Titanium Fry Pan – do they really suck?

[todd]

Scrambling eggs, bacon, a hotdog.

Do things stick as badly as I’ve heard?   I’ve used Ti forever but never used my fry pan for much at all.  Any experience-based advice for wood fire vs canister/esbit?

Thank you!

[David Thomas]

When I’ve used really thin steel fry pans or Ti pots as a fry pan, the heat conduction is horrible as predicted by their poor thermal conductivity.  That’s not a problem if it’s full of water or you’ve used a LOT of oil, but for actual frying tasks, you’ll get lots of scorching over the flame and not much cooking elsewhere.

A canister stove with a wide flame pattern will work better than one with a spot pattern and an alcohol stove with its lower-temperature flame might be better yet.

Recommendation: if you want to fry food, do it at home.  If you really want to do it on the trail, do it in foil that you can throw away.  I’ve found it hard to clean fry pans in the wilderness and then there are issues with attracting animals.

[BlackHatGuy]

Hey Todd,

Something like this diffuser might help. Added weight, but might be worth it. I have one but haven’t used it, if I get a chance within the next couple of days I’ll try it out and let you know.

[W I S N E R !]

I use an Imusa Egg Pan with nonstick coating.  Ditch the lid and grind the handle rivets off with a dremel and it’s something like 3 or 4 ounces.  It also doubles as a pot lid.  It does batter fried trout well enough for me.

https://www.amazon.com/Imusa-Casserole-Lid-Handle-Inch/dp/B00164VNWS

And yes, Ti frypans don’t work in my experience.

[David Thomas]

I once was camping with a 150,000 BTU/hour propane burner and an automotive radiator (as a heat exchanger).  The flame was too concentrated and de-soldered some tubes on the radiator.  So I soldered them closed and used a locally-sourced diffuser – a large, flat rock.  It worked.

[Michael K]

You can steam a hot dog in a titanium pan, but for actual cooking/frying use aluminum or even better, something hard anodized which is more durable than non-stick.  The hard anodized trangia pans that range from 2.5 to 5.6 oz. depending on size are my favorite and I take them when I’m making fish tacos and doing actual cooking.  Before that, I used the MSR Quick Skillet, but I don’t like how easily the non-stick coating flakes off under adverse conditions of backpacking.  In terms of cleaning soiled and oily pots, my “trick” is to first use a thick combination of water and dirt which absorbs the oil (I mix this in the pan), which then makes the cleaning much easier.

https://www.campsaver.com/trangia-25-frypan-lid-hard-anodized-8-7-inch-epyhi.html

https://www.campsaver.com/trangia-27-ul-hard-anodized-frypan.html

[James Marco]

Yes, they suck. They do not have enough conduction to distribute heat evenly. And, any oxidation on ti means stuff sticks more (the molecules are larger/stickier.) Wide flames and start with a good hot pan and oil. Aluminum is MUCH better, even the thin stuff (it has a finer oxidation coating.) Clean-up is a matter of dishing out food and pouring a half inch or so of water. 90-95% of stuff will loosen and fall right off with just a small pad.

 

[Ken Larson]

Never had an issue with Banks Fry-Bake hard anodized cookware pans with any of my baking or frying.

https://frybake.com/products/

[James Marco]

Ken, yeah, those are aluminum with a non-stick surface.

[Matthew / BPL]

What Wisner said

I have a tiny IKEA nonstick frying pan that I removed most of the handle from. It was $5, it’s about 5 or 6” wide and weighs about four ounces. It worked great the one time I tried it but haven’t bothered since.

[Ryan Jordan]

+1 on the Banks Alpine Fry Bake. It’s heavier than the little tiny pans but the little ones don’t hold the huge trout that I normally catch 😂

[todd]

Thanks folks!  Was really hoping their was a miracle “free ride” that I had yet to learn about with the lightweight stuff.

I have always wanted the Fry-bake stuff but the weight was an issue.  Then Firebox came out with their Kickstarter campaign and I pounced – which is really great in my limited experience with it.

 

[DAN-Y]

Ti pans work well. Learn how to use peanut oil and low heat. Sara K can teach you 🙂

[Anonymous]

“Learn how to use peanut oil”

Avocado has a very high smoke point, by far the highest of all oils commonly used for food/cooking. Also one of the healthiest ones in general, and there is less processing needed to get it commercially ready (many oils are processed/refined with a combination of high heat, hexane, etc. Avocado is one of the few truly cold processed and often without harsh solvents).

https://jonbarron.org/diet-and-nutrition/healthiest-cooking-oil-chart-smoke-points

 

(As a side note/tangent, there is an Ohio US based company out there called Renewable Lubricants that makes motor, industrial, etc oils out of a combination of processed high oleic sunflower oil and synthetic oils. I’ve used some of their motor oils for my two wheeled vehicles [the 5w-40 stuff is particularly amazing].  After stabilizing it, and taking out glycerin, I wonder how avocado oil, with the right additive package, would perform?  It certainly has the the high heat stability down!  But, it’s definitely more expensive than the H.O. sunflower. But holistically logic speaking, a blend of avocado, some jojoba, and castor oil with the right additive package should perform amazingly well, potentially even better than the best synthetic formulations out there).

