Titanium Pan

[Hendrik Morkel]

I'm in the market for a titanium pan. I'm cooking with a BushBuddy Ultra. I'm planning to make pancakes, eggs, and generally fry a bit in it. Double duty as a soup bowl or a plate should be possible.

I had a look at this one: Tibetian Titanium Deep Plate/ Bowl/ Pan

Does anyone use that one, and can share some experiences with it? I'm not set on it, and am open to other options (preferably being able to order in Europe, cuts down on customs and shipping costs).

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Make sure you use a lot of fat when frying and bring a scrub pad ;-)

[Frank Deland]

Maybe you could combine a pot that has a top that doubles as a frying pan.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/evernew_titanium_deep_pot_m.html

[Brad Groves]

Evernew makes several models of Ti fry pan… I have an older one with a mini-waffled surface. I think all their newer models have a non-stick coating.

[Hendrik Morkel]

Already have a TT 1100 Pot, don't want to buy another pot (though that could have been an option). I also find 11 cm diameter a bit small for pancakes =)

Will bring oil and a scrub, though I believe the latter won't be necessary.

[Hendrik Morkel]

Brad, could you provide a link to the mentioned pans?

[Brad Groves]

Not sure about making a link, but go to

evernewamerica.com

[Frank Deland]

MSR makes a titanium plate:

http://www.rei.com/product/638785

[Gary Dunckel]

Actually, the MSR plate is stainless steel. But Snow peak makes a titanium one.

[garry pollard]

REI has teflon coated TI on sale for 30% off this week.

[Hendrik Morkel]

Thank you for all the suggestions, I will stick to the initial pan as I can order it cheaply here in Europe and it seems also to be the best one for what I intend to do! If someone is using the Tibetian Titanium Pan, please feel free to post your experiences with it!

[Frank Deland]

Well MSR does make an titanium pan because I own one that weighs 2.25 oz. Using it over a Bushbuddy it should work fine if you keep an eye on it. It will get very hot. If left unattended without any liquid in it, the coating will burn right off.

BTW If you use tinder, such as a cotton ball, to start your fire, consider the "Sparkie". It weighs 7/8 oz. or less than 28 grams. Creates a shower of sparks with one hand by banging it down on a hard surface. Bang it down on an open cotton ball and you have fire which can be moved to your stove. Works like a Blast Match, but is smaller.

http://www.ultimatesurvival.com

or goinggear.com

[Roger Caffin]

Frankly, while I love my Ti pots, I would carry an aluminium frypan IF I was going to carry anything. Ti makes great pots, but not frypans.

Cheers

[Sam .]

"Well MSR does make an titanium pan because I own one that weighs 2.25 oz."

I wouldn't rule out MSR making anything over the years. I know they used to make Ti fuel or water bottles too. Probably did make a Ti skillet, although I've not seen one myself.

[Roger Caffin]

> I know they used to make Ti fuel or water bottles too.

Well … buy in from China, anyhow. I doubt they *made* any of that stuff.

cheers

[Hendrik Morkel]

>>Frankly, while I love my Ti pots, I would carry an aluminium frypan IF I was going to carry anything. Ti makes great pots, but not frypans.<<

Roger, any particular reason for this? And can you recommend a pan in that case (I got a Trangia 25-3UL Pan – might as well try that one first!)?

[Ashley Brown]

You could try the MSR blacklite fry pan. 5.4 ounces and 18cm diameter. Cheap too.

[CW]

Ti has a tendency to burn food because of how it heats. I've even heard people refer to Ti as being able to "burn water".

[Roger Caffin]

Hi Hendrik

> any particular reason for this?
Certainly.
Titanium has a fairly low thermal conductivity. This does not matter for pots as the thickness is so very low: the thermal gradient across the very thin wall (flame to water) might be as low as 1 C. Trivial.

However, this low conductivity does mean that I can pick up a 1.5 L titanium pot half-full of boiling water with my bare fingers at the rim. I kid you not – I did it on the weekend when I forgot my pot gripper. The heat just will not flow up the wall from the boiling water to my fingers.

Now, think about what this means for a frying pan. The heat may go straight through it from the flame to the inside surface, but the heat is not going to spread out sideways any distance at all. Contrast this with a good aluminium frying pan, where the heat really does spread sideways. Try cooking pancakes in a Ti pan and you will see! (Eggs too.)

> Trangia 25-3UL Pan – might as well try that one first!)
Reckon. Non-stick Teflon-coated I think? Should be OK!

Cheers

[Walter Carrington]

"The heat may go straight through it from the flame to the inside surface, but the heat is not going to spread out sideways any distance at all. Contrast this with a good aluminium frying pan, where the heat really does spread sideways. Try cooking pancakes in a Ti pan and you will see! (Eggs too.)"

All true. Unfortunately, the thicker (heavier) the aluminum pan the better it is for cooking. A thick bottom is more important than thick sides for a frying pan. It'll be a tradeoff between good cooking and UL.

[Bailey Gin]

A good heat diffuser plate helps if you plan to do any "real" cooking. My current one is a 5"x5" copper plate at 8oz and .125" thick. Does a very good job of lowering the amount of burnt/scorched foods when titanium or HA uncoated alumnium cookware.

BTW, I bought it for use with a BushBuddy stove. I'can't stand soot on pot/pan bottoms…sides are OK thou, so that problem is solved.

b.gin

[Hendrik Morkel]

Roger, thank you for the in-depth analysis! I forgot the Trangia Non-stick Teflon-coated pan completely, and will give it a try next week. Sometimes the solutions are so close but one doesn't think of them.

re: Soot on the pots/ pans: I don't like it that much either, but I can life with it. I actually wouldn't mind soot on the bottom, but do mind it on the sides – its where I touch it and hence I get black hands =)

[California Packrafting]

You can use a much thinner piece of copper and it will still work.

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