GSI Outdoors Guidecast – iReviewGear.com

Love cast iron but hate cleaning it? Well, a high polished cast iron pan is the trick for that. Yes, they are typically very expensive but GSI Outdoors has you covered as always.

Just the Facts:

Born out of the need for River and Pack guides to reduce weight of their conventional cast iron cookware, GSI Outdoors introduces the GUIDECAST product line to provide the best lightweight cast iron cookware on the market. The superior craftsmanship of the products in this line will last for years if not generations and combined with the weight and material savings, results in a smaller carbon footprint helping to reduce our impact on our ecosystem for generations to come. Gourmet, lightweight cast-iron Dutch oven is 25-40% lighter than conventional cast iron Dutch ovens, while offering uncompromising cooking performance. Polished interior and exterior bottoms perform on all cooking surfaces, from a campfire to an induction stove.

25-40% lighter than conventional cast ironware without sacrificing performance

7qt Dutch Oven weighs 12 lbs; included trivet weighs 0.3 lbs

Corrosion-resistant finish

Convenient handles for easy lifting and hanging your chef tools

Polished bottom is suitable to cook on a stove, induction stove, in the oven, or over a campfire.

Includes stand

Simply hand wash with warm water and salt. Let dry thoroughly before next use

Born out of the need for River and Pack guides to reduce weight of their conventional cast iron cookware,

20-40% lighter than traditional cast ironware without sacrificing performance

Corrosion-resistant finish

Polished bottom is suitable to cook on a stove, induction stove, in the oven, broiler, or campfire grill.

Simply hand wash with warm water and salt. Let dry thoroughly before next use

My Story:

I love cast iron cooking. I almost exclusively use this at home and when car camping. The main drawback to cast iron is weight and we all know that. Unfortunately, that is just part of the deal and if you want cast iron you have to accept the weight. Well, until GSI Outdoors decided to change that.

I had a trip into the back country planned and I knew I would be cooking some meals on the wall tent stove, fire, and the propane stove. What pan can do all that? Well, I just so happened to have just received my Guidecast crock and frying pan from GSI Outdoors. I figured that they could handle anything I threw at them so I packed up and off we went.

Our first camp meal was a huge pot of spaghetti. Meat was cooked in the frying pan and then sauce was added. End result was a hearty and delicious meal after a very difficult day elk hunting.  

The pasta needed to be cooked quickly so we opted for the propane stove for that task and it worked great!

Once it was complete two very hungry elk hunters sat down to a delicious hearty meal prepared entirly with Guidecast cookware.

The next task was to get the crock going with some grouse and veggies to make a stew. The grouse was browned in the frying pan while the veggies waited for them to join the party.

We put everything together and placed the crock on top of the wood stove.

Plans changed when I tried to cut my thumb off while chopping wood and we had to run to town for stitches. When we returned the stew was done. Really done. Little char never hurt anyone right?

 I was a bit concerned with the rust that formed inside the pan while I was away. I just cant see how that would happen over the course of 5-6 hours. Alas, there was rust and it took a bit of elbow grease to get cleaned up. Not sure why that happened as the crock was pre seasoned.

One other concern I have is the durability of the frying pan. The first one that was sent to me was broken. Not sure how or why but it was broken. GSI Outdoors was super awesome about replacing it but it certainly leaves a question about durability.

After using the Guidecast cookware everywhere from the mountains to my home kitchen and even to the lake shore I can confidently say it has replaced all my other cast iron. As long as it is out away clean and oiled you will have many season of great cooking out of these products. Even though I had a few issues I am still a big fan!

Find it Here:

Camping Cookware

What can be done better?

Well, as you saw I had some rust issues. Not sure what GSI Outdoors can do about that. I guess that as long as they keep their warranty and work with you that is all we can ask for. so I’ll have to take a bit away due to the rust and durability issues.