Is a Coffee Can Pot Safe to Eat/Drink Out Of?

[Starchild]

Another thought about the coffee can as a pot, does it have a bottom seam? If so and you are cooking real food, as opposed to just boiling water, that is a trap for food partials that can not be easily cleaned. Not horrible since it is at the bottom and anything that grows in there will be killed during the next boil cycle but something to be aware of as it may have a slight ick factor.

[mtntopper]

That was a very rude way to start a reply but then you actually answered my question, which I really appreciate. I actually have heat resistant paint, so I might go that route, but I'll probably stop at a thrift store first. Definitely not going to use aluminum because some guy saying that it is "probably the least effective way to introduce the metal into the body" isn't exactly science and I'd rather not take the risk.

If you are concerned that much about your intake of AL and your health, it seems to me that you would go ahead and spend a little more money and buy stainless or Ti pot.

[mtntopper]

I'm thinking of saving some money and just using a coffee can as my cook pot. Does anyone have any experience with this, good or bad? And does anyone know any reason why it might not be safe? I know I have to choose a can that doesn't have a plastic lining but other than that is there a safety issue with this?

I do know that coffee cans will rust. You can paint the outside all you want to, that will not keep the other areas from rusting. This was my experience. The paint probably was not intended to keep it from rusting but to help with heat transfer. At least that is what I used it for.

[Five Tango]

Here is a stainless "grease pot" on Amazon for under 15 bucks so for the price of a side cutter can opener and a can of paint you can have a real stainless steel pot with a handle on it.
http://www.amazon.com/Cook-Home-2-Qu...rds=grease+pot

[Five Tango]

Not trying to beat a dead horse but please note the difference between Aluminum intake between using antacids vs cookware.The things you learn from "googling around"!
http://www.thedietchannel.com/Alzheimers-Disease.htm

[Starchild]

I do know that coffee cans will rust. You can paint the outside all you want to, that will not keep the other areas from rusting. This was my experience. The paint probably was not intended to keep it from rusting but to help with heat transfer. At least that is what I used it for.

While the color black is black because it absorbs light and converts it to heat, a stove flame is mostly infrared and convection transfer. The black paint does not equal it is 'black' to infrared. Also the paint would insulate against convection. I suspect you impeded heat exchange by painting bare metal.

[Singto]

Campsaver.com has the Olicamp LT pot (the one without the integrated heat ex-changer) on sale for $14 (web site says only 2 left in stock... normally $20)
http://www.campsaver.com/lt-lightweight-pot

Annodized aluminum, flat lid and 6.8 ounces for 13.97

Here's an anodized aluminum pot with a second pot as lid, weighs 8 ounces and is $9.50. I own two sets as I bought the double set off ebay for $17 but this is for the smaller one and yes, fuel canisters and stove fit inside....they are very good.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FQZEYWE/...I3TI7ACWJBBUZF

[BirdBrain]

Not trying to beat a dead horse but please note the difference between Aluminum intake between using antacids vs cookware.The things you learn from "googling around"!
http://www.thedietchannel.com/Alzheimers-Disease.htm

Allow me a swing at the nag. Even if cooking in aluminum presented a health risk , the freezer bag cookers should ask themselves if 212° water is enough to cause concern.

[MuddyWaters]

aluminum cookware isnt a risk.
But if you believe it is, do a double boiler. Put food in a ziplock, put the ziplock in water in the pot.
This is how we cook eggs btw, for easy cleanup, or the MH breakfast scramble.

[Starchild]

The OP stated it very clearly that he desires to stay away from aluminum cookware as he suspects it is not good for him. It is his belief and he is entitled to H(his)OH. Most of us would not be trying to push a pulled pork sandwich on a person who adheres to kosher rules (though with this group ) We are entitled to our own belief system and he to his. It does not have to be rational, just not harmful. And who knows we might gravitate towards beliefs because we as individuals may personally need to abstain from certain things.

My only concern about the coffee can is what may leach out of that (not only the tinning but the welded seem), it is not designed to be cooked with, nor contain liquid as the OP is concerned about the long term health effects and I would hate for him to get one by trying to avoid another, pot failure is a concern but that is usually non-harmful. Ti may be ideal because it is biologically inert, but out of the OP's budget. Stainless Steal seems like the only reasonably material that is commercially available. I almost want to start a go fund me page for him for a real pot.

aluminum cookware isnt a risk.
But if you believe it is, do a double boiler. Put food in a ziplock, put the ziplock in water in the pot.
This is how we cook eggs btw, for easy cleanup, or the MH breakfast scramble.

Yes we all know the BPH that leaches out of the plastic neutralizes the aluminum.

[Offshore]

In addition, most cans are coated on the inside with an epoxy which contains "BPA" which some claim is also bad for you. So, cooking in a coffee can could very well lead to inducing high levels of BPA and then tin into your food. Doing this once or twice won't kill you, but I'd be reluctant to do it on a regular bases. You'd be much better off with aluminum.

