A corkscrew, a spatula (definitely the flipping kind, and maybe the scrapping kind too) an some way of straining?

Just guesses. I would think it would depend on where you're going and how much (and what kind) of cooking you plan on.

Good luck!

I'd go to someplace like REI and look at some of the really ingenious cooking/backpacking products they have. Most items are very light weight.

We are trying to go around the world From the UK, Greece France, Itally, then to asia, I don't want to over pack, or underpack. I really want some help on what I need to take. I am vegetarian for 25 years. DH not vegetarian, but eats veg when home.

Are you camping? Staying in hostels? Renting places with a kitchen?

My best tip is to check on round-the-world backpacker sights to see how people do it. Someplace like Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree forum has many more people who travel that style, than you'll find here on Fodor's.

My initial thought, while I'm no expert, is I wouldn't want to be hauling "pots and pans" in a backpack. But perhaps a few handy gadgets like janisj mentions could be worth the weight/space in your bag.

If you're renting actually apartments with kitchen, aren't basic cookware and dishes usually included?

Corkscrew is the most important thing to take

Ditto that dutyfree!!

though I'm still questioning hauling "pots, pans, can opener" on a RTW backpacking trip. Just doesn't seem necessary or very efficient unless you are going camping.

Even the corkscrew, believe me, I have never had a bottle of wine that I couldn't manage to get opened somehow even when I didn't have one (borrow a corkscrew, have the shop open it before you leave, ask at a bar or restaurant or hotel, etc.)

I've been round the world, with a back pack, three times in the last ten years, and the most I've taken in the way of kitchen supplies is a corkscrew and some plastic cutlery.

Are you traveling in an RV? Camping? (Not really done in Asia) Where do you think you're going to use these pots and pans? If you're renting an apartment or staying in hostels they should be provided.

Your question seems to relate to items for food preparation, yes ?
I recommend a swiss army knife for both of you, preferably each different, one with a large lockable blade is ideal.
Plastic cutlery set is good, maybe a couple of plastic plates and small mugs. I usually carry a small electric immersion heater that can be used to boil water ( you will need an adapter too for different electrical outlets around the world).
Please let us know if there are other types of things you want suggestions for .
Just keep in mind that "less is more"

My question is why would you want to take pots and pans? Where are you planning on staying? I would of thought if a place had kitchen facilities all the basic bits and pieces are supplied. It has always been the case for places I have stayed in with a Kitchenette or Kitchen.

You don't even need a corkscrew
http://www.thedailymeal.com/5-creative-ways-open-wine-without-corkscrew

Pastry brush and a wine bottle stopper...for when you finally get that cork out.

Most useful thing I took when on a low budget was a dual voltage water heater for making tea and soup... it saved my butt many times here's an example except mine was really cheap- http://www.amazon.com/Travel-Immersion-Water-Heater-Voltage/dp/B000AXS0UE when my parents went on a europe trip they took it with them as well.

other necessities for backpackers are portable salt, black and red pepper... and those packets of soup with the really thin noodles in them the really flat ones not the 3 minute soups... its a little hard to cook them with that coil thing but those packets of soup last for several meals if you supplement with fresh bread and they hardly take any space up. I used a little bowl that also be doubled as a cup its sides where sort of thin and steep... some countries in the east use them for tea... i got mine in tunisia and it was really handy. When I was out of money because of credit card problems or too tired or stranded to get food or in expensive switzerland. I would have a warm meal in the span of 5 minutes or tea on cold days... I highly recommend.

p.s. i forgot to mention corkscrew i sorely missed a corkscrew ever tried opening a bottle of wine without one- yeah it sucks. and I also took a small foldable knife, and small stainless eating utensils.

asia ... water purifier tablets. in case smaller villages dont have bottled water.

i like todd's recommendations a lot! follow them including corkscrew skip the pots and pans.

are you back packing, renting a condo? Condo's usually have pots and pans and corkscrews but I would bring my favorite spices and generlly do when we travel. we also have a very small cutting board with cultlery, knife and corkscrew that makes a perfect item for a picnic. Got it as a thank you gift from someone who was visiting after we took them to the wine country. We always travel with that and spices. not sure why you would bring pots and pans?

These are my must as I travel with kids and we do lots of hiking and go in the checked luggage.

Ziplog bags, one quart, sandwich size
Salt and shaker
Vapur water bags
1 small kitchen knife
2 small food containers
1 small ice maker tray (non mandatory)
1 flexible lunchbox
1 small sewing kit and scissors

I love having ice and ziplog bags with me for snacks. This year I bought some vapur water bags (they roll when empty) to freeze before our hikes. The ziplog bags also serve as ice makers if you fill them with water the night before and pound them to break the ice next day.

For me a good kitchen knife and at least one person set of silverware for me (my kids don't mind plastic).

When we traveled 4 countries in 2010 I couldn't find a good knife to cut a tomatoe with nor ice trays to have an ice cube for a cold drink. I improvised and used a ziplog bag to make ice and also bought a good little knife to make salad with and got one set of silverware for myself to eat fruit in our long train trips, a salt shaker also.

