By Michael Hodgson

A cookset combination is an essential part of any cooking / stove performance efficiency equations. The choices with cooksets are a little more simple than with stoves and fuel however. Essentially, there are three basic materials to consider.

Enamel: nothing more than thin steel coated with a kiln-baked enamel finish that looks good, is easy to clean and hard to scratch. The down side is that this stuff will chip and dent over time and rust will appear wherever a chip occurs.

Aluminum: it's very light and conducts heat very well, making cooking quite efficient. Health concerns have arisen however, primarily concerning certain acidic foods that may react with an uncoated aluminum surface. One other down side is that burned on foods stick tenaciously to aluminum which is why non-stick coatings on fry pans and the like are so popular and such a good idea.

Stainless Steel: it's extremely durable, cleans quickly and efficiently and won't scratch easily. The down side is its inability to conduct heat evenly, leading to scorched food in the pattern of a stove's intense flame.

My favorite alternative is found in a bi-metal combination which has been used in high-quality kitchen cookware for years and are now being sold for the backcountry. Sigg has created a line of bimetal pots with black aluminum outers lined with stainless steel.

© 1999 Michael Hodgson; All Rights Reserved