Bike. Camp. Cook.

[Sweep]

Just to clarify nickpaton.

Once the pasta is in its cosy how long does it take for the pasta to cook - 10-12 mins as normal or does it need longer?

Is that material available in smaller rolls - that one looks big?

I can vouch for the effectiveness of windshieds after once spending maybe half an hour to cook some pasta.

[Geriatrix]

A worthwhile kickstarter project (IMO).
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/goingslowly/a-bicycle-touring-cookbook-bike-camp-cook

[rualexander]

Great recipe ideas which I'll be trying - thanks!

I posted this elsewhere, and is what I use to keep pans and their contents warm during cooking whilst freeing up a single burner stove to cook the rest of the meal in a second pan:

Cooking Pasta, Rice etc: Got this tip somewhere on these forums but it really works! Pasta takes around 10 minutes to cook which uses a lot of fuel and hogs the single burner stove.
I bought a roll of that thin metal coated insulated sheeting from a DIY store and made up a sleeve to fit around each pan, and some circular bits for top and bottom of the pans.
Once the water has boiled, add the pasta, rice etc, take off the heat, put a sleeve round the pan and stand on a circular bit. Cover with a second circular bit. This keeps the water very hot and the pasta was perfectly cooked every time. It also freed up the stove to cook the main course and saved fuel too! They pack up flat and weigh nothing.

Since the original post, I've used it on another longer trip and found it really worked well. It's also likely to work for anything that requires a simmering heat, as the water remains very warm for a long time.

Pot cosy and windshield kit http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/cooki ... QE102.html

[mercalia]

The insulation idea very good must try it. On a related matter about simmering rather than boiling. I have one of those Colemans 533 sportser petrol stoves and as many find it wont simmer - is much too fierce. I was wondering about some kind of raised support for the pans to limit the heat. I have been holding my pan above the flame but not a very good soln. Any one solve this problem?

[Sweep]

Question.

What do you stick the cosy together with.

Some folk mention aluminium duct tape.

I have some duct tape which is aluminium coloured, but has no aluminium in it - just plastic.

Is this OK?

[rualexander]

Question.

What do you stick the cosy together with.

Some folk mention aluminium duct tape.

I have some duct tape which is aluminium coloured, but has no aluminium in it - just plastic.

Is this OK?

In the video instructions on the page linked to above at backpackinglight they just use normal duct tape.

[andrew_s]

Pot Cosy material:
The B&Q insulation linked to by nickpaton is cheaper than everyone else's because it's the greenhouse wrap version (30mm polystyrene equiv), and is only half as warm as the usual version. They quoted the thermal resistance value, which allowed me to check.
This is the warmest version: general purpose wrap, 65mm equiv. There's also a loft insulation wrap, 55mm equiv


I'd recommend making a 2 section cosy - sides and base for one section, and sides and top for the other, sized to slide over the fitted base. This gives double insulation on the sides, and means that you can leave the pot in the bottom half whilst you eat, considerably increasing your chances of finishing the meal before the food goes cold.

Once the pasta is in its cosy how long does it take for the pasta to cook - 10-12 mins as normal or does it need longer?

Is that material available in smaller rolls - that one looks big?

I can vouch for the effectiveness of windshieds after once spending maybe half an hour to cook some pasta.

I find that pasta in a cosy requires a little extra time, but not that much - maybe 15 mins rather than 12 (depending what shape you have:) ).
Backpackinglight sell small amounts (see link above) for cheaper than a full roll. Plenty for a couple of cosies.
Lack of a windshield may mean you may fail to even bring water to the boil - eg a mini trangia, or a canister top gas stove that's getting towards the end of the canister.

[andrew_s]

The insulation idea very good must try it. On a related matter about simmering rather than boiling. I have one of those Colemans 533 sportser petrol stoves and as many find it wont simmer - is much too fierce. I was wondering about some kind of raised support for the pans to limit the heat. I have been holding my pan above the flame but not a very good soln. Any one solve this problem?

You need a simmer plate (also known as a burner plate or heat diffuser).
Probably not of the lightest, and I would suspect they may rust. I'd be inclined to take the top of a baked bean can (or possibly something a bit bigger) and punch a hole or two in (use a can opener that cuts from the side).

[DaleFTW]

My setup -

[Slowroad]

Excellent Dale FTW - and how do you get it to appear and disappear like that?