[Ryan Jordan]

Trout is terrible in peanut oil. I know, I’m a bit of a fish snob. Seattle roots.

Hot dogs on the other hand, would probably be amazing fried in peanut oil :D

[Serge Giachetti]

Good info on the oils. I’ll have to try and compare. I’m not much of a cook, but I’m excited to start BC cooking simple stuff. I recently got a MSR flex ceramic pan and I’ve used it a couple times for grilled cheese broughts with a MSR pocket rocket deluxe. Supposedly this pan does a greater job with heat distribution, but still having to be very watchful with the concentrated/powerful flame. I know there is a couple very light Ti options, but at 6.2 oz, and 1.5 liters, I still consider the MSR to be UL. Especially if you just bring that and use it for water boiling as well. Bigger trips I’m way more of an oz counter, but on weekend trips and overnighters, I’m happy to carry the extra couple oz.

[DAN-Y]

Trout baked in non-stick aluminum foil over hot coals is my preferred method. Cooking is all about patience. Boiling water, freezer baggin is fast lane stuff. :-)

[bradmacmt]

Trout baked in non-stick aluminum foil over hot coals is my preferred method

Exactly. And here in grizzly country I also think it’s the safest method.

Most aluminum wrapped trout are good with 5 minutes per side.

But I also like trout Sashimi, which is uber simple…

[Five Star]

I use a titanium fry pan when I go on a week-long hike and know I’m only gonna fry something once or twice.  In that setting, when used with care, it’s adequate.  But if I plan on doing some serious frying, such as fish, hash browns, salmon cakes, potato patties etc. I eat the extra couple ounces and bring my aluminum skillet.  I don’t think I’d do a good job with eggs in a titanium skillet either.

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

If you’re doing the kind of trip where you’re going to go fishing and cook a delicious meal, bring enough foil to wrap your fish up in a foil pouch and cook it over the fire with some fresh lime juice in the pouch. Bite the bullet and bring a griddle so you can make eggs and bacon and pancakes on the fire for breakfast. Allow your ultralight gear to make it easier to bring the occasional heavy luxury item. I know a guy who brings a cross-cut saw bent around his Gossamer Gear pack, so if he can bring a giant saw, you can bring a real griddle.

[Anonymous]

Could one take a sheet of strong, but lightweight and thin aluminum alloy, then black anodize the material, and use that instead of a typical aluminum pan?

Black anodizing would accomplish a few different things, would create more of a nonstick type surface, would help the aluminum to absorb the heat more efficiently, and is a protective barrier for the Al in general, but especially if cooking acidic foods on it (the thick aluminum oxide surface is much less reactive and much more durable than the very thin aluminum oxide surface that naturally forms on Al due to oxygen exposure).

https://www.onlinemetals.com/en/buy/material?q=%3Arelevance%3AMaterial%3AAluminum%3AShape%3ASheet%2FPlate%3AAlloy%3A6061

Hypothetically speaking, with a combination of 6061 Al thin sheeting and cutting and/or bending it to whatever size or shape you want, you could get a very light weight but durable fry/cook pan for pretty cheap.

(I also wonder, while doing the black anodizing, could you possibly get some graphite inclusion in during the process, thus creating a very nonstick and extremely inert/non reactive surface?)

May put this on my list of projects to do.

 

[Anonymous]

If there is any interest, I asked Online Metals, what aluminium alloy would be best for high heat applications. They said 2024 and 7075.  Now I need to see which ones anodize better.

Just checked.  2XXX series not so good for anodizing (because of the copper), but 7XXX series excellent.  I’m curious how thin one can go with such sheet?   Any informed guesstimates out there?   Just off the top of my head, I’m looking at the .071″ thick stuff.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

THEY SUCK!

I sold mine B/C it had lousy heat dissipation and thus a center hot spot.

Never again for Ti cookware for me.

[Ben H.]

7075 Al is really strong stuff too.  The problem with going really thin, is you are going to get hot spots like the thin wall Ti.  I guess you are hoping the anodizing will provide enough non-stick to make up for it.  I’ve been wondering about putting ribs on a thin wall Al pan that would provide strength and a conduction path to spread heat.

[DAN-Y]

Canadian bacon in 8″ seasoned Ti fry pan, non stick.

[Author]

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