Picked up a case of “Blaze” jelled chafing dish fuel today at COSTCO. Case contains 48/8oz cans that burn about 2 hrs each. Cost was only $19.49 Seemed like a pretty handy item to have in the preps. Going to pick up one of those collapsable “Sterno” stoves to go along with the fuel from Walley World tommorow.
I got a case at Sam’s Club but haven’t tested it yet. I hope it burns hot enough to cook and not just keep foods warm. Does anyone know?
How does this work? Do you need a burner? Can it be used safely indoors?
Back on college I worked in food service, we used sterno cans to keep food warm in chaffing dishes. It burns hot, we would have to use the lids to moderate the flame. Once opened, the gel will dry out in a few days, so use them ASAP.
When I was growing up, we had a fondue pot that used sterno and it would heat the oil hot enough to deep fry.
I got the idea from when I was a kid. My buddies and I used to spend days on end hiking and camping during the summer months. We would cook Hotdogs and beans on our little sterno stove. It did a good job and nothing tasted better. I got several uses out of a can as long as the lid was on tight. Thought it might do a good job heating up MRE’s, heating water for hot drinks or reconstituting dehydrated or freeze dried foods.
I’ve used sterno while camping to cook rice and beans (dried, not canned). It boiled water just fine. I have an irrational fear of propane so sterno is what I bought as a means to cook.
I’ve also stocked some sterno, bought at Sam’s Club last year.
I got my sterno at Emergency Essentials www.beprepared.com I also got the burners and hand and body warmers.I got a one electric burner at Meijers for under 10 dollers,will work well with the generator.
our local dollar store has the sterno 2 for a dollar, and something called emergency stove from magic heat for 2.00. (it is just a metal piece that fits on the sterno, then the pan sits on it). I bought 2 anyway. i figured it would be good to have them.
I did a google search for “butane stove” and found many types. Is this a better way to go than the fondu setup with sterno?
I’ve bought sterno cans and stoves as my first heat, cooking prep. I picked up a propane camping stovethis past summer and have lots of propane now for that and my buddy heater and after reading about the butane stove I bought one of those for 20 bucks and some butane fuel too. I am going to try to safe the propane more for heating so the kids and I don’t freeze to death. I also have about 10 bags of charcoal and bought cast iron cookware.
DebP the price for the sterno is really good, I’ll have to check that out. That would be a good cheap thing to hand out to some people who didn’t prepare.
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Maryrose -
We love cooking with the butane stove. You can use it indoors and it’s just like using a gas stove burner. The canisters last about 3 hours or so.
Thanks Meserole. I’ve not been able to store propane as I have only an attatched garage and can’t put a storage barn on my property (rules of the association). Sooo, I’m trying to figure out a way to prepare for cooking that will enable me to store fuel safely. Are the butane cannisters safe for storage? Thanks!
Does anyone know if Sterno will store long term (years) and still be useable? Thought someone posted once that it could evaporate over time.
Look up coke can stove on the net, it shows how to make an alcohol stove out of a coke can. there is a lot of info on how to do this they run well on 90% ethyl alcohol
Look up coke can stove on the net, it shows how to make an alcohol stove out of a coke can. there is a lot of info on how to do this they run well on 90% ethyl alcohol
Sterno’s web site says shelf life is 2 years, but I would guess it would last longer if can was never opened.
I’ve bought a bunch of cans called Heat Cell or Ecofuel.It is very safe for indoor use.It will provide heat for 10 hrs or cook for 5 hours.It is suppose last for a shelf life of 10yrs or more.We now have 48 cans and have already tried one out cooking dry beans, coffe, and a few other things.Works good. I too have an unfounded fear of using butane,keresene,etc. And these were the safest thing I could find.One place I bought some was: http://www.ecofuelxb.com/consumer.html Don’t have any relation to the site,just a good product in my opinion. The can contains a jel like substance and the lid controls whether you want heat for warmth or for cooking. After hearing of many people setting their houses on fire during our recent power outage by using butane,keresene stoves,etc. I’m glad I got these.
kychas - The coke can stove sounds interesting. The more options we have for cooking fuel, the better. Thanks for sharing.
Anon 7588 - Thanks for the info. Could’ve checked that website myself…duh.
newname - I’ve been buying some of the Ecofuel too. Bought mine from Emergency Essentials. It’s a little more expensive, but sounds like a great product. Glad to hear it worked well.
magic heat mentioned above is a great product. It will burn for 6 hours as apposed to 2 with Sterno. It will boil water in about 15 min same as sterno but lasts much longer.
Hi! I just read this thread. I am interested in the Eco Fuel canisters people mentioned above — is it the same thing as Magic Heat? I am particularly curious as to whether it would put off enough heat to, say, fry a tortilla (homemade) or a pancake? Would it depend what type of pan you used on top — a thin one versus a thick cast iron pan? I assume if it gets hot enough to boil water you should be able to fry something on top of it.
