleberry season, special treats are in order.

Depends – what size do you want? :-) For one or two? On the rare occasion I do quesidilas on the trail I use the fry pan lid on my GSI Backpackers set. It is the lightest that I own.
Though the thinner metal you go the more you need to watch your cooking. You may need to tinker with the heat on the stove or keep the pan above the flame.

This REI model looks pretty good.

4.9 ounces
Dimensions 7.5 x 1.6 inches

And another one, the Evernew

Dimensions
8.07 x 1.57 inches
Weight
5.5oz/155g

Actually, no, this one is the best as I don’t want a handle http://www.antigravitygear.com/proddetail.php?prod=ECA741&cat=99

… looks like I am answering my own question here.

Hi Petras. IMO some of the best non-stick frying pans are made by GSI. They are not the lightest, because they are made out of anoidzed alumninum rather than Ti. However, they are *much* more non-stick and will last for years. The Ti ones get hotspots which can destroy the non-stick surface pretty quickly, so you need to be very careful.

I'd recommend you check out the GSI bugaboo cookset. It comes with two saucepans with two frying pan lids. The lids make a good frying pan and are pretty light:

# Large lid/frying pan: 7.5” (191 mm) diameter, 4.4 oz (125 g)
# Small lid/frying pan: 6.5” (165 mm) diameter, 3.5 oz (98 g)

Contrary to the specs on the GSI website (and published elsewhere), their 0.9L "small" saucepan is actually 1.3L capacity and their 1.3L saucepan is almost 2L. So keep this in mind when comparing weights… the saucepans are larger than you might suspect. The "1.3L" GSL pot is *much* bigger than the 1.3L evernew pot.

Anyway, they are highly recommended. A couple of ounces more than Ti, but they are a pleasure to cook with if you are a bit of a trail "gourmet" who likes to do more than freezer-bag cooking.

ps. As Sarach mentioned above, I believe Ti pots/pans are not so good mainly because they are made to be so thin (and consequently light!). The GSI pots/pans have a reasonably thick base which conducts heat well. I can bend my evernew Ti pot with my fingers. Even though aluminium is weaker than Ti, there is no chance of doing this with my GSI pot as it is simply much thicker.

Yes, I am a gourmet, I regularly take scotch whisky and cuban cigars even though I sleep in a tarp and bivvy.

Are you guys recommending this GSI Hard Anodized 6 Pc Extreme Mess Set or this GSI Bugaboo 6 Pc Teflon Mess Set

> Are you guys recommending this GSI Hard Anodized 6 Pc Extreme Mess Set or this GSI Bugaboo 6 Pc Teflon Mess Set

Either is fine. The bugaboo is a bit lighter, whereas the Extreme has triple layer nonstick so should be more durable. Having said that, I’ve had my bugaboo for years now and it is still in good shape. I only use a wooden spoon with it though. The lid is slightly warped now (been used for a long time, and on too many aircraft journeys!) but the surface is still great. It certainly won’t flake off if you don’t abuse it.

Like I said above, I’m not sure the stated volume measurements listed on the website are correct. I have the bugaboo “small” cookset (which contains two saucepans and two frypans) and the volume is about 30% more than stated. Perhaps they don’t measure the volume to the brim like other manufacturers do. I think the height/diameter is pretty spot on though, so you can mock-up a paper saucepan and see whether it looks big enough. There are a number of sizes available.

If you get it, you may want to ditch the gripper that comes with it, or at least cut it down. It’s kind of heavy. You can read some GSI bugaboo and extreme reviews on the backpackergeartest website (such as this one). I think everyone is pretty happy with it.

I've had this Mirro 8" Non-Stick Aluminum frying pan for years. I don't often carry it as it weighs 9.94 ounces. It's thick enough that it does work very well for pancakes and fish. I've only used it on my MSR Whisperlite.

Now I poach the fish in whatever pot I'm carrying and leave the Mirro at home.

If any one wants it let me know. It's yours for the postage.

Mirro Frying Pan

Mirro Frying Pan with handle folded.

