Reviews > Cook and Food Storage Gear > Utensils > Jetboil Jetset Utensil Kit > Test Report by Chuck Carnes

JETBOIL

Jetset Utensil Kit
Initial Report: June 28, 2007
Field Report: August 30, 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.

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PRODUCT INFORMATION
Manufacturer: Jetboil
Model: Jetset Utensil Kit
Year of manufacture: 2007
URL: http://www.jetboil.com
Listed Weight:  Spoon: 0.4 oz (11 g)
                            Fork: 0.4 oz (11 g)
                            Spatula: 0.5 (14 g)
Listed Dimensions:  In use: 8.5 in (215 mm)
                                    Retracted: 5.2 in (130 mm)
Actual Weight:  Spoon: 0.4 oz (11 g)
                            Fork: 0.4 oz (11 g)
                            Spatula: 0.5 (14 g)
Actual Length: In use: 8.5 in (215 mm)
                           Retracted: 5.2 in (130 mm)
MSRP: 19.95 USD

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION (from web site)

The ideal utensils for Jetboil cooking systems or meals-in-a-bag. Long enough to comfortably reach the bottom of the PCS or GCS, and specially shaped to scour each edge and corner. Spatula shape matches Jetboil FluxRing® Fry Pan. Handles telescope to store compactly in or on Jetboil cooking vessels. Jetset Utensil Kit includes spoon, fork, and spatula. Lightweight and durable high-temperature nylon.

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I N I T I A L    R E P O R T
June 28, 2007

Having a spoon and fork is very essential when wanting to eat a good meal in the outdoors. And why not have a good spatula if pancakes are on the breakfast menu? Jetboil has designed these three simple utensils that are widely used so that they can be retracted and packed in a very small spot in a pack. When the utensils arrived in the mail I was very surprised at how compact the utensils were. They are short and flat which gives me many options as to where to pack them with my cooking gear. The utensils themselves are very light but seem to be very strong. At first glance at them I thought they would be flimsy but after some time of handling, extending and retracting them, I found these utensils to be very solid in their design. As seen in the pictures at the beginning of the report, there is a blue tab on the side of the utensils. This tab clicks into place when the utensil is extended and provides solid rigidity to the whole utensil. Simply press the tab in to retract back into the compact position.


In their extended position, the spoon and fork seem to be plenty long enough to reach the bottom of the Jetboil PCS cup and still have enough room to grip the handle to stir or get food from the very bottom. As well, the spatula seems to be long enough to get under a pancake in a fry pan to flip and still have enough handle to hold on to. I am very curious to see how well the spoon and fork work and if I am able to get all of the food out of the bottom of the PCS cup. Also would like to see if the spatula is wide enough to accommodate a nice sized pancake to flip and not get torn apart. Hopefully it will work well with stir frys and scrambled eggs also. The utensils do not seem to be able to come apart at the handle so I will monitor how hard it might be to get food out of the handle where the two sections are joined.

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F I E L D    R E P O R T
August 30, 2007

I have found the Jetboil Utensil Kit to be very helpful on my outings during this test period. I took it on a two night trip to Jones Gap with two of my sons where the temperatures during the day were around 80 F (26 C) and dropping to around 60 F (15 C) at night. The elevation at the camp site was 2,487 ft (868 m). The whole Jetboil system is very impressive. I like the way they integrate their products to fit or work with each other. For this trip I packed pancake mix, oatmeal, eggs, instant potatoes and two hamburger patties to be cooked with the PCS system and to use the Utensil Kit during some of these meals. I used the spatula while making pancakes and cooking two hamburger patties and I used the spoon and fork while I prepared, cooked and ate all of my meals.

The spoon came in very handy during the preparation of the instant potatoes and oatmeal. I am very impressed with the way the utensils are compact when they are retracted and how sturdy they are when they are deployed. I used the spoon as I stirred the potatoes in the water waiting for the water to boil. I switched out the normal cozy that comes on the companion cup for the Cargo Cozy which is sold separately. This cargo cozy has a sleeve on the side which allows the user to place the spoon and fork in this sleeve during travel or cooking. When I was not using the spoon after I stirred my meal, I would place the butt end of the spoon in the sleeve of the cozy so that I wouldn't have to set it on the ground; this was very handy during cooking. As seen below, the spoon sticks well above the top of the companion cup so there is plenty of handle to grab without having to dig the fingers down in the cup to scoop out the spoon.

