I've been looking into a light weight options for our cookware and am getting a little confused about the differences between stove cooking and cooking with an open fire right on the grate. Are there any materials that do better over the fire than others? I know that if I wanted the best for cooking over the open fire, I would get a cast iron, and if I wanted the lightest weight, titanium would be a good option. What is in between though?

I did pick up an anodized aluminum Sea to Summit pan with a gift card, but I'm a little concerned that this is something that is intended for stove cooking. Considering the fact that one use for this pan is going to be cooking venison back strap, where we get a screaming hot pan and then add the back strap to sear it, I'm worried about the pan not being able to take the heat and warping or flaking off the anodized layer.

Don't worry about it. Instead look into what the material limitations are.
Aluminum plain or anodized, transmit heat fast and even depending on thickness and are most efficient, questionable on health for long term use and frail in thin construction, "can melt" at stove or campfire temperatures.

Stainless steel, durable long lasting, almost as efficient as al. Easy to clean with abrasives.Thin materials can suffer hot spotting. High melting point beyond ordinary reach.
Titanium, light weigh transfers heat very fast, very durable and will not melt except at very high temperatures (3 thousand degrees+). Hot spots rapidly and cools quickly, expensive. Best for boiling water.

Cast iron has a following but is heavy. Non stick coatings usually come with thicker materials and have their fans but are scratch prone and shorter lived.

Don't concern yourself over the Seat To Summit pan. It should work fine just do not get it as "smokin hot" as a steel pan when searing the backstraps. A medium sear then move off or aside the heat to finish. Anodized aluminum can take temp into 1000+ for very shot periods and 500 degrees for longer cook times. My personal pan choice for most camps is a SS al disk clad MRS Alpine Gourmet or one I do not have Primus Campfire Pan

butthead

Go to Goodwill buy an aluminum pan for two bucks and throw it in the recycle bin after the trip if it doesn't survive....

nooneuno: "Go to Goodwill buy an aluminum pan for two bucks and throw it in the recycle bin after the trip if it doesn't survive...."

Although some aren't going to agree with this statement, I do. You can find some great stuff cheap and if you ruin it, it's $3-$5...

bombinbrian: "

nooneuno: "Go to Goodwill buy an aluminum pan for two bucks and throw it in the recycle bin after the trip if it doesn't survive...."

Although some aren't going to agree with this statement, I do. You can find some great stuff cheap and if you ruin it, it's $3-$5... "

DITTO!

I picked up a couple of 10.25" blue steel pans from Paderno last year that work great over fire. $9.25 each, weighs under a pound. Can get as hot as you like and season it like cast iron since it's carbon steel. Looks like their website is down right now but I found a few sizes at Ben's Backwoods for a few bucks more. The Paderno site had sizes in ~3/4" increments from about 6" to 12".

Cedarboy: "

bombinbrian: "

nooneuno: "Go to Goodwill buy an aluminum pan for two bucks and throw it in the recycle bin after the trip if it doesn't survive...."

Although some aren't going to agree with this statement, I do. You can find some great stuff cheap and if you ruin it, it's $3-$5... "

DITTO!"

Agree 100%. This is probably the best option for BW cooking over the fire IMO. Only caveat is that if the OP is going to get the pan smoking hot maybe avoid anything nonstick since that's supposed to release all those fun chemicals into your food. Any of the other types (annodized, titanium, cast iron, carbon steel, or even bare aluminum) would be better for this.

Personally I use titanium 90% of the time now just because I already have it (purchased for backpacking), but for doing any cooking that requires finesse (pancakes, eggs, omelets, fried rolls, etc) you can't beat an aluminum frying pan.

While I already posted some info thought I'd add a source that is not often used, Returant Supply Great prices on pro kitchen gear many pieces in a smaller size like 12 inch carbon steel woks and frypans, HD SS -pots from 2 quart up.
Here is the perfect pan for searing those backstraps, French Style Pan Carbon Steel
Yes I do have several small carbon steel pans from them 8-10-12 inch and the e-mail orders handled and shipped quickly.

These almost rival the cost of used but are new and very sturdy.

butthead

Ok, so the pan I have now should be fine, but I'll be careful to not abuse it.

I don't see as much said about the pots though. That's usually what we put in the hottest part of the fire to get water boiling. I'm seeing that stainless steel and titanium are good options, but I'm wondering if titanium will have any warping issues, or if it will tend to burn sauces. If I'm doing more than just boiling water, which material is better?

