The Optimus Terra HE is a field pot and skillet set that weighs under two pounds. Cast from hard anodized aluminum with a no stick coating, it cooks well and cleans up fast.
If you are cooking for multiple people, cooking a variety of food over a period of time or just ready to move beyond prepared camping food, the Optimus Terra HE cook set is what you are looking for.
The kit consists of a 1.75 liter pot with a heat exchange bottom for quick boiling, a 1.7 liter pot, a skillet the doubles as a lid, a pot gripper and a neoprene bag to transport and protect the coatings as well as insulate your food.
Paired with an Optimus Nova multi-fuel stove everything fits together perfectly with the pot holder matching up with the heat exchanger. The stove will nest inside the cook kit for storage.
The heat exchanger (HE) component reduces boiling time by efficiently spreading heat across the entire pot cutting boil time to boil by 20%. Everybody likes quicker cook times and the HE system’s efficiency conserves fuel.
In a very non-scientific test, I boiled a quart of water (sea level, 45 degrees F) in both pots in this set using the skillet as a lid. The 1.75-liter HE pot boiled water in three minutes and the 1.7-liter pot in five. The heat exchange pot boiled water for two meals faster than I could open the packages and set up for lunch.
Cooking eggs in the skillet went smoothly, the no stick coating did its job so serving and clean up involved no drama. Cleaning is just as important as cooking for health and good use of time. This kit does both well.
My kit came with a Bob Sponge, a lightweight outdoor sponge specifically designed for scratch free cleaning of coated pots & pans. It is almost weight less and dries quickly.
A neoprene bag holds everything together, protects the coatings and prevents rattling. A little to big to stick in a rucksack, the Terra HE is better suited for a base camp or car camping. The heat exchanger fins make the pack volume a bit larger than the pot volume.
Features:
- Non-stick coated 1.75 L heat exchange
- Non-stick coated 1.7 L pot
- Frying pan that can also be used as a lid
- Aluminum pot lifter
- Neoprene bag
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Featured photo by Mark Miller. Optimus Nova expedition stove, Optimus fuel bottle, Optimus Terra HE field cook set and AlpineAire meal pack.