# Self Sufficiency/Living off the Land or Off the Grid > Cooking, Food Storage, & Preserving >  Small pressure cooker for camping

## randyt

All the talk about pressure canners lately sparked a question. Somewhere I read or heard about a small pressure cooker for camping. The advantages are quicker cook times, reduced fuel usage, retained nutrition and there are probably others. Any thoughts on this?

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## Sourdough

I bought some small pressure cookers for base camp. Works fine. I wish they would make a 2 quart size. 




> All the talk about pressure canners lately sparked a question. Somewhere I read or heard about a small pressure cooker for camping. The advantages are quicker cook times, reduced fuel usage, retained nutrition and there are probably others. Any thoughts on this?

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## pgvoutdoors

I saw a participant on the TV show Ultimate Survival Alaska using one that looked pretty small.  Might be a good idea.

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## Ken

Chuckle.  I can see the headlines now...

*"Radical Alaskan Arrested.  Pressure Cookers and Arsenal of Weapons Discovered."*

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## randyt

thanks for the replies. It may have been the alaskan show where I saw the pressure cooker. I've googles small pressure cookers and there seems to be small models available. I wonder about the feasibility of using one over a wood fire.

Ken, I thought all alaskans were radical by nature. LOL

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## Sourdough

I fully expect that this WILL come at some point in the next 5 or 10 years.





> Chuckle.  I can see the headlines now...
> 
> *"Radical Alaskan Arrested.  Pressure Cookers and Arsenal of Weapons Discovered."*

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## Ken

> I fully expect that this WILL come at some point in the next 5 or 10 years.


You gonna' make me take the Alaska Bar Exam?

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## randyt

here's a sight I came across with small pressure cookers.

http://www.eastwestusastore.com/prod...s-119-111.html

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## Sourdough

Ten-Thousand thank you, Those are great prices, I will order the two liter stainless steel. (Rep point sent)




> here's a sight I came across with small pressure cookers.
> 
> http://www.eastwestusastore.com/prod...s-119-111.html

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## Rick

Randy - GSI also makes pressure cookers for the traile. They come in a 2.7 liter and 5.7 liter size. I've never used one so I can't tell you anything about their use.

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## randyt

thanks Rick, I noticed the gsi pressure cooker on one of my google searches. Wish I knew more about the whole concept. The pressure cooker weighs a good amount but the trade off may be in the fuel consumption.

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## Sourdough

I wonder if anyone makes one out of titanium.......???

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## Rick

Oh...you want titanium.....yeah, you can have that too if you have the gold. Way too rich for my blood but Kuhn Rikon makes them. 

http://us.kuhnrikon.com/us/en/produc...5-98c528a3003d

Randy - I'm not sure what you mean by "know more about the whole concept" so I'll give you my understanding of it. Increasing the pressure inside an enclosed vessel increases the temperature. I know you know that. You are actually creating high pressure steam inside the cooker. That steam is what cooks the food. And since you are cooking with steam all the way through the food the food stays moist. About the only thing that cooks as fast is a microwave. However, it won't cook large amounts of food as quickly as a pressure cooker will. So your trade off of fuel to vessel weight is probably correct.

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## randyt

I understand that aspect of how a pressure cooker works. The concept I'm referring to is the feasibility of carrying a heavy piece of equipment like a pressure cooker in a BOB. Maybe the titanium model would be considerably lighter in weight.

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## Rick

Find a rock that weighs the same, put it your pack....oh, you know the rest.

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## randyt

that's a awful bunch of rock soup, to rich for my blood.

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## randyt

If I get a opportunity this year at trapping camp, I'll take a pressure cooker rather than a frying pan. The muskrat will cook up tender in a pressure cooker. I can still cook my banique and bacon on sticks.

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## Sourdough

Also at high altitude it is the only way to get water to boil.





> Randy - I'm not sure what you mean by "know more about the whole concept" so I'll give you my understanding of it. Increasing the pressure inside an enclosed vessel increases the temperature. I know you know that. You are actually creating high pressure steam inside the cooker. That steam is what cooks the food. And since you are cooking with steam all the way through the food the food stays moist. About the only thing that cooks as fast is a microwave. However, it won't cook large amounts of food as quickly as a pressure cooker will. So your trade off of fuel to vessel weight is probably correct.

