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Reviews > Cook and Food Storage Gear > Cooking Accessories > Jetboil Fry Pan > Test Report by Chuck CarnesJETBOIL
Field Report: August 30,
2007 Fry Pan Initial Report: June 28, 2007 Long Term Report: October 25, 2007 BIOGRAPHICAL
INFORMATION
Name: Chuck Carnes Age: 37 Gender: Male Height: 6 ft. 0 in (1.83 m) Weight: 175 lb (79 kg) E-mail address: ctcarnes1(at)yahoo(dot)com City, State, Country: Greenville, South Carolina USA BACKPACKING
BACKGROUND
I love the outdoors – I’ve spent time camping in the outdoors since I was born, and have been actively hiking and backpacking since then. I consider myself a lightweight hiker, usually carrying 20 – 30 pounds (11-13 kg) for hikes up to a week in length. I hike at an easy pace, averaging 2 mph (3 kph). I am a one-man tent camper for now. I like to carry a single trekking pole when I hike to help relieve stress to my legs and knees. I like to get out on the trail as often as I can. PRODUCT
INFORMATION
 Manufacturer: Jetboil Model: Fry Pan Year of manufacture: 2007 URL: http://www.jetboil.com Listed Weight: 10.0 oz (280 g) (includes handles and bottom cover) Listed Dimensions: 8.1 in x 2.2 in (205 mm x 57 mm) Actual Weight: 10.0 oz (280 g) Actual Length: 8.1 in x 2.2 in (205 mm x 57 mm) MSRP: 49.95 USD PRODUCT
DESCRIPTION (from web site)
A long-time favorite for outdoor cooking, now updated and improved. This efficient fry pan uses Jetboil’s FluxRing® technology to heat the cooking surface quickly and distribute heat more evenly. Curved side walls allow easy flipping and stirring. Plastic bottom cover doubles as a preparation/eating plate. Handles fold flat for storage. Stores Jetboil companion spatula (sold separately) inside the FluxRing cover.
I N I T I A L R E P O
R T
The
Jetboil Fry Pan arrived in excellent condition. I did notice FluxRing
marks in the bottom of the pan upon arrival. This is probably from be
stored at the warehouse while being stacked on top of one another. The
marks did not seem to effect the the face of the pan but I will monitor
this during the test period. The size of the pan seems to be just right
for backpacking. The FluxRing cover is a nice addition to be able to
protect the FluxRing while it can also be used as a plate while the pan
is being used. June 28, 2007  The
Jetboil Spatula, which is sold separately, can be stored inside the
FluxRing and the cover keeps it in place during storage or travel. The
handles fold nicely around the outside of the pan and have a nylon
coating to keep the user from being burned and it also acts as a
gripping tool.  The handles
can be removed by prying them apart to release them from the pan. The
handles tend to swing back and forth very freely which is nice but it's
a little aggravating while handling the pan when packing. The pan seems to be deep enough to cook some sort of stir fry in but shallow enough to do a batch of pancakes or omelets. The spatula should come in handy while doing either of these. I am curious to see if any food sticks to the uncoated surface and also to see if there are any hot spots. I also would like to see if food gets caught or suck in the edges of the rivets that hold the handle assembly to the pan or if they corrode at any point. This is very common on some frying pans.
