Comparison Time Eco TE-420 Picnic vs Time Eco TE-430 Picnic

Items for food can be divided into individual and general. Individual items are designed for use by one person, it is by the number of such devices that the number of people for which the set is designed is determined (see above). This variety includes:

— Plates. It usually refers to small plates of small or medium size (snack or canteen). Meats, vegetables, various snacks and other solid foods can be laid out on such plates.

— The plates are deep. According to the classic serving rules, deep plates are intended for liquid dishes — soups, mashed potatoes, cereals, etc. However, in nature, in a relatively informal setting, they may well be used for solid food. Moreover, in some cases, such plates are even more convenient than small ones — high sides prevent pieces of food from falling off the plate.

— Forks. Traditional universal forks for various solid foods — except for corn, special devices are used for it (see below). For ease of carrying, they can be smaller than classic canteens (corresponding to a snack fork).

— Forks for corn. Special forks designed to eat corn straight from the head. They are small in size — about 10 – 15 cm in total length, of which approximately half falls on the handle. The working part is most often two-pronged. Such forks are usually used in pairs: they are stuc...k into the corn cob from the ends and turn into handles, for which you can hold the head of cabbage and eat corn from it without touching the grains with your fingers. This is especially convenient in nature, where it is not always possible to thoroughly wash your hands.

— Table spoons. The largest variety of spoons used for eating. Tablespoons are useful for soup, liquid porridge and other similar products. With some tricks, they can also be used for solid food, as well as for cooking and serving — for example, to stir salad and arrange it on plates.

— Tea spoons. Small spoons, originally designed for stirring tea or coffee. During picnics, however, they can be used in many other ways — for example, as a dessert (for berries, ice cream, yogurt) or as a cooking tool (when dosing salt, spices, etc.).

— Table knives. Traditional table knives differ from kitchen knives in that they have rounded blades without a pronounced point, as well as a blunt cutting edge. In order for the knife to cut, a special notch is provided on the edge, which works similarly to a saw. Such a tool is not suitable for cutting raw foods, but it does a good job with fried or baked meat (not very dense), fish, etc. In addition, the wide blade is useful when spreading butter or other similar additives on bread. However, in addition to such knives, picnic and barbecue sets often contain so-called "steak knives", with a wooden or plastic handle, a traditional pointed blade and a sharpened or sawtooth cutting edge. Such tools are designed to efficiently cut dense meat that a classic table knife cannot handle.

— Glasses. Glasses included in picnic sets can be divided into wine and beer glasses. A distinctive feature of wine glasses is the presence of legs with a stand; this leg can be quite long, and in general such vessels have a more elegant appearance than beer ones. Although the specific design, of course, may vary — often there are glasses with a short stem and a rather voluminous, high bowl. Beer glasses, in turn, in most cases are not equipped with legs, moreover, they are traditionally made of thicker glass (more precisely, plastic) than wine glasses. Formally, it would be more correct to call them mugs or glasses (depending on whether there is a handle in the design or not), but the name “glasses” has traditionally taken root for such dishes. In addition, there are beer glasses with a stem.

— Glasses. Classic glasses are universal vessels for various drinks, having a relatively large volume (usually about 250 – 300 mL). They have a cylindrical or close to it shape, although there are also quite unusual options; but the absence of a handle is a mandatory sign of a glass. Note that such dishes are designed mainly for soft drinks, but they can also be useful for wine / beer: although it is better to drink such drinks from glasses, in their absence, glasses will also do.

— Glasses. Containers for drinks, characterized by a small capacity — about 50 – 70 mL, less often up to 100 mL. Used mainly for strong alcohol: vodka, cognac, various tinctures. It should be noted that according to the “classics of the genre”, it is customary to call a glass a small vessel with a stem, but in this case, most often we are talking about piles — containers of a similar volume that do not have legs. The stacks are more stable and more practical when used outdoors.

— Mugs. In this case, we mean mugs for "tea and coffee" purposes — cylindrical vessels with handles having a capacity of about 300 – 400 mL. Such dishes are useful primarily for hot drinks, although, if necessary, they can also be used as an impromptu replacement for glasses or goblets (see above).

— Napkins. In this case, cloth reusable napkins are meant. The traditional use of such napkins is to fasten ("lay") on the chest or lay on the knees in order to protect clothes from contamination during meals (even the most careful eater is not immune from troubles like falling pieces of fatty food). They can also be used to wipe the face and hands after eating, but it is more convenient to use disposable paper napkins for this.

