bajavanadu
Member
what are the benefits of a skottle over just a frying pan or cast iron skillet? seems to be a rather expensive setup for a burner and frypan!?!
why skottle?
- Thread starter bajavanadu
- Start date
tatanka48
Active member
we call 'em a MEXICAN WOK
plug the hole and add a pair of horse shoes for handles
we make 'em out of used discs ($3-$5 @ the flea mkts) and used horse shoes ($1/ea @ the flea mkts)
season just like you would a steel frying pan
cook over fish/turkey fryer burner
cook on the cowboy 2-burner
cook on the ground stove
cook over a cat fire balanced on 3 rocks (the way i first saw one in use out in the desert by Elephant Butte Lake in southern NM)
turn 'em downsideupp'rds and place directly on the fire for makin' tortilas ;-)
a nice advantage of cookin' in/on one is you can cook several components in it while prepping for a multi ingredient dish
easy to clean/keep seasoned by swishing a boiling splash of water around after cooking and wiping down w/ Crisco (doesn't get rancid like some of the more "modern" lubricants) ;-)
a BTW, we keep a can a/o several of those 1# pkgs of Butter Flavored Crisco in the wagon for up to and even past 12 months w/o having it go south on us and we live n cook across the SouthWest U.S. from Arizona - Texas
hard to argue with it's versatility
and absodadgumlutely indestructible
i do like the LAXTOY's 3-legged stand
one similar to it (though knot w/ charming plated legs) might just be on the horizon...
T
plug the hole and add a pair of horse shoes for handles
we make 'em out of used discs ($3-$5 @ the flea mkts) and used horse shoes ($1/ea @ the flea mkts)
season just like you would a steel frying pan
cook over fish/turkey fryer burner
cook on the cowboy 2-burner
cook on the ground stove
cook over a cat fire balanced on 3 rocks (the way i first saw one in use out in the desert by Elephant Butte Lake in southern NM)
turn 'em downsideupp'rds and place directly on the fire for makin' tortilas ;-)
a nice advantage of cookin' in/on one is you can cook several components in it while prepping for a multi ingredient dish
easy to clean/keep seasoned by swishing a boiling splash of water around after cooking and wiping down w/ Crisco (doesn't get rancid like some of the more "modern" lubricants) ;-)
a BTW, we keep a can a/o several of those 1# pkgs of Butter Flavored Crisco in the wagon for up to and even past 12 months w/o having it go south on us and we live n cook across the SouthWest U.S. from Arizona - Texas
hard to argue with it's versatility
and absodadgumlutely indestructible
i do like the LAXTOY's 3-legged stand
one similar to it (though knot w/ charming plated legs) might just be on the horizon...
T
Correus
Adventurer
I often wondered the same thing.
Never thought about trying my hand at making one, may just have to do that now.
Correus
Adventurer
What is the hole in the center for? What did you make the pan out of? Did you weld the sockets for the legs to the pan?
I have the big one and the little skottle. I think the benefit of using a skottle is that it's an all-in-one kind of unit. It's a burner and pan all together. For the size it does pack down pretty conveniently. The big one is able to cook a pretty large amount of food good enough for 4-6 people depending on what you are cooking. The little has been my go-to lately. It functions as my pan, burner, and plate. That being said there are things it cooks well and others things it doesn't do so well. I have tried to cook a nice over easy egg on mine and it always fails. It slides to the center and just frys itself. It's okay at cooking steak, if I have access I prefer to cook that over fire. Haven't tried pizza or pancakes yet. Getting the temp control on it is a challenge at times. Because it is a curved surface the head will mostly be centered right over the middle.
I'm still learning to cook on it but I prefer it over my Camp Chef along with pots/pans for the most part.
I'm still learning to cook on it but I prefer it over my Camp Chef along with pots/pans for the most part.
Correus
Adventurer
Now see...that's my issue; anything that is basically liquid - eggs, pancake batter and such - will just slide to the center.
Any idea why these things were designed this way instead of flat? Not complaining, just curious.
Tembo Tusk says the Skottle is a South African cooking apparatus but we've the same shape cooking pans all around the world for many centuries whether it be a wok from southeast asia or a "mexican" wok. So it's nothing new, just a more portable camping iteration of an old design. I guess there's an advantage to the shape with keeping the center hot and the edges warm. Probably works well with cuisines in those regions but might not lend itself necessarily to American classics like eggs and pancakes. It's just another tool but certainly not something that is be-all-end-all.
laxtoy
Adventurer
The hole in the center is from the manufacturer as the actual disc is a plow blade, the hole is the cutout is for the plow axle. You can see the patch piece I fabbed in the middle of the first pic. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...-edge-axle-size-1-in-square-x-1-1-8-in-square
I made mine as similar to Tembo Tusk’s as I could just for simplicity’s sake, so it’s 18” round and I did 3.5mm which is close to 3/16” steel, I think the size is about perfect.