Also the cheapest I can find Eco Fuel on line is about $3.60 a can — does anyone have a cheaper source? It looks like an excellent product if it will allow people (such as apartment dwellers) to have a fuel source that would be legal to store in large quantities.
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Hi ACM I have used a rather thin frying pan to fry eggs, cook pancakes etc. My biscuits didn’t turn out too good but they were edible.gg Used a stainless steel coffee percolator to make coffee and it was good. Cooked oatmeal, dried beans,etc using a saucepan which I found at the hdwe store. It is a dark enamalware type that I bought for using in the Solar cooker that I bought.I heated up cans of chef boyrdee and it worked fine.The dried did take over an hour to cook but they would nomatter how you cooked them. I paid $3.00 a can from Emergency Essentials and got free shipping. Don’t know if the free shipping was due to the fact that I bgt other iems at same time. I got the small stove to use the cans with from Ebay for $16.00 which included 2 cans of EcoFuel. I’ve never tried a heavy cast iron pan since I thought it would take too much time to heat up. Hope this helps.
Should have said ‘the dried Beans’ took over an hour.
Thanks Newname, yes those specifics do help a lot!
Thanks Newname, yes those specifics do help a lot!
Using one can of ecofuel, opened after 14 months storage, on a folding stove purchased with the fuel:
2 eggs over hard (ie: yoke and white cooked solid)fried in 1 tblspoon margarine—
In a 6 inch thin aluminum pan 30 seconds to melt the margarine, total cooking time 9 minutes.
In a 5 1/2 inch cast heavy cast iron skillet 5 minutes to melt the margarine, total cooking time 12 minutes.
24 oz cold tap water in a enameled tea kettle, 25 minutes to a sturdy rolling boil.
I picked up 7 cases of ecofuel last year along with a couple of single stoves, and the folding 4-burner “attache” stove. Any questions, feel free to ask.
Thanks, sn. Do you have an estimate regarding how long and for how many people 7 cases of ecofuel will last?
maryrose 03:14
The estimate I used when I bought them was one can per person, per day. One case contains 24 cans. My cooking will be simple, so I expect 7 cases to safely last 5 months; perhaps as much as 7 with careful husbandry.
The usual documentation for the Ecofuel advertises average burn-life of 8 to 10 hours when set to low flame. I reject using Ecofuel as too expensive and space inefficient to waste on the result of a low flame– a 120-Hour NuWick candle will do the same low-heat job more cheaply with less storage space.
Advertised average at high flame is 4 to 5 hours. I assumed 4 hours as most probable. As a usable figure, “4 hours” only acquires meaning within context of what can be done during that time. 25 minutes to bring three cups of water to a rolling boil reveals a lot.
I live in a 450 square foot urban efficiency apartment with no off-site storage capability, so I have no other safe, viable choices. Ecofuel is the hottest I can get for cooking, so I will reserve it for only when I need hot (so-called). I’m relying on quick-cooking or warm-it-up foods in my preps. Canned soups, veggies, and fruits; dried pasta, and of course the ubiquitous #10 cans of dehydrated powders and potions. The Ecofuel will do well for these.
For slower cooking simmering foods like beans or rice, or to preheat a pan, I’ll be using the Ecofuel in conjunction with a candle stove. I forget the timings offhand, but about a year ago I made some Rice-a-Roni with them. Preheat the pan and melt butter on a NuWick candle. Brown the vermicelli over Ecofuel, while bringing water to boil over a second Ecofuel can. Pour the boiling water into the browned Rice-a-Roni. Cover, and simmer over a NuWick candle. Except for the time it takes to boil paltry amounts of water, the rest of the process took only a bit longer and gave the same results as what I’d get on my kitchen stove
Thanks much, sn. You’ve given me a lot of direction.
sn — thanks so much! I am in the process of doing similar research on how people in apartments can safely store cooking fuel.
You are so right — 4 hours of cooking time doesn’t mean much by itself — but 25 minutes to boil 3 cups of water is important additional information needed to put the first statement into correct context!
One way I plan to make the most of my fuel — if I need to use it — is by using a pressure cooker to cut back on cooking time. Do you know if a pressure cooker could be used over the Eco Fuel canister? My guess is not — I believe you would need a hotter flame to get the pressure cooker up to pressure. I plan to investigate, but since you have done so much research already thought I would ask you.
ANother thing I am experimenting with is called a Kelly Kettle. It is a way to boil 2 quarts of water in about 5 minutes over minimal fuel — some tinder, some cottonballs soaked in Vaseline, maybe even a candle or can of Sterno. I’m thinking because of the small fire involved (or potential use of candles) that this could also be done in a small apartment, maybe on a balcony, as a way of stretching fuel even longer (boil water first, then add to pot of beans, etc.)
