Camp-gear company Sea to Summit makes a line of collapsible silicone cook-pots with anodized aluminum bases.
As Liz Stinson points out, people in high-density/high-price urban centers (London, New York, San Francisco, etc) often have minuscule kitchens that would be the perfect home for this sort of pot.
Alas, there are two major impediments: the Sea to Summit pots are designed for small camping gas-rings or sterno cans; on a kitchen stove burner, the silicone pot overhangs the aluminum base and is subject to damage.
More importantly, the customer reviews are very mixed: the idea is universally praised as genius, but the build-quality is very poor. The lid is made of “trash metal” and quickly dents/deforms; the join at the base is prone to cracking and the handles are flimsy.
None of this is insurmountable: we’d have loved to have several of these in our teeny, tiny London kitchen. If someone went into business selling broad-bottomed pots with better build quality, I think they’d find a huge market.
The target demographic makes sense; after all, Sea to Summit is known for outdoor gear. And the silicone pots play to that. They’re light—the biggest of the three sizes, a 2.8-liter vessel, weighs just 11.5 ounces. Collapsed, the pot sits 1.5 inches high, and expanded it can hold 95 fluid ounces. Lightweight and collapsible are two features whose value can’t be underestimated when you’re already trekking a backpack full of gear.
The base is aluminum, which along with a metal ring at the top gives each pot the rigidity to handle the rigors of cooking. The silicone handles don’t get hot, and fold over to secure the lid during transit. Speaking of the lid, it comes with a built-in strainer, which alleviates the need to bring yet another piece of kitchen equipment to your campout.
These Collapsible Pots Are Stupidly Handy [Liz Stinson/Wired]
X-Pot [Sea to Summit]