List of parts:
-plow disc blade shipped to local Tractor Supply dealer in my home town.
-legs are 1” aluminum closet poles from Home Depot, $10 for an 8’ piece.
-sockets for legs are 1” iron gas pipe, weld ground off on inside to make smooth, then welded to the disc blade, then tapped for 1/4-20 eye bolt stays
-ring for burner is 4” cosmetic iron ring from ornamental iron fencing supplier, like $5, then 3/16” x 1” flat stock for braces, 2 tapped for 1/4-20 eye bolts for burner adjustment screws.
I also got a 16” lid from the Wok Shop that really improves its functionality.
https://www.wokshop.com/newstore/product/flat-lid/
I personally just see a lot of pluses with it. It’s not difficult to pack because it’s heavy enough to just get tossed in the bed of the truck as long as it’s secured down, plus it’s flat enough that I can always find somewhere to stow it. If I don’t think I need it based on meal planning, I leave it at home.
As you commented, food does slide to the middle, but for scrambles or stir fry or side veggies or similar it can’t be beat since the mess can be isolated away from the rest of my setup, so I can put someone else just on the skottle while the fridge, table, stove etc is unencumbered.
Plus, it’s just really fun to cook on, everyone who uses it enjoys the experience. We did a fish fry on it cooking a bunch of lingcod a buddy caught up off Vancouver island and it turned out awesome!
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crazysccrmd
Observer
It looks way cooler in your instagram pictures as opposed to a $40 Coleman stove. If you don’t have one you’re probably not a real overlander.
Correus
Adventurer
From what I've been told you're not not a "real overlander" unless you own/use a South African cast-iron potjie. There's even roof rack storage system made for them.
laxtoy
Adventurer
Thankfully there are those among us who still know what a “real overlander” looks like.
Correus
Adventurer
Agreed. I'm tired of seeing all the social media posts showing all the fancy crap people seem to think you "must have" or "need" to be a "real overlander". When I see these all I can think of is "friggin' hipster posser wannabe" who just wants everyone to "look at me" and see what they own and how much they are willing to pay - for a brand name.
HOWEVER!! I love seeing those people who can take a concept, like the Tembo Tusk skottle, and make it their own by creating a DIY version and improving on it.
I do like the skottle concept for the same reasons given here - ease of use, storage and such. I'll probably end up trying my hand at making one. In all honesty though...I still prefer to cook over an open camp fire instead of propane; these seem to work well with either method.
Before anyone gets offended...I have, and do, use propane depending on the circumstances, using a campfire is just my personal preference.
laxtoy
Adventurer
Hmmm, I think I am being misunderstood.
My reply was complete sarcasm in terms of a reply to the other dude’s sarcasm.
It wasn’t a compliment to him or in any way an agreement.
I don’t give a ******** if it got a like, in fact if I were that dude I’d recognize that and delet that thumbs up crap.
I don’t have any accounts be it Facebook, instagram or whatever the hell, and I never have and don’t imagine I ever will.
I do make stuff to feel good about the fact I can make it so posting pics here is a way to get accolades, yes, but it’s more about the fact I like to show others that these abilities come from within so if I see an idea I like I weigh if I want to pony up the dough or make it myself to show others it is possible and I have the vision and talent to do so, and hopefully that inspires someone to try it themselves, especially if the costs are intimidating.
You all enjoy your social media stuff, and more power to you, but this site and a couple others are as far as mine goes, and as evidenced to me by what the other dude posted, I’m only so like-minded.
I didn’t make ******** to look like anyone, in fact looking like an overlander in Seattle has the tendency to get you flipped off by some millennial in a Prius. That’s okay, that’s their thing.
I do what I do and build what I can because I have the talent to do so and I get enjoyment from building it as well as using it. It’s the self sustaining mentality that things can be made for a lifetime of enjoyment or they can be bought to try to keep up with the Jones’s.
To each their own. Just don’t act all smug like I do anything to look a certain way, that’s just the mark of an **************, and is too common in this world and isn’t at all necessary.