In turn, common tableware includes:

— Knife universal. General purpose kitchen knife. It is used not only during meals, but during cooking and serving: it is convenient to cut vegetables, bread, ham, etc. with this knife. Also in barbecue sets, it can play the role of a meat knife (see "For cooking").

— Swiss knife. Initially, a Swiss knife is called a folding knife (not necessarily made in Switzerland) of small size, equipped with various additional devices. At the same time, in picnic sets, this name may mean a device of a slightly different design, which is more of a universal opener, complemented by a folding knife blade. The "handle" of such a "knife" is usually made of metal, it provides a slot or a tooth for opening metal caps, as well as a corkscrew. And the blade when opening bottles can be useful for cutting foil or film from the neck.

— Cutting board. Cutting board for cutting various foods such as vegetables, bread, cheese, etc. The cutting boards supplied in picnic sets are usually relatively small, but even this is quite enough for its intended use. And barbecue kits can also include full-sized boards suitable for cutting a piece of meat into portions for frying.

— Thermos. A classic thermos is a container with good thermal insulation, which ensures long-term preservation of the temperature of the contents. Thermoses supplied in picnic sets usually have a traditional design and are intended for a variety of drinks. Such a container can be useful in order to carry a supply of hot coffee or tea with you in cool weather — or vice versa, to store a chilled drink in the heat.

— Set for spices. Table set for spices, usually consisting of two containers — for salt and pepper. Most often, these are classic salt and pepper shakers, with holes in the upper part, from which, when turned over, the contents spill out.

— Tablecloth. A tablecloth is a large piece of fabric that covers a dining table. Such a product protects the countertop from dirt, and also performs an aesthetic function: even a simple and not very beautiful tourist table with a suitable tablecloth can take on a rich and sophisticated look. Note that you should not confuse a tablecloth with a bedding / mat (see below): in this case, it means a product made of thin fabric intended for a table and not designed to be laid directly on the ground. At the same time, the tablecloth can be laid on a bedspread or other bedding, thus creating an impromptu table.

— Towel. A small towel that can be used, for example, for drying hands or fruit after washing, wiping countertops, or even as a makeshift napkin or lining for food. However, this item is considered far from obligatory for a feast in nature, which is why it is rare.

In addition to those described above, other food items may be included in the set, for example:

— Lighter. Usually we are talking about a lighter for smoking cigarettes or pipes, but such an accessory can also be useful for making a fire.
— A separate corkscrew for opening wine bottles.
— Food containers that allow you to conveniently pack some products.
— Toothpicks for cleaning teeth from the remnants of eaten food.
— A special cheese knife, usually with a serrated blade.
— Butter knife — quite wide, sometimes without sharpening at all.
— Metal flask for strong alcoholic drinks.

And some sets are even equipped with playing cards.

The material from which the mugs supplied in the set are made (see "For food"). The features of mugs that distinguish them from glasses (see above) are the presence of a handle and general purpose: such vessels are often used for hot tea or coffee.

— Plastic. Mugs made entirely of plastic. This material is remarkable, on the one hand, for its low weight and low cost, on the other hand, for its practicality. It is not as strong as metal, but it is still not easy to split such a mug, and many models crumple rather than crack. Plastic can be made transparent or translucent, which makes it easy to monitor the level of liquid in the mug; however, opaque vessels are often encountered. It is also worth noting such a feature as low thermal conductivity, due to which a plastic mug keeps heat longer and does not burn hands — even if it is poured with boiling water and held by the walls, and not by the handle. At the same time, it should be taken into account that different types of plastic are used in modern dishes, and not all of them are suitable for hot drinks. Of course, conscientious manufacturers use high-quality heat-resistant varieties in their products that normally tolerate even boiling water; however, for complete certainty, this point needs to be specified separately.

— Metal. Mugs made entirely of metal, usually stainless steel. The main advantage of this material over the plastic described above is its high streng...th: it is not easy to damage such dishes, even if you specifically set yourself such a goal. In addition, it is simply subjectively more pleasant for many people to drink from a metal rather than a plastic container. At the same time, the metal is much more expensive, while it has a high thermal conductivity. The latter in fact means that tea or coffee in such a mug will cool faster than in a plastic one, and the outer walls will quickly heat up, which can burn your hands, and in a particularly unfortunate case, even your tongue and lips. This drawback can be partially eliminated due to double walls — such dishes are, in fact, thermo mugs, however, they are managed accordingly. In addition, the metal handle itself is not particularly convenient. In light of all this, pure steel mugs are relatively rare.

