A must-see for those who don't want to compromise on food! How to choose a cooker/cochel for mountain climbing

Choosing a cooker/cochel will get burned if you choose with an incredible feeling.

Recently, even on low mountains, I feel like more and more people are cooking for themselves in the mountains. Compared to previous books, I've seen more mountain food-related books in bookstores, and it seems like the original online manga has just started recently. Of course, I think this is also the reason why cooking in the mountains has become easier thanks to the evolution of tools and ingredients. However, it's also a great idea that once you realize the "happiness that you can't buy with money" of the warm meals you eat in the mountains, more than just how delicious it is. Now, this time I would like to introduce cookers (the German term "kochel" has long been a common term in Japan), one of the essential items when cooking in such mountains.

Its roots are used in metal cooking utensils used by the military in various countries, and has long been popular as a rice bowl in Japan, so in recent years, cookers have been optimized for a variety of uses and purposes such as mountain climbing and camping. As a result, you can now choose from a wide variety of models, including materials, shapes, sizes, and designs. On the other hand, it is also true that the criteria for what to choose and how to choose are becoming more complicated. I mean, I used to think that when a very lightweight titanium cooker came out, there was a time when I was incredibly thinking that "titanium = light = good (expensive)." However, the titanium cooker I bought was not able to cook properly at all and burned in an instant. It was discovered quite a while ago that there were appropriate circumstances to demonstrate titanium's ability, and that he had to pay a high tuition fee. To avoid such regrets, I would like to organize the details here to help you choose a cooker that is really easy to use. Let's go!

Japan is a rare country with such a wide variety of models. His strong commitment to food is impressive.

[Related Article] We've thoroughly compared the popular cookers ↓↓

• Comparative test: I tried using all the cooker Kochel for mountain climbing.

table of contents

• What is the performance required of a great cooker?
• Checkpoint 1: Size
• Checkpoint 2: Type and shape
• Checkpoint 3: Material
• Checkpoint 4: Storageability
• Checkpoint 5: Other functions and ease of use
• Summary: What are your recommendations after all?

What is the performance required of a great cooker?

If a cooker is simply a dish for food picking, then just the weight and size will be enough (in fact, bowls made of wood or resin can also be used in mountains). However, when you consider the assumption that it is cooked over a fire, as in this case, various factors are required, including the performance and usability of cooking utensils. Below is a rough summary.

• Durable and long lasting
• Boils and bakes quickly (high heat efficiency)
• Lightweight and easy to pack
• It's not burnt and easy to cook, making it easy to use overall
• Can be used without waste regardless of the number of people or scenes (expandable and versatile)
• The design is good
• Low price

I have not seen a perfect cooker in all of the above elements yet. The important thing is to know the differences in the various characteristics of gears and choose the best model from among them, depending on the situation you use frequently, your purpose, and preferences. Here we will explain five points to check when choosing the best cooker.

Checkpoint 1: Size

Cookers come in a variety of sizes, from models that just require you to drink a cup of coffee to pots that make curry for large parties, so the first thing to do is to consider the size by comparing the items you actually cook with the number of people you eat. Another important consideration is whether the gas cartridge can be stored in the cooker for efficient packing (see also Check Point 4). To avoid making a mistake by choosing a size that is too small, we have summarized the table below to summarize how much capacity and size you need for each purpose. Naturally, if you add more ingredients to a cooker in addition to hot water, please be aware that the required volume will more than double. Anyway, start with this, roughly imagine the scene you will be using and use it as a reference when considering the size you need.

Uses	Capacity estimate
1 cup of coffee	Approximately 140ml of water
Cup ramen	Approximately 330ml of water
Instant ramen	Approximately 450ml of water (excluding the volume of noodles)
Alpha rice	Approximately 160ml of water
1 cup of rice	Approximately 200ml of water (excluding rice volume)
Small gas stove	Diameter approx. 10cm / Height approx. 7cm (actual measurement)
Medium gas stove	Diameter approx. 11cm / Height approx. 9cm (actual measurement)

Tips for choosing

• If you only use one person to boil water, it can be around 700ml in size. However, in that case, you will have to give up on authentic cooking, so if you are planning to cook, we recommend bringing at least 1.0l with you .
• If you're thinking about cooking for two people, we recommend a size of at least about 1.5 l. Furthermore, when cooking, if you have multiple cookers, you can cook rice and main dishes separately, and multiple stoves can be cooked in parallel, making it efficient.
• If there are more than three people, we consider a cooker set of different sizes, including a pot of 1.5l or more, depending on the number of people and meal plans.

Checkpoint 2: Type and shape

Even if you have a cooker of the same size, you can choose from three large shapes to suit your usability and preferences. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, so let's start by comparing its features in the table below.

material	Deep type	Shallow type	Square
image
merit	Gas cartridges can be stored inside Vertical and easy to pack Many models can use lids as plates and frying pans.	Easy to cook Easy to eat Easy to wash Good thermal efficiency There is a sense of stability (on the stove) Available in sizes for large groups	Store and cook instant ramen without breaking Easy to cook Easy to eat Easy to wash Easy to pack Easy to pour liquid
Disadvantages	It's difficult to cook It's difficult to eat It's difficult to wash Low stability (on the stove) There is no size for large groups	Many models cannot store gas cartridges inside It's difficult to pack	Few variations There is no large size, so it can be used at most two people

Tips for choosing

• If you are considering ease of use on-site (easy cooking), we recommend a shallow or square type.。
• The deep type sacrifices a lot of other things for storage and portability. If you prioritize portability and choose to cook only boil water, we recommend a deep type.
• The square model is a shallow model that adds a little convenience for solo hiking. (Not to consider large groups) Recommended if you want to cook with a solo hike .