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## ePressureCooker

A 5.7 liter pressure cooker is I believe equivalent to a 6 quart pressure cooker (the standard size), and would be big enough to make soups, stews, larger amounts of beans, etc.  The 2.7 liter model would be half that size, obviously, and you'd have to be careful about making foods that expand during cooking such as dried beans and legumes (garbanzos, for example), dried grains (wheat, barley, rice, etc.) and while you COULD make them in the smaller unit, you'd have to be very careful to do smaller amounts both because of the expansion issue and the tendency to foam (which can block the pressure release valve).




> If I get a opportunity this year at trapping camp, I'll take a pressure cooker rather than a frying pan. The muskrat will cook up tender in a pressure cooker. I can still cook my banique and bacon on sticks.


Randy, no need to do that.  You can use a pressure cooker with the lid off, just as if it were a saucepan or a skillet.  No need to lose that delicious bacon fat in the fire (not sure what a banique is).  It can be used to flavor beans, peas, add flavor to stew, make hash, or if you have meat that isn't tough and doesn't have to be "stewed", animal based fats make for GREAT crispy fried foods.  Chicken fried steak cooked in chicken fat is not only crispy, but absolutely divine (as are potato wedges cooked in chicken and duck fat), bacon grease would produce similarly delicious results.

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## randyt

banique is french for bannock, LOL.

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## Lauriegall

I usually cook in my dutch ovens, but record rains in northern Arizona recently made a campfire impossible (thank goodness it was not a survival situation), so I made use of my 8 qt. aluminum pressure cooker and propane stove quite a bit in elk camp - venison stew.

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## oldtrap59

I've used our 6 qt pressure cooker on the colman stove many times when we have been out. I really don't feel the weight is as much a problem as the space it takes up. But then, when I pack it, I usually fill it with as many small goodies as I can. 

As far as using it over a open fire, the biggest problem would be temp control. (imo) Building a good coal bed would probably take care of that.

OT

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## ElevenBravo

Great thread!  I never thought of a pressure cooker. This would be great for "car camping" in remote areas.

What size cooker would be good for a meal for two people??

EB

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## shaulporat

I have been looking for  many years for a light flat pressure cooker.I am surprised,there are none on the market,worldwide.It saves gas,cooks fast,and does not leak if extra food remains.
Some one suggested a TITANIUM cooker. It would be enough to have an ionized aluminum with titanium surface.For the last 16 years,I have been using Howkins liter and a half aluminum pressure cooker made in India.Very reliable but bulky and heavy yet,since my goal is to have all equipments in the backpack  weight maximum 10 kg.Is there someone there who is interested in manufacture  and distribute a pressure cooker like this?

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## Lamewolf

I'd almost be afraid to use one on a wood fire.  I knew a lady that died from injuries caused by one that exploded using it on her gas cook stove.  Don't know how or why it exploded, but I wouldn't want to be in the backwoods away from medical help when something like that happened.  Besides, slow cooking is a good thing when you are out camping.

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## Rick

It should be okay on isobutane. You can regulate the heat pretty well on it.

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## Wildthang

I have never used a pressure cooker on a wood fire, but our electric one we use at home is great. It cooks beans in 70 minutes versus all night soaking and half a day boiling the old way. It will cook a pot roast or ribs in an hour, it does save a lot of time!

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## Grizz123

Does anyone have experience using one over a wood fire or coals?

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## garysmontanez

I use air fryer during camping. I bought one two years ago. It is working still like new. I have read an article before buying this air dryer that helped me much to choose the best one for me. Here is the article *****More Spam*****

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## Rick

Of course you did....Gary. You logged on from Bangladesh to a two year old post just to share that article. Uh huh.

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## crashdive123

Hehehehehehe.

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## pete lynch

I cook my spam in a air dryer..er I mean..air fryer. Yeah, that's it.

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