The fork was used while eating my meals. The scrambled eggs were easy to stab with the fork and the pancakes and hamburger patties were easy to cut with the side of the fork. It was sort of awkward to eat with such a long utensil but I got used to it pretty quickly. Again when I was not using the fork I would place the butt end of it in the sleeve so I wouldn't have to sit it on the ground. The fork proved to be very sturdy as I used it to cut the pancakes and patties. The prongs of the fork are solid and stable and do not flex much when pressure is applied to the side. I really like this utensil!

The spatula comes with this utensil kit but is normally used with the fry pan and can be stored on the bottom of the fry pan as shown below. This is a great utensil to have in the backcountry when trying to make, and flip, decent pancakes. It's flimsy enough to get under the pancake to flip it but sturdy enough to handle the pancake once it's on the spatula. The front edge of the spatula is slightly beveled to give a good edge to get under pancakes and such. The spatula worked great for me. It was nice to know I could bring it along and not have to stick it in a side pocket or somewhere inside my pack; I just stored it underneath the fry pan. Turning hamburgers and flipping pancakes has never been easier with this design in the backcountry.

Cleaning the utensils was fairly easy, just a quick rinse with some water and a little bit of rubbing with a rag and some soap and the food came right off. I did have some of the oatmeal in the small edges of the spoon but I was able to dig it out. The utensils are very sturdy when they are extended all the way out and I look forward to more delicious meals with them.

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L O N G   T E R M    R E P O R T
October 25, 2007

The Jetboil Utensil kit has been worth every ounce since I have gotten it. I used them this time on a two night trip to the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. The mornings were a little cool with temperatures about 48 F (9 C) and the nights before bed were about 55 F (12 C). The elevation was about 6,600 ft (2,012 m) with beautiful blue skies and starry nights. I don't think I will ever go backpacking again without this utensil kit. Unless you enjoy scooping out oatmeal, soup or beans with your hands, most people already carry some sort of eating utensil. Even if I didn't have a Jetboil PCS or fry pan, I think I would still buy these because of how light they are and how compact they are.

On this trip I used the spoon the first evening to stir my 'Beanie Weinies' to keep them from burning or sticking. With the spoon fully extended it was easy to do this and not have half my hand down in the companion cup. After the meal cooled off enough I also used the spoon to eat the meal. Getting the last little bit at the bottom was easy with the length of the spoon and the perfectly curved design of the end to fit in the tightest spot inside the companion cup. Even with beans and sauce in the crevices of the handle, a simple rinse with water and it was clean and ready for another use. The spoon is tough enough to work hard at assisting with a meal or as easy as stirring coffee, the spoon has multiple uses for the backcountry chef.

The fork came in handy on many occasions also and was used just as much. After pancakes were made one morning it was very useful in cutting them, stabbing the pieces and dipping into maple syrup. No plastic taste, just the warm sweet taste of some good pancakes and syrup. That evening the fork assisted me in preparing and eating a very filling plate of Fettuccini Alfredo. I even stepped into the Italian culture for a bit and gracefully twisted the noodles onto the fork like a true Italian. Too bad I didn't have some meatballs. Again with sauce and noodle pieces in the cracks and crevices of the fork handle, it wasn't anything that a little washing couldn't handle.

The spatula, although not used during eating usually, has its place in the utensil arsenal. If it wasn't for this great piece of gear, my pancakes would have suffered the tragedy of trying to be flipped with the fork. Fortunately Jetboil's spatula is just the right size for flipping softball sized pancakes. The first morning of this trip I fired up the Jetboil and placed the Jetboil Fry Pan over the burner and commenced to cooking some pancakes. The spatula slid beautifully under the pancakes with no problem and allowed me to flip them perfectly. If the pancakes are too big then they have a tendency to want to hang off the end and break off. For this trip, the pancakes were the only meal I used the spatula on but it worked flawlessly.

Overall, this whole utensil kit is one of the best additions to any cooking gear in my opinion. Until something better comes along, I will carry these on every trip I go on.

Reviews > Cook and Food Storage Gear > Utensils > Jetboil Jetset Utensil Kit > Test Report by Chuck Carnes