I use this one when I need a fry pan (on the right):

It is the top of the GSI n’Form Backpackers Set or also is sold just as a 2L pot with fry pan lid (and a clear plastic lid as well). What I like about it is that: it is big enough to make a batch of scones for 2-3 people, is light for its size but doesn’t burn like Ti.

This is the fry pan lid to my GSI HAA Mess Kit. It is smaller and as like most GSI pans, does not have a handle on it.

Petras,

If you're happy with your pan otherwise, you can always just take a piece of nonstick baking paper to line it with. I use this regularly when using the BBQs in the park at the back of our place. It works great. If you want to get really creative and you have an uncoated pot, you could try flipping it upside down and frying on the outside of it, using the baking paper. (I'm guessing there would still be enough oxygen without drilling holes in it)

The other advantage is the ease of cleaning. Just burn the paper, and you're done.

Rod

Sarah,

Your post is making me hungry, and I just finished lunch!

This makes cooking with a sawed-off beer can and a box of matches, look very primitive! :-)

Hi Sarah,

Tell me, what is the recipe for those scones?

Those ones were from Packit Gourmet and oh man…..their cranberry orange ones are fabu!

You can make your own scones really easy with Bisquick though:
3/4 cup Bisquick (or similar)
Seasonings (be it savory or sweet)

Add in 1/4 cup water. Mix well into a dough. Place in frypan, heated over medium with 1 Tbsp vegetable oil. You can drop the biscuits or just place the whole disk in. Cover (foil works well) and “bake” for 5 minutes. Check periodically to make sure it isn’t burning. You may need to lower the heat as well or keep your pan above the flame a bit.
Spread another 1 Tbsp oil on the top. Flip over and “bake” another 5 minutes or till brown :-)

Really good is cranberries, cinnamon and a two Tbsp sugar added to the dough. Or bacon and cheese with chives…..

More thoughts…

If baking paper works, then a titanium plate with baking paper like the Snow Peak
Trek Titanium Plate is only 2oz (60 grams) plus say 10 grams of paper.

This isn’t the best frying pan with the mucking around and probably the localised heating spots, but it is the lightest.

It could work – you would just need to keep it above the flame – an inch or two – to stop hot spots from forming.

Parchment paper is good stuff, just keep the heat below 450* or so.

I used the BPL firelight 1300 lid to cook sausage, eggs and bacon and last but not least pancakes. The pan is not a non-stick pan BUT if you are carefull and with a little practice at home, WORKS GREAT! And it is super light!

Does anyone know how to get a silverstone/teflon coating on an existing aluminum fry pan. I have a very old set that goes with a very old stove, and it's the best backpacking set ever made, but it's all aluminum and I'd like to be able to cook pancakes in it. It's so thin, that even a well-greased pan makes the pancakes stick. I'm willing to send it out somewhere to have a coating put on it. Any ideas?

>>"Does anyone know how to get a silverstone/teflon coating on an existing aluminum fry pan. I have a very old set that goes with a very old stove, and it's the best backpacking set ever made, but it's all aluminum and I'd like to be able to cook pancakes in it. It's so thin, that even a well-greased pan makes the pancakes stick. I'm willing to send it out somewhere to have a coating put on it. Any ideas?"<<

PTFE-type coatings have health risks…which aren't automatic but rise dramatically with heating the pan coating over 570 degrees F. You can do research on this on the internet, so don't rely on my layman's opinion.

I personally do not use PTFE (Teflon/Silverstone/etc.) coated pans for anything at home or backpacking.

Using a NEW Teflon pan with attention paid to not letting it overheat or get scratched might be an acceptable risk, but you'll have to evaluate that yourself.

I think the convenience of non-stick is good, but I don't want to risk my health over it. HYOH.

> PTFE-type coatings have health risks…which aren't automatic but rise dramatically with heating the pan coating over 570 F

That's 300 C. Anyone who gets their frying pan to that heat deserves what they get! Let's keep things realistic.

At reasonable frying temperatures the risk is probably less than that of the CO from the stove. And at cooking temperatures for stews etc – around boiling, the risk is utterly inconsequential.

Cheers