Exactly - and if you take a critical look at the peer-reviewed science from reputable researchers, BPA is a much bigger concern than aluminum (which is actually of little concern). Besides, you can get a lightweight cooking pot for $13 (see the Campsaver link above), so why even bother wasting time painting coffee cans, etc. It makes no sense to say that an aluminum pot is out of the question but a metal can that is of unknown metallurgy with unknown coatings (and was never intended to be a cooking vessel) is somehow OK. You can't even make a blanket statement for coffee cans as there are probably variations among can manufacturers. In the big picture, a pot - even a Ti one - is a pretty insignificant cost as gear goes, especially when you consider that a carefully chosen pot will be the first and last one you'll need to buy.

[Traveler]

For me, the issue of certain and immediate death by material and chemical issues relative to coffee cans is secondary to the actual use. The inside of the can is not exactly smooth. Rub your fingers inside of a coffee can and you can quickly feel the cutting points, snags, and rough weld metals that exist. Add some heating and cooling cycles to that and the inevitable rust, metal will become more rough and snag, puncture, or slice baggies you might want to use in it. If baggies are being used, stirring with metal spoons, cleaning with Brillo, and casual containment of various small things will scar the inside of the can. Even microscopic scaring of the internal coating will start it peeling off and increase the rusting. Eventually the rust around the bottom weld will develop pinholes and leak.

In my view, a coffee can would not make a great cooking vessel as opposed to an inexpensive aluminum cook pot that will accept plastic baggies without a snagging or puncture issue, will not be a source of rust an metal failure, are much easier to keep clean, and will last years.

[Five Tango]

Allow me a swing at the nag. Even if cooking in aluminum presented a health risk , the freezer bag cookers should ask themselves if 212° water is enough to cause concern.

Wasn't recommending aluminum to cook in btw as I quit anything but glass or stainless steel decades ago.It is all a matter of preference.OP would rather not use aluminum and that's their prerogative as is mine and yours for feeling wary about boiling water in a plastic bag.First frying pan I ever cleaned outdoors,my uncle showed me how to use a little sand.Bottom line is Amazon has a stainless pot on the cheap.............

[newToThrough]

The OP stated it very clearly that he desires to stay away from aluminum cookware as he suspects it is not good for him. It is his belief and he is entitled to H(his)OH.

Thank you for that. I don't pretend not to be crazy. Hell, anyone who plans to spend months in the woods (or who happily spends hours debating what sort of "tin pot" to take with him) has to admit to a little nuttiness. Anyway, I appreciate the backup on that point in particular.

[newToThrough]

Here is a stainless "grease pot" on Amazon for under 15 bucks so for the price of a side cutter can opener and a can of paint you can have a real stainless steel pot with a handle on it. http://www.amazon.com/Cook-Home-2-Qu...rds=grease+pot

Ooh, that thing is SEXY. I don't know how I missed it before when I was searching. Maybe because I was searching for "1.5 liter" or "1 liter" or ".75 liter" and the keywords just didn't take? Anyway, thanks for that. It's a little big to fit in the Nalgene container (not Nalgene bottle) that I decided to use, but it's a step in the right direction. And I love the strainer! If GSI made something exactly like that, they'd charge $50.

[bikebum1975]

Thanks for the suggestion, I suppose, but I wasn't asking for suggestions. My question was whether you have any experience with coffee can pots or whether you have any information about if they are safe or not. A suggestions thread would be different.

Sure you can cook in them. Hell people in the Great Depression did it for years. Just watch out on the seam that it isn't soldered. They won't really hold up well to heat though you'll probably be getting a new can in the future probably sooner than you think. Personally I'd rather buy a 10 dollar stainless set from walmart just for the longevity of it. Get one give it a try use it at home see how it works for you. Be aware some cans are lined and that would need to be burned off

[scrabbler]

Which of you anti-aluminum folks also avoids all restaurants? You know they all use aluminum right?

[bikebum1975]

Which of you anti-aluminum folks also avoids all restaurants? You know they all use aluminum right?

Haha been saying that for years. Good laughs with them

[zelph]

Oh my!!! yesterday I spied a large can of Chili that had rounded bottom, almost bought it

[MtDoraDave]

The risk of contamination/ germs in the bottom seam would be more of a concern to me than most of the other concerns mentioned.. that, plus cleaning the underside of the top lip could be difficult. Modern coffee cans no longer are opened with a can opener, but have a 1/4" lip the foil is glued to which wouldn't necessarily be sterilized while boiling the water for the next meal.

There are so many options for backpacking equipment available, unless someone's gimmick is to be "different" or some themed "steampunk" type of hike where weight or practicality aren't important, it just seems that a little research and a little more time to save a few more dollars can go a long way to making a hike more pleasant and convenient.
That said, one of the books I read preparing for my first section hike emphasized the hike your own hike (hyoh) philosophy, and said not to get too hung up on having the latest, greatest, lightest equipment. Bring what you've got and enjoy yourself, because like several other parallels in life, if you base your happiness on money or material things, you will never be truly happy because you will always want more - but if you are happy with what you've got, you've got it made.