Camp cooking is definitely a great way to have a good time while camping. However, if you are looking for a quality camp cooking set it can be difficult to find the right set for your cooking needs. Well, I know that I have covered some pieces in the past, but they always seemed to be piecemeal type of sets. One of the camp cookware sets that caught my attention was the Kelly Kettle Ultimate Scout Kit, which is what we are going gto cover in our review here.
Features Of The Kelly Kettle Ultimate Scout Kit
- Comes with a a Hobo Stove fire base.
- Contains everything needed to make a completely meal, except food.
- Includes cups and plates.
- Has a storage bag for carrying the cookware.
- Stainless steel helps prevent staining of the cookware.
Comes With Its Own Fire Base
I have to say that with most of the camp cooking sets that I have looked at most of them are for use over the campfire. While cooking over the campfire does provide the right amount of cooking and can be done, it may not provide a concentrated heat that is needed to cook some items.
Well, the Kelly Kettle company recognized this problem and definitely addressed it here. The way that the lack of concentrated heat was addressed was by including a Hobo Stove fire base in the Kelly Kettle Ultimate Scout Kit.
With the base it allows you to build the fire inside of the stove. Then it will transfer the heat in a more concentrated manner of the chamber. This allows for the cooking to be done and if you are using the cookware provided allows for even cooking. So you are not going to get undercooked or unevenly cooked foods anymore.
Stainless Steel Helps Resist Staining
Cleaning up after you get done cooking while camping often is not going to be as good as what it would be at home. Well, that can easily lead to staining in the cookware from the food that you are preparing in it or just from the cooking process.
Well, being made from stainless steel the cookware has a tendency to be less resistant to staining. This makes it easier for you to clean the cookware, but also know it will look good while you are using it. Not to mention stainless steel is a lot easier than expected to keep food from sticking.
On the downside I have found that when you are cooking with stainless steel the pan and kettle bases can discolor at times. This comes from the heat that is used for cooking, but it does not impact your food quality. Instead, the cookware just starts to look a little bit tarnished.
Set Includes All Needed To Cook
Okay, I know that I have all that you need to cook, but this may not be true as it depends on what you are cooking. The cookware set has a lot of what you need to cook with, but it does not have everything. The set has the pot and even the cups that are needed to make different things. At the same time the cookware set has the plates you need to put the food in front of yourself to eat.
Now, the set even has a kettle to help boil water if you want to make a cup of tea or pour over coffee. What I would recommend would be using the pot for all of your cooking needs and the kettle for your water, which you could use to make instant mash potatoes or even some of the ready to eat meals.
Uses Natural Fuels For Fire
I have to say using a natural fuel is a great way to make a fire that is easy to maintain. Yes, I know that the fires that you can from the propane cookers tend to be more consistent and even in the heating, what do you do when you have the stove but no propane? Quite simple you do not eat and what makes it even worse is the camp stores at the campgrounds may sell out of the propane even.
The natural fuels that you can use include wood pieces and charcoal. This means you can be in the woods and just picking up smaller twigs and other smaller pieces of wood and dry grass that you would use for kindling in your campfire, but instead use it in your hobo stove.
As a side note you need to make sure you clean out the stove base after each use and it has cooled down. This means dumping out the ash into a container or a other receptacle. If you are concerned about a chance of the ashes still being warm, I have found a good idea to dump the ashes into the campfire.
Includes A Kettle For Cooking
I know I touched on the kettle earlier, but I am going to mention it again here. The Kelly Kettle is large enough that it will boil a full liter of water. Now, that is smaller than the electric tea kettles that I have used before at my house which are 1.8 liters. Still it is enough that you can make several things from the water.
With the way the Hobo Stove focuses the heat on the kettle, though, heating takes only minutes. So even if you have to make several kettles of water it will not take long to heat up.
What else I really find impressive about the kettle is it has a whistle. With a lot of the camp stoves and kettles that I have seen they do not have a whistle. Instead, you are stuck trying to guess when your water has reached a boil and then go from there.
Pros And Cons
- The cookware set is able to use natural fuels.
- Has everything needed to make a meal.
- The Hobo Stove makes focusing the heat easier.
- Stainless steel is able to resist staining.
- Entire set fits down into its own carrying bag.
- Only has a single pan for cooking.
