Paper Pot Cookware
jelly bean pot prototype
Lots of people are interested in saving weight and using space efficiently when they go out on the trail, but when I suggested this idea on a backpacking forum a few weeks ago the silence was resounding. Which surprises me, because it’s a lightweight spacesaving concept that I’ve actually used and I know it works. Not only that, it isn’t my idea and it comes from a very respectable source. Actually, several of them, the first time I ever saw this at work was when I was in 7th grade in Science lab and Dr. Thornton the school principle demonstrated it with a waxed paper bag on a bunsen burner.
What you need to boil water–or soup, or tea, or any other simple recipe like boiled rice–is a paper container sealed with a food grade waterproofing and a heat source. Waxed paper containers work fine. The paper will not burn because the water keeps it at 212 degrees Fahrenheit, below the combustion temperature of the paper. That boiling point temperature changes a little with altitude, but at least on planet Earth this will work, even in the mountains.
The reason this idea as described doesn’t work well in practice is that backpacking stoves are not built to hold paper pots. You need a stable grill to be able to do this properly. Paper pots are also unstable and difficult to handle. They are not the kind of container you can safely rest on your lap while you eat.
How can this be a good idea? If you do use a wood fire, you can build a grill of green twigs and use paper containers for cooking. Instant rice, instant soup, rehydrating dehydrated food — paper containers can be practical. It’s even possible to fry bacon and eggs in a paper bag if you’re careful. This may not be the gear you plan to take on a long hike, but it’s a useful trick to know and it can lighten your load.
Paper utensils can also be used in earth ovens. Dig a pit, build a fire and let it burn down to coals. Wrap your food in baking parchment or seal it in a paper bag. Coat the papered food in a thick layer of mud — a layer half an inch thick is enough. Put the food parcel directly on the coals, and build another fire on top. When it burns down to coals, cover the firepit with earth. Hours later you can come back to camp, dig up the pit, and supper’s ready. The steam from the mud layer cooks the food, and the hardened clay that remains when the mud dries out protects the meal. Sealed in the unbroken clay pack the food will keep for a day or more without refrigeration. The paper layer keeps the dirt out.
Some practice is needed to judge the fire right, because you need a certain amount of coals to cook a specific amount of food. If you’re at a wilderness fishing camp, with the right surroundings for safe fire building, it’s a very interesting way to cook a meal.
I’m always interested in survival tricks, even though a Svea 123 and an aluminum pot is what I take on treks. Going for a day hike with a knife, a lighter, some sheets of waxed paper, a few tea bags and some ramen noodles is an interesting alternative and a good trick to know. Some useful origami patterns for paper pots are available at Origami Pots.
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