Ask the Gear Guy

How to keep pots clean

How do you keep pots from your mess kit from turning black when using them over a fire?
– Seared Sandi in Hamburg, N.Y.

A: Don’t cook over a fire! Just kidding — sort of. Actually, cooking over a camp stove is the best way to avoid blackened pots. Plus it’s more efficient and better for the environment. That said, we asked Mike Glavin of GSI Outdoors Inc., which makes some of the best camp pots, for tips on keeping your pots clean when cooking over campfires: “Rub bar soap on the pots before use, and try to keep your pots on a coal-bed, away from open flames. They will still get sooty, but the soap helps keep the soot from sticking — allowing for easier cleanup.

Read 15 comments about “How to keep pots clean”

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1. 5 - twotall2 says:
   August 28th, 2007 at 10:52 am

   Liquid Dish soap works as well,that’s what I’ve been taught and teach,Straight out of the bottle rubbing it all over just the outside of pots/pans BEFORE EACH use.

2. 4 - awsomescout says:
   August 20th, 2007 at 4:25 pm

   i dosent really matter if the bottom of the kit is black it wont hurt it…and i think army mess kits are the best

3. 3 - scout boy says:
   August 7th, 2007 at 1:06 pm

   buy an army mess kit

4. 2 - agent doolin, C.I.A. says:
   August 4th, 2007 at 5:20 am

   perfect for backpacking

5. 1 - 007 says:
   July 31st, 2007 at 12:02 pm

   My father bought me 2 metal mess kits and they bend easily. Then we went to the store and bought me a thick metal mess kit. Now my new mess kit shouldn’t bend at all.

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