Thermal dishes for sublimates

Most often, sublimates are “cooked” directly in the bag while camping. However, this method has a number of disadvantages, which become especially noticeable in cold climates. Special dishes with good thermal insulation will help solve this problem. In this review, I tested several thermal containers to determine their effectiveness and other important qualities, namely weight, capacity, durability, convenience and cost.

Statement of the problem

From camping experience and manufacturers’ instructions, I knew that in order for sublimates to brew normally, it takes from 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the density of the ingredients of the dish. And I consider 60 degrees Celsius a pleasant temperature for eating (there are, of course, other opinions on this matter). Consequently, camping utensils for sublimates must provide such thermal insulation that in 15 minutes the water temperature drops at least 60 degrees. And considering that the weather on a hike can be anything, it was nice to have some temperature reserve.

Testing methodology

I took an electric kettle, a stopwatch and a pyrometer (remote infrared thermometer) and decided to measure the cooling rate of water in various dishes. The measurements were carried out indoors at a temperature of +21. I poured 350 ml of boiling water into all containers, closed the lids and noted the time. 15, 30 and 60 minutes after the start of the experiment, I removed the covers and measured the temperature of the water surface with a pyrometer. The error of the device is plus or minus one and a half degrees. I carried out operations with various vessels in parallel, but essentially sequentially (after all, I had only 1 device, 2 hands and not much time before dawn). True, the order of the vessels was maintained throughout the entire experiment. As a result, the error in measuring time, it seems to me, can be up to a minute, which is significant at the initial stage, but easily negligible at an hourly distance.

Measurement results

I must say that the results of the experiment surprised me a lot. Unexpectedly, a huge dispersion was discovered between the vessels that looked identical to me (3 containers with goats). The reason for this may be either hidden design defects or methodological errors in the organization of measurements. For example, I find it very confusing to remove covers repeatedly for long periods of time. Well, it will be all the more interesting to conduct a second series of experiments a little later, this time using a freezer.

Let's move on to the numbers. In the table below, the cookware is sorted by increasing thermal insulation properties. In addition to the water temperature (t 15, t30, t 60), the weight of the dishes, its nominal volume and also the comfortable volume are indicated there - the maximum amount of liquid with which it will be convenient to interact when eating from a given container.

Notes on cookware

Now a little more about each test participant. In addition to the measurement results that you have already seen, there are all sorts of performance qualities that cannot be measured with a yardstick and cannot be entered into a table.

Bowl without lid

To understand the effectiveness of thermal insulation, a certain reference point is needed. This is precisely the role played by a regular plastic bowl without a lid in this test. I just poured boiling water into it and didn’t cover it in any way. It turned out that even at room temperature and in the complete absence of wind, the open bowl failed to cope with the task. The water has cooled to 50 degrees. This means that ordinary bowls WITHOUT A LID are unsuitable for brewing sublimates.

Thermal vessel

The strangest and most useless vessel. If you believe your eyes, the thermal vessel is very similar to something sealed and well insulated. However, this is not true. It cools down very quickly and, despite the seals, allows water to pass through if it is turned over. And with all this, it is still VERY HEAVY! The only plus of this vessel is its large volume.

Mug with lid

Simple, light, cheap ($1) and quite durable. Provides thermal insulation almost at the level of a thermal package. The lid fits quite tightly and protects the contents well from dust and accidental spillage when moving around the parking lot. At one time (namely, in the summer of 2007), this particular mug was my main camping utensil. I ate and drank from it until, after a couple of months of intensive use, the plastic cracked (apparently I crushed it in my backpack). Then I thought it wouldn’t hurt to get something more reliable and switched to metal mugs.

Thermal package

Another reference point of our testing. It is in these bags that most sublimates are packaged by default. I wrote about their disadvantages and advantages earlier. After reviewing the test results, I was extremely surprised by the good performance of the thermal packages. They turned out to be almost on the same level as a pair of bowler hats + goats, whose total wall thickness is 6 times greater.

Titanium pot Toaks 0.9 liters + goat

Kozi is an insulating cover for dishes. In this case, it is homemade. I glued it together using reinforced foam tape (construction insulation with foil). Weight - only 36 grams!!! In this test there are as many as three goats made by me according to one recipe. Oddly enough, the thermal insulation of the resulting kits is very different. Most likely I will remake the goat for this pot - I will look for another, thicker penofol.

This particular set is the basis of my “easy-going kitchen” on those rare occasions when I go alone or with two people. A 0.9-liter pot is just enough to brew sublimates or make tea for two. The pot has a very good shape (effectively absorbs heat from the burner), wonderful weight (107 g) and a reasonable price tag ($45). But its titanium lid does not work well - it is slightly deformed and does not fit tightly, with huge gaps around the perimeter.

Plastic bowl with goats

This was my first homemade gozi. I made it spontaneously, a few hours before flying to the Himalayas, and ended up going with it for several years. The container has a fairly tight lid - not airtight, of course, but it allows you to move around the camp calmly. This plastic is easily “washed” with toilet paper, which is very useful on cold hikes. Unfortunately, a plastic bowl cannot be placed on the burner, and it is easier to break than a metal one. Therefore, I try not to take it on real hikes and carry it mainly around Nepal. By the way, watch the video about this boat and homemade sublimates on the trek to Everest.

Starbucks insulated cup

In fact, I have never taken this glass on trips - it is too heavy, tall and insufficient. It will be inconvenient to eat with a spoon from dishes of this format, and there will not be enough space for many bulk sublimates. Nevertheless, the thermal insulation properties of the Starbucks glass turned out to be quite good.

Titanium mug Ti Artisan 0.6 l + goose

Suddenly it turned out to be the warmest of my homemade products. Before this, I had never taken it on hikes with a goat, so I can’t say much about the practical side of things. But for some reason it seems to me that drinking tea and coffee from such a mug will be tastier than from plastic or the same 0.9 pot. To test this assumption, I will take this kit on my next winter hike in Turkey. By the way, there are only 2 weeks left before it and the group has already started ordering sublimates.

Flamberg food thermos

The heaviest and hottest participant in our test. The food thermos lived up to its name and actually did not lose temperature during the tests. If I ever get ready to go to the harsh winter Arctic, then perhaps this will be my plate. The most annoying moment in winter hiking is when you dream about hot food all evening, and then put the plate in the snow for a second (adjust the burner, shake off the snow) and that’s it - your coveted pasta is hopelessly cold.

Results

The most important result of the test is that I was once again convinced that the experiment is a useful thing. The measurement results radically changed my understanding of the thermal insulation properties of my cookware, and the testing process itself entertained me a lot... What else could I test?
Maybe we should play with the freezer, though?

Kirill Yasko, December 21, 2019