- The kettle is only 1 liter.
- If you do not have dry wood or grass may be difficult to light.
Whats In The Box
Knowing what is in the box is very important and I have to say in this instance it is very exciting! I mean with all that comes into the box that you are opening it will amaze you. Now, does the amount justify the price? Yes, I think it does because of the number of things you get.
- Kelly Kettle
- Fire base
- Hobo Stove
- Cook pot
- Small and Large camp cups
- Cook pot lid.
- 2 Plates.
- Carrying bag that fits all the items inside of it.
Recommended Accessories
Well, with all that is included in the cookware set it is very difficult to see what else you may need to buy. I have to admit, I did find that it is a challenge to locate items that are needed to round out the set, but here is some of the items that I have found that are definitely a plus to buy.
The kettle is a one liter kettle that is included. Well, this works great for the most part and definitely has plenty of water for most of your camp cooking, but not all of it. Since this is the case, I would recommend buying a second kettle. The second kettle gives you more water to use, but also allows you to have a spare in case your first one goes bad.
A second thing that I would highly recommend would be more cookware. Yes, you get the basics of cooking with a pot and a kettle, but if you want to cook more than one food and not have to clean out the pot in between cooking then this is invaluable. I would highly recommend getting a stainless steel cooking pan. The pan makes it easier for you to cook bacon or even sausage that does not really need to be cooked in a pot.
Who Would Like The Kelly Kettle Ultimate Scout Kit
This is an interesting question because I know that quite a few people would like a set like this, but it is not a set for everyone. In fact, the people that would really like this set are those that are camping on a regular basis.
Yes, people who are camping on a regular basis know the cost of propane. This cost adds up and often can be very cost prohibitive as to how much camping you can do in a single year.
The other group of people who would get the most from the kit would be anyone who likes cooking over fire. Yes, the fire is contained in the hobo stove, but it makes it easier to cook and have the food done properly. Still you do get the cookware exposed to direct flame here.
Who Would Not Like The Kit
The kit does not fit the needs of everyone and that is the simple truth. However, the people the kit would not fit is actually a lot broader than what I thought it would at first.
Large families that are out camping may find the set to be lacking. The reason it is lacking is the pot is not a huge pot that could hold an entire meal for lets say five or six people. Not to mention their are only 2 cups included in the set which may not suit the needs or everyone.
The other people who may not like this kit would be the ones that are looking to use only the propane type of gas stoves. These stoves do work great, but have their own limitations. Even then the people that are stalwarts for that type of cooking would never want to transition to this type of cookear.
What Others Are Saying
Knowing what other people are saying, outside of what I have provided is invaluable information. Since I know just how valuable this is I have decided to include some snippets of reviews from other people. As almost everyone knows I do try to find negative reviews as well, but even on Amazon only 1% of the reviews were negative and not a single person left a comment.
When I started to look at Amazon I found that George S. Burnett left this on Amazon and it is true. “A Kelly Kettle is NOT just for camping”. What this means is that you can use it for other situations outside of camping. In fact, in his full review he even mentioned using it when the power grid went down in Texas to provide meals and water that was warm for his family.
Tattoo left a review on Amazon as well and was talking about the product. ”This is awesome”. Granted that was the first part of his review, but it pretty much sums up almost all the reviews that I have read about the set.
How Are The Kettles Made?
The Kelly Kettle is made using spot welded brackets.
How Much Water Does The Kettle Hold?
The kettle holds 41 ounces of water and stands just over 12 inches tall when sitting on the fire base.
What Is The Weight Of The Kit?
The Kelly Kettle Ultimate Scout Kit comes in weight at just over 5 pounds at 5.053 pounds in the carrying bag.
What Is The Grade Of Stainless Steel?
The stainless steel that is used here is a 304 food grade stainless steel.
Our Final Thoughts
Cooking while camping is a necessary thing to do. However, I have found with all the cookware sets on the market it is very difficult to narrow down what you need to have. With that being the case, I have found that the Kelly Kettle Ultimate Scout Kit definitely fits a need and can be used by almost anyone. The price is a little bit on the steep side, but when you factor in that you can use it even when not cooking it definitely makes it easier for you to feel good about using the set. Overall, the quality of the set combined with the versatility of the piece to be used outside of camping makes this one item you should consider buying.
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