F I E L D R E P O
R T
August 30, 2007 I took two frozen hamburger patties along on this trip and cooked them that night. I wrapped them in a brown paper bag to keep them frozen as long as possible. After setting up the PCS system with the stabilizer kit (sold separately), I fired it up and placed the pan on the burner. I really like this setup, the pan sits very secure on the burner fins and the flux ring on the pan keeps it from sliding off or moving around. The pan heats up very quickly so I put one of the frozen patties in the pan and began to cook it. The Jetboil spatula (also sold separately) came in handy while flipping the burgers. The burgers cooked up in about 8 minutes a piece and the taste was wonderful. Clean up wasn't too bad with the grease. I put some water in the pan and turned the burner back on for a couple of minutes. After the water boiled, the grease was easy to pour out and I wiped the pan with a rag. The next morning I fixed up some pancakes and eggs. This was a nice treat in the backcountry especially in the mornings, it really gets you going. I brought an almost empty can of Pam cooking spray. I was going to bring a little bit of butter but I knew the pan would get hot quick and the butter would just burn up quicker than I could make the pancakes. I sprayed the whole inside of the pan with the cooking spray and set it on the burner. After about 30 seconds I poured a small amount of pancake mix in the pan. I had the burner down pretty low since it heats up so quickly. Again the Jetboil spatula came in very handy flipping the pancakes. After about 1 minute the first side was done and ready to be flipped. I was wonderfully surprised when the spatula slipped right under the pancake with no sticking and I flipped it like short order cook. After another 30 seconds or so the pancake was ready to be eaten. I was very proud of myself and was excited that I could make such good pancakes in the backcountry. I didn't have to put anymore spray in the pan, this is the way I do it and home it I am able to fix several pancakes without having to spray it again. I fixed up the rest of the pancake mix and proceeded to cook up some eggs. While I was fixing up the eggs, the orange flex ring cover/plate was very useful in holding the pancakes. I had already brought paper plates for us to eat off of but it was nice to use it as a serving plate. Again, I sprayed a small amount of cooking spray into the pan to help keep the eggs from sticking. I poured the scrambled up eggs into the pan and turned the burner down to where it was almost off. I slowly cooked the eggs so that they would not get burned or cook up to fast. Here again I used the spatula to push the eggs around as they cooked. Clean up was a little bit tougher as the eggs sneaked their way up the sides of the pan where I did not have any spray. I poured in some water and brought it to a boil and was able to wipe it pretty clean, or at least good enough until I got home. At this point, I was very impressed with the Jetboil Fry Pan. I felt like I was at home cooking and it gave me a sense of being able to cook almost anything while out backpacking. The only hold back is any kind of frozen or refrigerated food getting spoiled. Luckily we were next to a stream and I was able to keep the eggs in the stream to keep them cool. On a longer trip, I would not have been able to do this. For the rest of my trips I will have come up with a different menu that would not require any food that could get spoiled. But I wanted to try this on a short trip as this one to see that it could be done and that this system can cook up some wonderful meals. L O N G T E R M
R E P O
R T
October 25, 2007  The Jetboil Fry Pan has been a great addition to my cooking gear. I never thought I would appreciate a fry pan in the backcountry. In this testing period I took the fry pan with me on a two night trip to the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. The mornings were a little cool with temperatures about 48 F (9 C) while I fixed the pancakes. The elevation was about 6,600 ft (2,012 m) with beautiful blue skies. Previously I used a cooking spray but this time I borrowed some olive oil from a fellow hiker. The key was not to have too much oil as it wouldn't cook the pancakes and they would just sit in a bath of oil. I poured enough to coat the bottom and the sides very well. Also the secret to making good pancakes with the Jetboil and the fry pan is to start the burner as low as possible and to have a good pancake mixture. Again I used the premix, store bought, pancake mix and followed the directions for the mix. After letting the pan heat for a couple of minutes I started making a batch of pancakes. Using the spatula was great and I figured out that it's not too good to make the pancakes too big, about the size of a softball is just right. The pancakes cooked up very well. I did not have any trouble with them sticking to the bottom of the pan. After about five pancakes, I had to add a little bit more oil but I did not add any oil to the pan in between each batch. If oil is added after each pancake, the pancake mix becomes a soupy mess and never cooks up. Below shows the result of how well these cooked up; I even brought my own maple syrup.  One thing that I have found while making anything in the fry pan is that when the handles are extended out, the pan tends to lean towards that end. So I have found it better and more stable to fold the handles in while cooking and then extending them out when needed. With the rubber coating on the handles the metal stays cool and doesn't burn the hand. I have been very please at how well the Flux Ring distributes the heat and makes the heat even over the surface of the pan. The orange plate that protects the bottom of the flux ring came in very handy as a plate or at least a clean area to place a food item or a utensil when not in use. The fry pan does add a small amount of weight as it would be a luxury item to have but it was very nice and worth the weight to have it. The meals cooked in it made it even more worth it. This concludes this test
series.
Thank you Jetboil and BackpackGearTest.org for this opportunity. Read more reviews of Jetboil gear Read more gear reviews by Chuck Carnes Reviews > Cook and Food Storage Gear > Cooking Accessories > Jetboil Fry Pan > Test Report by Chuck Carnes | ||||