Checkpoint 3: Material

The materials commonly used in cookers are aluminum and stainless steel, and in recent years the number of titanium has gradually increased. Of these, stainless steel is too heavy and is not realistic for mountain climbing, so you usually choose either aluminum or titanium.

Naturally, these are different metals, so their characteristics are different, and for beginners, titanium is more expensive and it's easy to think that it's a good thing. Of course, I have gone through that path, but in the end, in reality, there are pros and cons, and I can never clearly determine whether to superiority or inferiority. However, if titanium is even a little too strong (except when it has a special coating), the bottom will burn and warp immediately , so even after you have paid a lot of money to get it, you will have to deal with this inconvenient ease of use. Do you need to be so particular about titanium? As usual, the table below summarizes the advantages and disadvantages, so please check it out again.

material	aluminum	titanium	Stainless steel (reference)
image
merit	It's not easy to burn Good thermal conductivity (easy to cook)	Thin and light Hard and less likely to dent It is resistant to rust It is difficult for the handle to get hot because it is not easily transmitted Less metal smell	It is resistant to rust It's not easily damaged It doesn't get cold easily Cheap
Disadvantages	Prone to deformation and concave Low durability and rust easily Heavy (compared to titanium)	Low thermal conductivity The heat is concentrated in places where the fire is hit and the burning is likely to occur only there. expensive	heavy Low thermal conductivity Easy to burn
remarks	In recent years, models that have increased their weaknesses, corrosion resistance, durability, and hardness, by applying special processing to the surface of the aluminum, have become more common. There are also models with a non-stick coating on the inside.	There are also models with a non-stick coating on the inside. Like EPI's ATS processing , models that have increased their weakness, a heat conductivity, through the manufacturer's unique technology, have also been released.

Tips for choosing

• Recent aluminum products are becoming more and more durable and easy to use. you are new to cooking mountains and want to enjoy cooking besides boiling water, we recommend an aluminum cooker .
• if you want to prioritize lightness, such as small groups or fast and light hiking, .

Checkpoint 4: Storageability

Cookers are hollow inside and can't even compress, and are one of the gears that are very troublesome to pack. Therefore, in order to store it as compactly as possible, it is common to use a matryoshka to store containers of subtle sizes. Even if one small cooker for one person is enough now, it's very smart to be able to buy more when there are more parties with two or three people, which is very easy to buy.

For this reason, the first thing to check is whether the brand or model you have chosen will have a set of different sizes that can be stacked in the future. If possible, the best way to do this is to choose the size you need from among models that can be expanded and then align them. Of course, it's also a good idea to buy a model with a large and small set from the beginning (the photo on the left is a Montbell Alpine Cooker 18+20 bread set ). In that sense, it is efficient to unify the deep, shallow, and square types (I know in my head that this is, but considering the various situations, the reality is that it is not that easy...).

Also, the first gear that comes to mind when filling the cavity inside a cooker is a gas cartridge, but one of the the GSI Pinnacle Duarist (pictured right), it is possible to store a variety of gears together, such as tableware, mugs, stoves, lighters, and ingredients, as well as gaps and waste.

From a storage standpoint, SEA TO SUMMIT's new X-POT product, which has been offering foldable silicon tableware up to now, is quite shocking. This amazing "cooker" combines incredible storage capacity and convenience as a cooking utensil, as its bottom is made of aluminum and the sides are foldable. The heat is limited because the heat is required to adjust the heat so that the heat does not extend to the sides, but we will be looking forward to seeing how it will evolve from now on.

Checkpoint 5: Other functions and ease of use

Handle (handle)

It is difficult to use if the cooker protrudes in the way of packing, and if it bends quickly, it is extremely difficult to cook. This handle is a product of each manufacturer's ingenuity and ingenuity to combine two opposing functions: convenience and storage. Personally, I have checked the following three points:

• Easy to grip and does not come off or bend
• It doesn't get hot during cooking
• You can fold it beautifully without wobbling

It's hard to find handles that fit perfectly in everything, but personally I think that the stable ease of grip and folding like the MSR QUICK SOLO SYSTEM is pretty close to ideal. However, one weakness is that it is complicated to build and is scary when it breaks.

coating

As mentioned in the Materials section, various processing technologies (see below) have now been adopted to compensate for their weaknesses, whether it is aluminum or titanium, and the overall quality is steadily improving. When choosing a cooker, it is extremely important to check models that are not just aluminum or titanium, but also to properly incorporate these technologies.

Summary: What are your recommendations after all?

I've also written a lot of details, but I'm sure you'll be asked what recommendations are in the end, so here are some recommendations that the editorial department will choose with the above in mind. Depending on the conditions and preferences, you can quite think of a different choice, but we will report on this in detail in a comparison test at a later date, so please look forward to it. First, here is a surefire model that everyone can choose.

Solo ~ for two people hiking	For large parties
Ultra-lightweight titanium cage made of ceramic coating that is easy to cook at the very least.	Simple ease of use and no-lean stacking, with a functional beauty that remains safe even after decades
Evernew Titanium Cooker Deep Type W Ceramic (Size Variations and Set Types are available)	Evernew Aluminum Cochel L (Same lineup also includes a lighter titanium version)

Among the many outdoor gear, Cooker is a field where each person's sense and preferences are clearly shown. That's why there's no definitive brand or model, and I don't think it's strange that the best choices for each of them are divided into more than the other gear. That's why I'm not the only one who thinks that pursuing a "ideal kitchen for yourself" in the mountains is one way to enjoy the outdoors, and that it emits an indescribable, attractive fragrance. If you're thinking this, I recommend taking a look at Kochel Swamp!