Mess kit: steel vs aluminum. Dutch army.

[@AlanPeters-o7n]

This is a very informative and useful video on standard army issue aluminium and steel mess tins. Anyone concerned about leeching of aluminium into food should avoid adding salt until the food is ready. It's long term boiling of salted water that causes leeching.

[@traveler5898]

Ok, that's good to know. Thanks for sharing this info. greetings Wim

[@Magoo652]

I like the versatility of the mess tins & have stainless steel & aluminium sets. I like my Trangia 27 series storm cooker & switched the aluminium pots & pan for Duossal items. Newest Trangia's are UL & are thinner but more durable. Thanks for sharing.

[@thomasmusso1147]

Back in 1968, we were issued with the Aluminium Version .. some of the Troops got Nickle-Plated Sets, but I think that this was old left-over stock from earlier years. They were prone to rusting where the Nickle had worn thin. I have, and still use, an Aluminium Set. After 71 Summers, cooking with Aluminium hasn't killed me .. yet .. so I'll take the risk. These mess kits also make for functional 'Bain Marie's' .. keeping already-cooked food warm whilst finishing off the rest of the meal on the Esbit Stove. Thanks for sharing .. take care ..

[@traveler5898]

Thanks, keep enjoying the outdoors. Greetings Wim

[@onlyinparadise4613]

How’s your Alzheimer’s disease? 😂

[@thomasmusso1147]

​@@traveler5898 👍

[@marksadventures3889]

Good video, very precise. These tins are standard in most NATO forces in the British Army too. I have no problem with the aluminium as I'm 60 now, so i don't worry about it. I like the pouches but I think I'd leave the mollie on there for adding cooking implements.

[@danieljohnstone9102]

It really surprised me on how small the weight difference was, my personal reason for going for steel is less of a hot spots as steel is better at spreading the heat, than aluminum and titanium, plus the health reason.

[@simonh6371]

Thanks for putting the weight comparisons, I didn't know that they were so close in weight. I used alu mess tins in the British Army but now I have the Dutch Army stainless tins as well as canteen/cup, much better. Health issues aside the stainless are a nicer finish and more robust.

[@traveler5898]

I agree, very good setup with the cup and canteen. I use the bigger version of 1 liter canteen. Gives me a little bit more to play with... Enjoy, greetings Wim

[@traveler5898]

Cool, let me know what you think.....

[@peetsnort]

I have a pair of Dutch tins. I have made a stick to jam the handle so you can pour. Very nice

[@traveler5898]

Love to see how you do that.... Greetings Wim

[@peetsnort]

@@traveler5898 the discolouration on big tin was caused by the induction hob. The stainless steel works well on induction. 2min to boil the pan full of water.

[@peetsnort]

@@traveler5898 kzbin.infoyNNiPuFZTyA?feature=share

[@peetsnort]

@@traveler5898 I don't know if you received the video. I posted it on KZbin and it dissappeared. That's why I sent it twice

[@traveler5898]

No video received. donut know what goes wrong but thanks for the effort. @@peetsnort

[@NewHampshireJack]

This is a good, "common sense" review of available equipment. Offered a choice, I will reach for the stainless steel every time. In an emergency, there is no need to "get your panties in a wad" over having to cook in the aluminum pot short term. Wim, you accurately pointed out that often, the aluminum pot is used as a water bath to heat canned food or a pouch. Living in the Philippines, I have to consider what foods are available locally to use for camping and or emergency storage. Many of these items we do not want to cook or heat up in aluminum so our choice of stainless steel pots was easy to make.

[@traveler5898]

Thanks, i appreciate the reply. Good to hear from someone out of the field. You have far more experiance in the outdoors than i will ever have. Stay safe and enjoy. Greetings Wim

[@wernesgruder1]

Prefer the stainless. Just more durable. You can dig a hole with the stainless one.

[@sasker1000]

I think the army considers 'lead poisoning' a bigger threat to soldiers than the possible health implications of using aluminium cook ware. For us civilians, I agree with you. I think the slightly lower weight does not outweigh the health risks of aluminium. The weight difference is not that great anyway. By the way, did you notice any differences in using alu vs. steel? For example, does one burn your food more easily than the other? Thanks for your videos. They are quite informative.

[@traveler5898]

Hi, good question. The steel does burn somewhat, but so does the aluminum. The steel cleans easier. I found the amount of oil/butter and heat far more important for burning than te material differents. So the skills of cooking outweigh any differents that I could find. I have been using the steel for a long time now. But other people might have experience with this. So please share you're experience... Greetings Wim

[@sasker1000]

@@traveler5898 Thanks! I have mainly experience with Zebra billy cans and my old crusader cup. Both stainless steel. They work fine and are not that difficult to clean. Any food will burn if you place it over a raging fire. I agree that one's cooking skills are a more important factor indeed ;)

[@peetsnort]

I have just bought a stainless set for a fiver. I used the aluminium one 45 years ago in south Africa. Bit still have a fire bucket in stainless. We called the water bottle holder that and the The dixie for the mess tin but only took the fire bucket on patrol and used it to boil water by digging a slit in the soil with your heel and making a very small fire. The cleaning was just by sliding the dirty bottom on the sand. I still have the fire bucket