A third idea I am contemplating is the use of a thermos cooker (or just a thermos) to cut down on fuel needed to cook grains. Have you looked into any of those techniques?
When I first started thinking and planning all this about a year ago, some people were looking into the idea of thermos cooking and to be honest, I thought they were a but nutty. That was before I learned how much fuel it takes to cook even a few days of meals — and how little I want to store in my house. I used to live in a 400 sq, foot apartment with my husband and baby, on the 8th floor, with no balcony — and I can only imagine how hard it would be to store food and fuel there.
I bought EcoFuel from beprepared.com - expecting it any day now. I wanted a way to cook indoors if the weather’s bad or if setting foot outside is just too dangerous for a while. SN-I appreciate your input on cooking times!
Average Concerned Mom 13:22
Because of space limitations, I’ve always tried to keep elective household accessories to a minimum. As an ex-400 sq foot dweller, you’ll understand the sentiment. I doubt I’d be able to identify a pressure cooker in a police lineup, but I do recall meeting a thermos once :)
Re: “…how hard it would be to store food and fuel there.”
Nah. I suspect you are more creative than you give yourself credit for.
Leonardo Da Vinci once wrote: “Small rooms and dwellings discipline the mind, large ones weaken it.” Five minutes reading Fluwikie posts are enough to counter Leonardo’s slam against those living in suburban homes and palaces. But as someone who has lived in small dwellings most of his adult life, the quote has a warm and fuzzy appeal to me. And I do see something of his point:
I have food, cooking fuel, water storage capability, household and personal expendable supplies, and the usual prepper’s arsenal of pandemic-specific accoutrements to last me 4–5 months. I also have two 3 month supplies each of the same for my girlfriend and a close friend, and another supply of basic (very basic, but sufficient) food for each of the few neighbors in this building for maybe 3–4 weeks. None of that includes the #10 cans of powdered gunk.
A visitor sitting in my apartment would see no particular indications that I’m a prepper. I mention this for the benefit of those who might mistakenly believe one need live in a palace, or even a suburban home to prep. Anyone remember that story from last year, about the politician from, New Jersey I think, who complained TPTB were unreasonable to advocate stockpiling 2 weeks of food? He said he couldn’t fit that on his acre of land, or somesuch. We must take care to learn nothing from such men.
Pardon my off-topic pontification. A case of 24 cans of Ecofuel measures 5 x 10 x 14 inches. Seven of them fit easily beneath a queen-size futon folded up into a sofa with plenty of room to spare. As they are non-explosive, I’ve not had my dreams disturbed while sleeping above them each night for the past year.
sn, good reporting! I keep several types of fuel from the canned heat for chafing dishes and thermoses, to MRE heaters that I bought separately from nitro-pak.com, to propane & butane.
The more choices the better!
Hope you’ve read the threads on apartment preppers - lots of good info there.
I’ve read a little about cooking with a thermos. I suppose you can cook oatmeal, cream of wheat, rice and such but my biggest concern is how easy is it to clean out after you cook. And how much water would be necessary to do the cleaning. We have several stainless steel lined thermoses and intend to cook coffee in the morning over the Heat cell stove and keep the rest in the thermos for dinner. Maybe keep any excess hot water warm for tea,washing, etc.Also, intend to keep hot food hot if we are using the solar cooker. Has anybody had a trials on using the thermos for cooking and how did you wash it out?
sn — Well, when it was just my husband and me in the 400 sq ft apartment, we had plenty of room, but I tell ya, add a baby to the mix, and things do get a little tight! (-:
But, seriously, of course you can fit supplies in and around, in nooks and crannies, and we certainly did. I sure do appreciate my basement now, though.
As to weird appliances no one has room for; I’m not trying to convert anyone to the joys of pressure cooking; and you certainly sound like you have got it all covered with the Eco Fuel. However, I was just comparing two bean recipes. The one cooked in a pressure cooker took about one quarter of the time as the one cooked in a regular pot. A pressure cooker is not very expensive — you can get one for about $27 — and it is just a pot with a lid that closes very securely, so pressure can build up in it. You can use it to cook all sorts of foods in much less time than a regular pot. (Without the lid, it can be used just as a regular pot. So it’s not like some crazy ice-cream maker or something, it is a very utilitarian device that also allows you to save on fuel.) Here’s one: http://tinyurl.com/ya36gx
As I read through my owners manual today I realized that as long as you can boil water in the pressure cooker you can build up the pressure, so it should be possible to use it over any source of heat that allows water to boil. I am curious to try it, maybe it is a quirk of mine that I want to see how to cook food with as litle energy as possible? I guess you could say it would make more sense to just store cans and cans of already cooked beans and not have to store all this fuel; but we have gas heat and stoves here, and the gas NEVER is interrupted; so there is no reason I should ever expect to lose gas except in the direst of emergencies. So I’d rather store the cheaper and more compact dried foods — along with a few choice appliances — and the smallest amount of fuel I possibly can.