— Metal + plastic. Usually, in this case, metal mugs with plastic handles are meant. The advantages and disadvantages of these materials are described separately above, and their combination makes it possible to combine these advantages and at least partially compensate for the disadvantages. So, a plastic handle can be made thicker and “graspier” than a metal one, and besides, it practically does not heat up, even if there is boiling water in the mug. And the metal vessel is durable, reliable and allows you not to worry about whether the mug is compatible with hot drinks. Due to this combination of properties, metal-plastic mugs are used quite often, almost on a par with plastic ones.

The material from which the cutting board supplied in the set is made (see "For food").

— Plastic. Quite inexpensive and at the same time practical material. Plastic boards are strong, durable, completely impervious to moisture and easily cleaned of food contamination. However if you cut “from the heart”, rather deep grooves with protruding edges may appear on the working surface, but in most cases even this does not prevent using this surface for its intended purpose. In addition to all this, the plastic board can be made quite thin, which has a positive effect on the convenience of packaging and transportation. As a result, most picnic sets use cutting boards made from this material.

— Wood. A classic cutting board material still used today. However, when used in picnics, wood is not as practical as plastic. Firstly, such a board must be quite thick and, accordingly, massive — otherwise it will quickly become unusable; this accordingly affects the mass and dimensions of the entire set. Secondly, wood is less cleanable than plastic, it tends to absorb dirt, including fat from butchered meat — as a result, it can be very difficult to clean such a board “in the field” with high quality. However the wooden surface also has advantages: in addition to a pleasant appearance, it does not blunt knives as much as plastic, and the cut products on such a board lie more reliably and slide less. However, these moments in most cas...es are not particularly noticeable, and wooden boards are more expensive. Because of this, they are found mostly in premium-level sets, made in a traditional style, which is best suited for a classic wooden board.

The presence of a pocket for a bottle in the design of the package, which is regularly used for the set.

This function is relevant primarily for backpacks (see "Form"), although it can also be found in bags. The classic “backpack” bottle pocket is an open pocket made of mesh or thin fabric, with an elastic neck, sewn, usually, on the side. Its height is relatively small, but the capacity is usually quite enough for at least a liter plastic bottle (or other container of a similar size); and due to the neck, even a rather large bottle is tightly held in the pocket. However, more advanced varieties of such pockets are often found. So, some backpacks are equipped with a kind of bag made of dense thick fabric, in which the bottle fits almost completely. Such a device will be especially useful for carrying wine: a dense fabric will protect the bottle from sunlight, heat, and collisions with hard objects. Another option for bottle pockets is external zippered compartments, in which the entire container is placed. Such compartments can be equipped with thermal insulation (see above), even if the rest of the bag does not have such a function.

The presence of a bedding or karemat in the kit. Bedding in this case is a dense blanket made of wool, fleece or other similar material, suitable for laying on the ground. Karemat, in turn, is a tourist rug made of foamed polymer.

Both of these products have a common purpose: they protect the person sitting on the ground from pollution and, to a certain extent, from the cold. However, they differ markedly in materials and application features. In general, bedding is considered more convenient for picnics, and it is they that are most often included in the package. This is due to the fact that, when unfolded, the bedding can be several square metres in size, which allows you to arrange rather large-scale “gatherings” in nature by organizing a “table” right on the bedspread. And for carrying and storage, such a blanket is folded into a compact bale. The karemat, in turn, when folded, is similar in size to the bedding, but when unfolded, it is much inferior to it: the size of such a rug is usually comparable to a sleeping place for one person, and in some cases it is even smaller. Therefore, mats have not received much popularity in picnic sets. However they provide a better degree of thermal insulation than bedding; however, sit-on-the-ground picnics are rarely held in cold weather. In extreme cases, no one interferes with the use of additional devices with a bedspread, such as tourist "seats" made of foam, purchased separately.

The working volume of the package in which the picnic/barbecue set is supplied.

This parameter is indicated for backpacks and bags (see "Form"). The working volume usually does not mean the total volume, but the capacity of the additional pocket (see above). It determines the amount of cargo — primarily products — that can be placed in a bag or backpack in addition to the main contents (kitchen and tableware).

When choosing according to this indicator, note that an additional pocket may have a different shape — accordingly, models with the same volume may differ significantly in actual capabilities. For example, in backpacks, an additional compartment can be made flat, “on the entire back”, and it can be difficult to fit even a small melon there, while in bags this is usually not a problem.