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Thursday, March 15, 2012

Aluminum JetBoil Sol -- Trail Report #2 and Cooking Report #4

I'd done several cooking reports on the aluminum JetBoil Sol already.
But I wanted to be sure that the JetBoil Sol that I was testing wasn't somehow unique.  So, I called a buddy -- a buddy who owns a JetBoil.

So, I thought I'd do side by side omelettes on two different JetBoil Sol's.  I don't have two identical pans, so we'll just have to do the best we can.

The first pan is an MSR Blacklite, which is a very nice, high-quality backpacking pan.
Eggs cooking up with the cheese already added in an MSR Blacklite fry pan
And pan number two is my $5 garage sale special.  Not exactly the world's best pan, but let's see if we can get enough flame control from a Jetboil Sol to cook an omelette.
Eggs and cheese cooking in pan #2, my "garage sale special"
I allow the eggs to set just slightly, and then I add tuna from one of those convenient foil pouches that are so perfect for the trail.  I've also tried the salmon, and I have to say that I prefer the salmon.  Alas, no salmon today, but we press on.  Looks like the eggs are cooking up nicely so far.
Tuna in the MSR Blacklite pan
Tuna in the cheap, garage sale pan
Well, looks like the omelette in the Blacklite pan is about done.
A finished omelette in an MSR Blacklite frying pan
And our garage sale pan omelette is fully complete.
A fully cooked omelette in a garage sale pan
So, how'd they turn out?  Well, let's have a look.
Two omelettes, one from an MSR Blacklite pan (left) and one from a garage sale pan (right)
VERY nice.  Both omelettes turned out very well.  I got a little more browning on the omelette in the cheap, garage sale pan, but that's to be expected.  Both omelettes were very tasty.

Best of all?  No sticking.
The nice MSR Blacklite pan, as you might expect, was as clean as a whistle.  I really like the non-stick coating.
The non-stick coating in an MSR Blacklite pan works like a charm
And even my cheap, garage sale pan did a pretty fair job.  No burnt food.
My cheap pan isn't as nice as my MSR Blacklite, but it did a pretty fair job of it.
Now, I said that both omelettes were tasty.  But don't take my word for it, goodness, no!  I now turn you over to the very competent hands of the chief tester of the Adventures in Stoving Taste Test Team.  Let's see how our ace tester reacts.

The omelette is served:
"Dad, are you sure this is edible?
And the first bite.

And the reaction:
"Hey, dad, not bad!"
Yes!  She liked it!  Er, I mean, the omelette passed the highly scientific battery of tests prepared by our Taste Test Team.  ;)

Seriously, though, my daughter is an excellent test of the taste of foods.  If she doesn't like it, she's not shy about letting you know.  If any of you are parents of a two-year-old, you know what I mean.

The bottom line?  The JetBoil I tested on was not a fluke.  You can cook on a JetBoil, even with a cheap garage sale pan like mine.  The JetBoil is a lot more versatile than most people think.

I thank you for joining me on another Adventure in Stoving.

HJ


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    4 comments:

    1. Well that is a cute taste tester and I am sure a very "Honest" one LoL. You are now at least making me realize that JetBoils are not as bad as I thought as for its uses. It wont make me go out and buy one but I at least realize they can do almost full duty if needed. Great photos by the way and I can really appreciate that you go outside and do these tests of stoves. Most would settle for a porch or garage to do the photos. The outdoor photos make your blog post that much more appealing to read and enjoy. Thanks Jim.

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    2. You're welcome -- and you've got the point of my post. The Jetboil is a lot more stove than most people realize.

      HJ

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    3. Very much appreciated and the TTT makes me smile. Just seeing them, is a real treat. Thanks. I bought the Jetboil Sol aluminum with my REI dividend. I brought it home and started testing it. I tested with my Snow Peak 700 ULC Caldera Ti Tri combination with a trangia stove. Then I tested just the Sol with my Minibulldesign Elite alcohol stove. I believe that the Jetboil itself inherently does not work in any excessively impressive fashion unless you use the pro/butane stove that it is designed for. I have read these results on the web and elsewhere, but none the less, as a scientific kind of guy... I had to try it myself. I will be returning this cookpot, and sticking with my classic and still ABSOLUTELY favorite SP 700 cook kit. Weighing in near 8 oz, I am proud to say I love my setup. Besides, in regards to frugality of fuel, nothing beats the trangia stove in simmer mode; especially way down simmer mode. *Cheers*

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    4. I haven't tried heat exchanger pots with alcohol stoves myself. I think the results are mixed at best.

      The SP 700 is a nice pot, but have you seen the Evernew 700? Now, THAT is a nice pot.

      HJ

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    My apologies to real people, but due to Spammers I have to moderate comments. I'll get to this as rapidly as possible but do understand that I like to hike and there's no internet in the wilderness. Take care and stove on!