Newname:
I guess you would have to clean out any pot you cooked your grains in, wouldn’t you? But, yes, for thermos cooking, I think it is best to use a wide-mouthed thermos for that very reason. You’ll want to be able to get in there with a spatula and scrape everything out. There are actual pots out there called “thermal cookers” but they seem quite pricy to me — over $100. Their advantage seems to be you can actually cook in them over a flame; and then leave them alone to cook, excatly like a crock pot. The advantage of that to me would be, frankly, its social acceptability to my husband, among others. It’s “crazy preparedness lady” to cook food ina thermos; but if it is a special $150 gadget specially designed for thermal cooking, that folks buy to use on their boats, then it is “environmentally friendly!” (-:
Average Mom - I think your idea of the pressure cooker is excellent! I will run over to the Target and pick one up very soon. To heck with canned beans! I could not stomach it day in and day out, and so, like you, have opted for storing the cheaper and more compact dried foods (rice, beans, etc.) and plan to find some way to cook this food, whether it be on a campstove or directly on the live embers of my fireplace hearth.
Cooking with as little fuel as possible is a great idea. Eco Fuel sounds great, but I cannot see it as a long-term solution. I remember when I was a small child, back in my country, my grandfather cooked on a primitive outdoor hearth using wood and coal, and he made the best foods ever! So, I know it is possible, without fancy high-tech gadgets, to get skewered BBQ meats, roasted vegetables, stews, soups, curries, chilis, etc.
The only problem is the wonderful cooking smells that this type of cooking generates. I am afraid somebody’ll kill me just to get to my hot cooked foods!
I use a pressure cooker occaisionally and seems I remember in the instructions that it must NOT be used with a gas stove, which would mean not over a flame. I will try to find the directions and see. I got it for a good price a Wal-Mart.
KellyP from CA — yes, the advantage of something like EcoFuel is that it can be safely stored and used inside — that’s especially of concern to apartment dwellers. I had never heard of it before and was very excited to learn that it existed. I think it is safer than even stuff like Sterno to store.
ACM, great little pressure cooker! I was planning on getting one — I have a large cooker/canner but not a small thing. THis looks perfect — it’s on my list for today!
I think the thermos cooking is good for ANYthing that has to ‘soak’ for awhile, soups, pastas, rice, etc. Easy to clean with a Clorox wipe (I always pour a little alcohol over my wipes in the canister anyway) and that eliminates the need for a lot of water to rinse with.
I plan on using either my butane stove or the gas grill for ‘instant’ hot heat for things that have to cook for longer periods of time because I can boil water faster with butane than with the fuel canisters. Once it’s boiling, then the thermos would allow me to remove the food from heat entirely & cook within the thermos.
CashB, I don’t recall reading that about not cooking over gas, but it could be true, could you please let us know? I know there is question about cooking on a smooth-top cooktop because the heat buildup could damage the eye underneath the glass.
Isn’t it funny how us ‘crazy’ preparedness people who know why and how to use a thermos get sneared at from family who would love a nice hot thermos meal on a cold day with the power out, but ‘camping’ equipment is OK? It’s just snobbery, that’s what it is. Those rascals. We get no credit for being some of the most innovative and energy efficient people on earth! :-)
CashB — 28 December 2006, 22:38 --- seems I remember in the instructions that it must NOT be used with a gas stove
Most modern pressure cookers can be used over gas or electric stoves. But with gas, you just have to keep a closer eye on the cooker to make sure it doesn’t over-heat. Santa’s elves just brought me one, and the instructions mention it can be used on either.
thanks BB good to know!
We’ve used a pressure cooker for years and years. They are so much faster. But, the one we have is too large to use on the Ecofuel stove.And it’s too large for the amount of food that we will be cooking at one time just for the 2 of us. So, I have been looking for a small one and finally found one that is only 3 quart. So, check this one out and let me know what you all think. They claim is cooks faster than a larger one too.
http://www.pans.com/products/gsi-outdoors-hard-anodized-pressure-cooker-3-17-quarts-28199.html#
Newname, nice little pot!! I went ahead and bought the 5qt from Target this AM online - not available in stores for $27 I think it was. I didn’t know about the 3qt. You’re right though, my large canner/cooker is too big for what I’d want to pressure cook —would take too much water to wash up, etc. Smaller is better!
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