It is my understanding that Alzheimers and aluminum are linked, but occasional cooking won't do any harm. Use stainless, cast iron, etc. at home and cooking on the trail with aluminum will probably be OK. Also, I get aluminum cookware with teflon. I don't know for sure, but I assume that if the food isn't in contact with the aluminum you're OK.

You may be shopping at too good of places to find aluminum camp cookware. I have an aluminum cook kit from Walmart I take for large groups. For small groups I have a "make-your-own" kit mostly from the Salvation Army. I just sorted through their stuff until I found smaller, light weight teflon pots and pans that more-or-less nestled together, or at least did once I got them home and knocked the handles off. I did buy a pliers-type pot grabber from a camping store that I use on them. My wife sewed me a cloth bag with drawstring closure to store them in, which also holds them nesteled together.

My buddy and I went to Quetico this year with 3 small pots and a 10" frying pan set up this way.

Posted by Ken E. Brown on August 20, 1999 at 11:54