[@traveler5898]

Hi Howard, We also used to make a hole in the ground for the esbitt. But that is not always handy. I use the standard esbitt burner. Enjoy the stainless set, sound like a good buy. Greetings Wim

[@peetsnort]

@@traveler5898 yes. You don't always have sandy soil

[@chuckberg5585]

Oh my you used one back then and you still remember😮😂. Now that's a scientific study! I guess Oliver Norths aluminum mess kit must of done him wrong, all he could say was senator I do not recall!😂😂😂

[@andrewarthurmatthews6685]

Good snappy review

[@jarikinnunen1718]

Aluminum is safe. If you cooking on open wood fire, steel is better, because it easy to cleaning soot off.

[@holtwatson69]

i work in a casino and have worked in a lot of resturants most of the pots and pans are aluminum dosent seem to bother any one as to what their food was cooked in

[@jacksonteller1337]

Most armies use aluminium and I haven't heard about anyone who got sick doing so. I did however prefer the West-German ones to our system in the field. Like the older US mess tin you had one hand in use for food and the canteen cup for drinking in the other hand.

[@Artix902]

Thanks, this helps a lot

[@brianferris1233]

thank you for posting your videos 👍👍

[@andrewarthurmatthews6685]

The big benefit with mess tins is they are cheap as chips especially if you buy used army surplus kit

[@jelkel25]

Didn't know the Dutch army did aluminium mess tins, have the steel ones and British aluminium ones. As a rule of thumb the steel ones are better for frying, aluminium for boiling. I think if you're using mess tins/Billy pots an awful lot you should have invested in stainless or titanium but for the occasional week/weekend in the greater scheme of things aluminium won't hurt you. You probably get served food cooked in aluminium in restaurants more.

[@traveler5898]

I agree with you. It al comes down to common sense. greetings Wim

[@opopopop6286]

@@traveler5898 ACTUALLY aluminum AND steel are both toxic. Just take a look at any well used steel cookwear and note all the small scratches, most of those would of went into your food, and therefore into you. Only exception is SURGICAL stainless steel, and of coarse those are super expensive to buy. Aluminum is vastly worse than the steel. EVEN something like IRON which most people would think is a necessity is actually toxic...reason being it is in the improper spin state, just like with copper you may know there are two forms...one ultra toxic, and the other beneficial, same with iron. Most supplements are the incorrect form also. Get your minerals and vitamins like people have done for thousands of years, in your fresh fruits n veggies. Glass is the next best thing to surgical stainless steel...there may be something else that is do-able for health, yet I have yet to hear of it then. Eventually a build up of toxic metals WILL lead to disease, which most people by common sense can surmise. Mental disorders are often some of the premier when dealing with such. Takes many years to gain, yet now that you know how it works perhaps start working AWAY from these problems! Oh and btw the aluminum issue has been known FOR DECADES< yet we all know how many of these things are sold and used everyday, so much for science and history...business trumps em both...sad! www.cookwarestuffs.com/is-it-safe-to-use-scratched-stainless-steel/

[@traveler5898]

Hi ..... Thanks for your input. I agree that steel is also toxic but there are a view differences. Ps I don't know what you mean with the "spin" variaties and how that would get in my food.... Iron comes in food / steel in Fe 2+ and Fe 3+. the Fe2+ is easy to absorb in your body the other needs reduction. Anyway, your body needs iron and has a mechanism to handle this (o.a. hepcidine). Excess iron is disgard off. Aluminum is a strange metal to your body and has to be removed by your liver. Aluminum has effect on your nerve system and such. That makes Aluminum more of a problem. And steel pots and pans are harder so less in your food..... Aluminum also dissolves easier especially with acids and salt (food). Al in al, if you live a bit healthy you will never get to toxic levels even if it is accumulative. And millions of people cook with steel. (and aluminum for that matter). Like i said in the video it comes down to common sense. Try not to eat your pots and pans...... Thanks for the info and greetings, Wim

[@opopopop6286]

@@traveler5898 basically as mentioned with the copper, you seem to be remiss that most metals(=molecules) have different variances, as this is a rather huge topic and requires years of knowledge/study...i tried to clue you in a bit with the copper example you MAY be familiar with...you know the green stuff on the inside of pipes, obviously it's still copper and yet an ultra toxic grade...the Iron you may be used to in SOME foods (think meat), the supplements, and also your iron pan will all give you the incorrect (think bio incompatible) version of this molecule...much like green copper. You have to have the IRON properly chelated and put into the right variant by PLANTS in order for the molecule to do anything other than build to toxicity in your body like all foreign type materials generally do.

[@opopopop6286]

and yes, i also already mentioned it takes years for the DAMAGE to show up on average...yet what you therefore think it's totally acceptable to start working towards that now? That is a rather insane viewpoint IMO, like saying well if I only smoke 2-3 cigs a day, that's just fine because it will take a long time for that to kill me or cause disease. It makes zero sense. Yet you are free to do as you wish, just letting you know that to someone who has studied their entire life (it's my forte) that makes only a ridiculous sounding excuse type statement.