Titanium is very lightweight and works well for boiling water, it typically doesn't have good heat distribution and as soon as heat is removed it has no residual heat value. Aluminum has better heat distribution and is heaver, it offers a little more residual heat; you may also find some that have another type of metal sandwiched inside of the aluminum bottom which can improve heat distribution and retention. Carbon steel and cast iron are similar in their cooking/heating properties. Many people think that if you apply heat to the bottom you will get a perfectly even heat distribution, that's not the case, it will provide some of the best distribution but it's not perfect. Take a cast iron skillet and put it on a gas burner and put 1/16" of water in the bottom and turn it on med-high, you will see exactly where the heat source is when the bubbles start to appear. The longer heat is applied, the more even the distribution is. Carbon steel and cast iron have the best resistance to warping. I cook with carbon steel everyday - it's slightly lighter than cast iron, it's easy to season and keep seasoned. The down sides are almost all CS pans have very sloped sides which means you have a lot of weight that isn't usable. These sides help when flipping items without using a spatula. CS pans also have long, heavy handles which can be a safety hazard particularly on a camp stove or fire because they extend a good distance from the pan and often get in the way, they also throw of the balance making an empty pan "tipsy". Even with the longer handles, the handles get very hot and you need a handle grip or a hot pad/glove. This pan will provide excellent searing capabilities, is easy to clean, and does not have a harmful/fragile coating. If weight wasn't an issue, I would only use cast iron when camping. It's durable, even heating, has shorter handles, easy to clean, and can a lot of abuse. I have several CI pans that are over 50 years old and I use them all the time.

As far as pots go the bottoms generally have a smaller footprint than a pan and are most often used in conjuction with some type of liquid. Heat distribution isn't as important and the liquid acts as a heat sync and stabilizes the temperature to a degree. Pans are used when you need a large horizontal surface area, pots are used when you need vertical cooking capacity.

A1t2o: "Ok, so the pan I have now should be fine, but I'll be careful to not abuse it.


I don't see as much said about the pots though. That's usually what we put in the hottest part of the fire to get water boiling. I'm seeing that stainless steel and titanium are good options, but I'm wondering if titanium will have any warping issues, or if it will tend to burn sauces. If I'm doing more than just boiling water, which material is better?"

For all of my cooking, including over fires, I use a Fry-Bake pan and stainless pots. Titanium itself would survive fine, but I wouldn't advise using it over fire because it is so thin and doesn't evenly distribute heat, you'd very easily burn whatever you're cooking.

A1t2o: "Ok, so the pan I have now should be fine, but I'll be careful to not abuse it.


I don't see as much said about the pots though. That's usually what we put in the hottest part of the fire to get water boiling. I'm seeing that stainless steel and titanium are good options, but I'm wondering if titanium will have any warping issues, or if it will tend to burn sauces. If I'm doing more than just boiling water, which material is better?"

I have a toaks 1.6l pot that has spent plenty of time right in the hottest part of the fire with no warping. Quite often I put it right on top of those cherry red coals in the heart of the fire even. Just make sure it has liquid in it and it'll be fine. On a side note if you go that route get a pot with the bail handle it makes cooking on the fire MUCH easier.

Edit: you will get charring if you're cooking something thicker. As I said though you won't hurt the pot itself in terms of warping, etc.

A1t2o: "I've been looking into a light weight options for our cookware and am getting a little confused about the differences between stove cooking and cooking with an open fire right on the grate. Are there any materials that do better over the fire than others? "

Whatever you choose, get a stuffsack - the creosote/char on the cookware is something you'd probably rather not have on the rest of your gear!

A1t2o: "I've been looking into a light weight options for our cookware and am getting a little confused about the differences between stove cooking and cooking with an open fire right on the grate. Are there any materials that do better over the fire than others? "

Whatever you choose, get a stuffsack - the creosote/char on the cookware is something you'd probably rather not have on the rest of your gear!

sns: "

A1t2o: "I've been looking into a light weight options for our cookware and am getting a little confused about the differences between stove cooking and cooking with an open fire right on the grate. Are there any materials that do better over the fire than others? "

Whatever you choose, get a stuffsack - the creosote/char on the cookware is something you'd probably rather not have on the rest of your gear!"

+1 on this for sure!

I use aMSR Alpine Stowaway stainless steel pot with lid (1.1L or 1.6L) for all my cooking. It is the only pot/pan I carry and I cook and eat out of it (along with a titanium spork) to save on pack space and weight.

mschi772: "

A1t2o: "Ok, so the pan I have now should be fine, but I'll be careful to not abuse it.



I don't see as much said about the pots though. That's usually what we put in the hottest part of the fire to get water boiling. I'm seeing that stainless steel and titanium are good options, but I'm wondering if titanium will have any warping issues, or if it will tend to burn sauces. If I'm doing more than just boiling water, which material is better?"

For all of my cooking, including over fires, I use a Fry-Bake pan and stainless pots. Titanium itself would survive fine, but I wouldn't advise using it over fire because it is so thin and doesn't evenly distribute heat, you'd very easily burn whatever you're cooking."

Frybakes can't be beaten. The owner, Pam, was a pleasure to talk with. I have 2 of them! incorporate the lids and you can make some interesting meals by throwing hot coals on top.