Cook Stoves for the Best Camping Meals

October 3 rosalie Camping Gear

With the right Stove the Best Camping Meals are easy!

When planning our meals for a camping weekend some of the first things that come to mind are roasting hot dogs or grilling hamburgers over the open fire.  I agree that is hard to beat!  But, if you camp often or are out for more than a day, you may want to add some other options for the meals.  And with a good camp stove, it’s easy to do.  With the right equipment you will soon be preparing the best meals ever!

Following is an overview of the different types of camp stoves available and the features of each.  We also offer some recommendations of models for each type.  Visit the sites for these products to see more choices of camp stoves.

Camping stoves are categorized into three types: canister stoves, liquid fuel stoves and the bigger family camping stoves.  Which type is best will depend on what type of camping you do.  If you do a lot of hiking and backpacking where you will be carrying everything on your back, then you definitely want a smaller lightweight canister stove or liquid fuel stove.  If you are car camping where you will drive to your campsite and unload for the duration of your stay, then a bigger two or three burner camping stove will be a good choice.  These stoves are great for families or a group as meal preparation will be much easier with more than one burner.

Canister Stoves

Canister Stoves use propane, butane, or butane/propane mix.

• Small and lightweight, good choice for backpackers
• Easiest and cleanest to use, no pumping and priming
• Can purchase automatic ignition device which you can attach to the stove (turn fuel on, press button, you’ve got the flame) Some come with the ignition built in
• Butane’s performance in cold weather is not as good
• Burn clean on butane, propane or mixture of both
• Easiest and cleanest to use

 

Jetboil Flash Jetboil Flash Personal Cooking System Jetboil’s Flash Personal Cooking System includes a heat-transfer system to increase output and fuel efficiency as well as thermocromic stripes on the cup that change color when hot.  The translucent FluxRing cooking cup doubles as a measuring cup with easy-to-read lines and a translucent drink-through lid so you can see when your contents are boiling…. [More] Price: $99.95   Buy Now

The MSR Pocket Rocket is compact yet powerful MSR Pocket Rocket Stove This compact and powerful butane stove is the lightest MSR stove ever made. The durable and maintenance free Pocket Rocket is made with high quality stainless steel, aluminum and brass.  Simple in design, this stove requires no preheating, priming or pressurizing – just twist the control valve and light. It quickly delivers a steady, hot flame that users can adjust to simmer or boil. … [More]    Price: $39.95  Buy Now

 

 

Liquid Fuel Stoves

• Heavier and more bulky than canister stoves
• Small enough for backpackers
• Can operate on more than one type of fuel (alcohol, kerosene, unleaded gasoline, white gas), most work best when using “white gas” (also known as Coleman fuel)
• Alcohol: burns cooler so will take more fuel, also burns cleaner
• Kerosene: cheap, available in most parts of the world, burns dirtier so more attention is needed for cleaning and maintaining the stove, safer as it evaporates more slowly than other fuels–a spill will not ignite as quickly and easily
• Unleaded gasoline: the same stuff you put in your car, burns very dirty, evaporates quickly spills ignite easily. Use this only as your last choice.
• White gas: provides intense heat, performs well in most weather conditions, inexpensive, is the choice of many campers
• Require pumping to pressurize the fuel tank and priming when lighting
• Easy to use, work well in all conditions
• Good choice if you are going places where you do not know what fuel will be available  

The MSR Dragonfly — a quart of hot water in less than 4 minutes! MSR Dragonfly Stove A multi-fuel expedition stove with a fully adjustable flame, from a slow simmer to a rolling boil. Burns kerosene, white gas, aviation gas, naptha, auto gas, diesel #1 and Stoddard solvent. Self cleaning shaker jet. Boils 1 quart of water in under 3.5 minutes, with white gas, just under 4 minutes with kerosene…. [More]   Price: $139.95   Buy Now

The MSR Whisperlite is ultralite! MSR Whisperlite Shaker Stove The Whisperlite Shaker Stove has gotten great reviews from the casual recreational campers to the avid adventurers! It is ultralight and folds up small enough to fit into any size pot without compromising critical space in your backpack…. [More]    Price: $89.95   Buy Now

Family Camping Stoves

• Large and heavy, ideal when car-camping as you will be driving to one spot and unloading
• Offers a large cooking area with a high heat output
• Different models—propane, Coleman Fuel (white gas), Duel Fuel stoves (will burn either white gas or unleaded fuel)
• Two or three burners, grill and stove combinations
• Flame control, use burners to simmer on one and boil on the other

The Coleman stove – a family favorite for many years! Coleman Triton 2 Burner Propane Instastart… A Coleman stove has been standard gear for many campers for years.  The durable Tritan 2 Burner Stove by Coleman has powerful burners for great cooking performance and boils water very quickly allowing you to adjust the temp from a simmer to a boil. … [More]   Price: $79.99   Buy Now

The Century cookstove — another family favorite! Century 18,000 BTU Economy 2 Burner Stove   Lightweight, compact and easy to use, the Century 18,000 BTU Economy Two-Burner Stove i..  More]  Price: $44.99  Buy Now

 

 

The above camp stoves are available from Campmor.   They offer an excellent selection of stoves and accessories from which to choose. Visit Campmor’s website to see a full line of Camp Stoves.   Amazon also offers many choices for camp stoves.  See some of their selection here.

Features to Look For

Look for the following features on any model, no matter what type of stove you purchase. These guidelines will help you select the best stove for you.

• Being easy to set up is always a plus.
• The stoves should have a good solid base so they won’t tip over easily.
• Push button ignition are convenient, but is a mechanism that can break or wear out. Just be sure to have matches as a backup to get it started.
• Be sure to have a windscreen, as the stove may be impossible to keep lit any time you have the howling winds creating less than ideal conditions. The windscreen will also help hold the heat in. Reflectors, heat exchanges and pot lids can also be used to keep the temperature up, which will also save on fuel.
• A case or stuff sack for your stove ensures that all parts stay together. You will always be ready for the next campout.

Safety

The stove — we are talking heat and fire — use the same common sense that you use around any fire. Don’t ever leave the stove unattended. Keep all flammables at a distance. Keep small children at a distance. And, a few additional points to keep in mind include:

• Make sure the stove is standing on a level. If the surface is not level get a piece of scrap wood from your Campers Toolbox to help make the stove stand solid.
• Don’t use a pot that is too big and cause the stove to tip over.
• Don’t ever cook inside your tent or any enclosed shelter as this is very dangerous.

Efficiency

Stove efficiency is often measured by how long the stove can run at full throttle on one tank of fuel. While this can be misleading as many factors can affect efficiency, a general guideline is that the stove can run for 10 to 12 minutes on 1 oz of fuel.

Performance

The stove manufacturers measure performance on how long it takes to bring one quart of water to boil. This can range anywhere from 2 to 10 minutes. Look for one at a midrange of 3 to 6 minutes. This is also affected by altitude. Boiling will take longer at higher altitudes, so if you are going up the mountains then get a stove with a higher boiling point.

With a few pieces of the right basic equipment you will be serving the best meals ever while out on your camping vacation!

 

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