[@EnricoRotelli]

Thanks. I woudn'' t switch the handle: the steel is a bad conductor of heat so you have less possibilities of burn your fingers with the steel than with the aluminum. Try with a pan at home.

[@chuckberg5585]

I thought it was the beer that made me forget now i know it was the can all along😂.

[@gertvanpeet3120]

In combination with a msr whisperlite or so....perfect ...

[@traveler5898]

Hi Gert, That would work. I use it with campinggas stove or Esbit. Its a pretty good setup.... Greeting Wim

[@andrewarthurmatthews6685]

In the UK the majority of pipe fittings used for plumbing potable water contain a proportion of lead. Indeed many homes are still served by solid lead water pipe underground so I would ignore those ‘ aluminium’ issues

[@traveler5898]

yeh, the lead is far worse than the aluminium. And really small amounts don't pose health problems. What do you mean with hexane burner? An alternative.. Greetings Wim

[@willborn66]

Ben zelf van lichting 82÷4 wij moesten gewoon ons prakkie daar in klaar maken nooit geen problemen mee gehad dat we daar ziek van werden

[@andrewarthurmatthews6685]

Hexane burner ?

[@atleandersen1924]

Acidic foods that oxidise the aluminium, are the things to watch out for. Tomato and apple sauce for example. Aluminium is accumulates over time and is often associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as alzheimer's. Besides geoengineering aerosols and cookware, vaccines and deodorants are the most significant contributors to oxidised aluminium.

[@traveler5898]

Thanks, there is a lot of discussion over the effects of eating out of aluminium. Especially when it comes down to concentrations. Beter save then sorry. But a lot of people agree that aluminium is not the best choice. I only use the steel or aluminium with coating. Not that coating is healthy. Anyway thanks for the extra information. Greetings Wim

[@ericj.w.ruijssenaars3421]

Ah, ja, Esbit. ook niet zo gezond voor je (de dampen ervan) In het (Engelse) leger zijn ze al overgestapt op alcohol-gel. Die mess tins kom je geregeld tegen bij de kringloopwinkel voor een paar euro. Ik kijk weer uit naar nieuwe filmpjes. Maar ja, met deze lockdown kun je nog niet veel doen buiten.

[@traveler5898]

Inderdaad, Esbit stinkt ook behoorlijk in verpakking. Ben nu bezig met review/test van meindl dessert Mid. (leger versie). Hoop over een aantal weken alles gefilmd te hebben. Maar is wel een uitdaging nu met Corona. iedereen zit natuurlijk vol met plannen. Hopelijk van de zomer weer echt weg, heb nog wel wat ideeën om uit te werken.....

[@ericj.w.ruijssenaars3421]

@@traveler5898 Ja, plannen genoeg voor de zomer : ) Nieuwe tent uitproberen en zo nog wat kampeer-gear (nieuw en legerdump).

[@chuckberg5585]

The only aluminum thats bad for you is the can Bud Lite comes in😂

[@chuckberg5585]

The old rumors about aluminum was all started by Oliver Norths inability to recall after eating from his mess tin all those years😮😂

[@HootOwl513]

Yeh, but the Marines wee using stainless steel meat cans since 1918. Aluminum ones were not gov't issue. They were copies for sales in surplus stores. Made overseas.

[@MickAlderson]

The Alzheimer's Society consideres the "Aluminum Hypothesis" to be a myth that came from the misinterpretion of a 1965 study where MASSIVE doses of aluminum salts were were injected into rabbits. That study has since been mostly dismissed In the scientific community, but the suspicion persists in the general public who didn't get the memo. Iron, it seems, is more closely associated with Alzheimer's brain tangled than aluminum, but they haven't decided if it is cause or effect. But without iron, we die. Also, since aluminum is one of the most common elements in the earths crust, our bodies are really good at removing the tiny amount (about 1%) that gets leached from into our food from our cookware. Personally, at home I prefer cooking on cast iron or carbon steel, but that is because I like the heat distribution better. The few days I get to go camping, aluminum is fine.

[@speedygonzales9993]

Don't like the design. Don't like the non-locking handle. Size is also too small. There are so many better designs out there.

[@lixibao]

Can you recommend one or two?

[@speedygonzales9993]

@@lixibao Tks! We were issued 'those' types in the military & I hated them. Anyway, long story short, Esbit has the rectangular type (w/ the specially designed stove) & the MUCH BETTER CS985ST (or CS985HA) (also w/ the accompanying stove). Personally I prefer the excellent Toaks pot (w/ butterfly & BAIL handles). They come w/ NESTING stove, cup, etc. & are an all round better system - more versatile, functionalities.

[@myopinion262]

Aluminium! Not Aluminum. No such element or metal.

[@traveler5898]

oeps, good to know. greetings Wim

[@myopinion262]

@@traveler5898 Sorry Wim, the pronuncation and spelling is an American idiocycracy. They are the only people in the world to use this.Well maybe the Pinnoys do as well?