These again are traveling this trip with us. Ziplogs bag are expensive in Europe so I always travel with a box of one quart and 2 of sandwich size.

I forgot my kettle small water heater I bought in Spain.
Small thermos.
1-2 Freeze Ice bags to carry cold food in the train.

pook - so how much luggage do you travel with? Do you drive?

thursdaysd on May 11, 12 at 8:49pm

pook - so how much luggage do you travel with? Do you drive?

I travel with a carry on and a suitcase for my daughter and I.
All the things mentioned are small and fit on the top zippered part of my suitcase and half of them are used on our 4 weeks and don't come back.

My kids and I do lots of hiking and I cook every day at least once in all the apartments we stay in.

The dual voltage water heater is a must. And you shouldn't travel without Ziplocs for any reason. You should also have a bandana with you - essential for impromptu picnics.

For a knife I travel with a no name sandwich spreader with a serrated edge - I keep it in a folded sheet of cardboard to protect the edge, but I just saw one from Rikon with a cover that would be better:

http://www.amazon.com/Kuhn-Rikon-Sandwich-Colori-Purple/dp/B007OTFC26/ref=sr_1_11?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1337277528&sr=1-11

This type of knife will cut a tomato much better than a swiss army knife.

I also travel with a small collapsible 12 oz. bowl that has a lid and packs flat. I can use the lid as a small plate, or cover what's in the bowl to take snacks. If I don't need to use it for food I can keep my bedside stuff in it so that it's all together. At various times I've used it for a soapsaver, as a drinking vessel, and as a mini ice bucket. Handy tiny lightweight multifunction item like this is a winner. Picked mine up at Marshall's for $3 - made by Progressive.

Finally I have a polypropylene fork and soup spoon (got those at REI many years ago).

And, while absurdly frivolous, I also take a lexan wine glass which unscrews and snaps together (Magellans), and a tiny corkscrew.

So far these items have served me so well that I'm not even looking around for new travel food related gadgets.

I pack a one quart plastic deli container. The thick kind that soup is packed in. I made tea using one large tea bag and a couple packets of Splenda. I pour water of the tea bags and let it sit overnight. Find a few cubes of ice and viola iced tea. I use the container to store tea bags and splenda. In a pinch it can be a bowl to eat cereral with or store left overs. Thats about all the cooking I do.

spcfa on May 17, 12 at 12:27pm

The dual voltage water heater is a must. And you shouldn't travel without Ziplocs for any reason. You should also have a bandana with you - essential for impromptu picnics.

Amen!
I'm bringing what we used the most on 2010. I couldn't find ziplog bags for our daily lunches, in several places in Italy and some apartments didn't have containers for fruit, that I use to put my toiletries now.

As we travel by train 8 hrs at least 3 times I MUST have snacks for the eating monsters and I learned on what will hold us in the train from our 2010 trip.

As for the can openner and corkscrew could a multi tool device work? You wouldn't be able to carryon something like a pocket knife but you could pack it in checked luggage.

1. Salt and pepper in those small travel packages
2. small can opener: http://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Portable-Travel-Opener-1044/product-reviews/B001TV69KY/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
3. collapsible drinking glasses
4. knife in a case (only if you're checking luggage) (This is the one I have had for years: http://www.shopinthekitchen.com/store/product/5284/Joyce-Chen-Bento-Knife-Cherry-4%22/)
5. Screwpull travel corkscrew: http://www.amazon.com/Screwpull-S1115-31-Pocket-Corkscrew-Black/dp/B0001UZOF0/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1338241038&sr=8-5http://www.amazon.com/Screwpull-S1115-31-Pocket-Corkscrew-Black/dp/B0001UZOF0/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1338241038&sr=8-5
6. wine bottle stopper
7. ziplock bags and folded sheets of aluminum foil
8. bandanas make good emergency plates and napkins (buy them at the dollar store)
9. some plastic flatware
10. I have some very small jars for cayenne, cinnamon and mixed Italian herbs which I use when we're doing a lot of cooking--otherwise it's not worth hauling around.

happytourist: I liked the can openner and looked at that merchant's site on Amazon. It was pretty neat.

I liked your idea of using bandanas as plates. Some of my favorite travel memories are of making do. We went to SF for a week last year and was trying to save money. Two days before going home we found a Whole Foods. They had a rotissie chicken with two deli sides on sale for $12. We remembered utinsils but forgot plates. One of us used the lid to the rotissie chicken, two of us used the lid to the deli sides and mini plates and I just ate of the the rotissie chicken container. We were starving so it tasted great.

Swiss knife is a power tool. With it you don't have to bring anything. For food, I recommend you bring something that both you and your husband can eat so you won't have to prepare a his and hers food package.

The best I can tell you though is to go for fruits in every country you visit. Aside from the nutrients, they come in handy wherever you go.

A small swiss army, baggies, bandana and a sarong. After that, you can get what you need.

I always pack a small immersion water heater and a couple of packs of instant oatmeal.