Decathlon Quechua Hiker’s Camper Stainless-Steel Cook Set for Four People and Airtight Food Box Review

Reviewed by Alexander Wilde

The Great British Staycation is well under way and, from talking to friends, family and colleagues, UK camping is more popular than ever. This is one of three reviews on camping essentials available in-store and online from Decathalon.

Campers know that packing light and space saving is paramount, whether that be when travelling in a car to your favourite spot, hiking or setting up the site. Thus, the first standout feature of the Quechua Cook Set is its compact size and portability. Stored within the stainless steel saucepan, under the lid come food strainer, are four plates and sets of three piece cutlery (fork, knife and spoon).

To prepare for cooking, you simply unclip and fold back the handles which interlock to form the main pan handle. It’s worth noting that there is a small second folding handle for two-handed carrying – this is particularly useful to avoid spillages when the pan is full. The robust plastic lid/food strainer can now be lifted off to reveal the four plates and clip-together cutlery sets. The tasteful blue and green matching items are solid, durable and high-quality.

I tested the pan on a small gas camping stove to cook a simple vegetable stew, the stainless steel pan has an aluminium double bottom which improved heat diffusion – my stock boiled quickly. I always cook with wooden utensils to avoid abrasions, however wood is not always practical for cleaning when camping so it is good to know that this pan is suitable for all types of utensils, including metal. It should remain scratch free for a long time. I added a variety of root vegetables to the pan and left the pan simmering and covered for forty-five minutes. The strainer lid allowed steam to escape and I stirred the stew intermittently. I am pleased to say there was no sticking or burning. Due to durability of stainless steel, this pan is also suitable for cooking on induction and wood burners. It has a capacity of 2.6l, more than enough to cook a hearty meal for a family of four.   

The stew was served on the accompanying plates, which are approximately 20cm, in diameter. The base is thick enough to slow heat transfer if eating a hot meal on your lap and the patterned ridges on the underside provide a slight non-slip quality. What I like most is the curved rim on the plates – this definitely reduced spillages and make them highly suitable for stews and soup. I am not entirely sure of the design purpose, but the plates have a finger size hole – I used it to hang them on s-hooks to air dry.

We ate with the included cutlery: each piece is strong; the fork suitably pointy, and the knife has a slightly serrated edge. They should be able to cope with most food-types. Also, quite nifty is the way they clip together in a bundle, this stops them rattling around when transporting and avoids losing one of them.

Alongside this product I used the Quechua Airtight Food Box with a grey lid and capacity of 0.65l to transport some frozen peas to use in the stew. The screw top lid, inner rim and top seal ensured that, as the peas defrosted, there was no escape of liquid or odour during transport. This item did topple over and I was grateful that it met its advertised standards – our bag remained dry. I believe this item is suitable for solids food and liquids.   
This item is BPA free, dishwasher and microwave (lid- off) safe to use at home.

After dinner, all items were easy to wipe down, wash and dry. Not that there was much stew left after the obligatory mopping up with some bread crusts!    

I highly recommend these Quechua items, both for their quality, durability, innovative features and pure practicality. Excellent and essential camping staples from a brand you can trust.  I will definitely look in to purchasing more from Decathalon’s in-house label of accessories and apparel.

Rating: Five Stars

RRP and buy link:

The Cook Set costs £24.99 and the Food Box £2.99. They are available online at the Decathlon website here. Check the website for store location and availability.