Sterno for fuel?

imported
#1

Haven’t ever seen anything on here about this…Has anyone ever used sterno as a cooking fuel? We used some on our last family camping trip, and I was impressed with the ease of lighting, and the heat output. They only weigh 8 oz. too.

Jonna

#2

Good question! Since you have used it on your camping trip, can you tell me if the Sterno was hot enough to boil water, and about how long it would take to boil a pint or two?

Turtle

#3

It is definitely able to boil water. The heat output is much greater than the esbit tabs I was using. I found the Esbits to be very hard to ignite, and one tab did not boil water. I used my sterno with a fold-up stove from Walmart, and it worked great. I haven’t used up a whole 8 oz. Sterno yet, so can’t tell you how long it would burn, but I used it twice and there’s plenty of fuel left inside. I’ll try to do some home testing in the next couple days, and let you know how long it lasts and how fast it boils.

Jonna

#4

Thanks Jonna and others for the information. No need Jonna, to do home testing for me. I am going to Walmart to get a can and will check it out.

Turtle

#5

Actually, I’m curious to know myself how long an 8 oz. can will burn…guess if I want to use it as a fuel source, I should have some idea.

Jonna

#6

Jonna, I’ve been using the Esbit system for over five years–probably cooked nearly 125 meals in that time.

My first Esbit experiences mirrored yours–hard to ignite, long boil times.

Then I switched to the REI windproof/waterproof matches and my lighting problems disappeared. Just light the match and drop it on top of the Esbit tab. Assuming you drop it near the middle, it WILL ignite!

Then I bought a cheap windscreen, cut it in half, and my boil times improved dramatically.

Most of the meals I cook require boiling 2 cups of water. With a windscreen and a pot with a lid, one tab will cook a complete meal (Lipton’s, Ramen, dehydrated veggies, etc.). In fact sometimes I have to hold the pot up and away from the flame a bit because it burns TOO hot.

Esbit tabs are not something you can typically buy at Wal-Mart or mom-pop convenience stores near the trails; they are best used by those who are out for only a week or so, or who resupply via maildrop. A dozen tabs PLUS the stove weigh only about nine oz. and fit very compactly inside your cookpot.

There are other fuel tabs on the market, like Hexamine tabs marketed by Coughlin’s and another brand popular with hunters. These are cheaper but DO NOT burn as hot (you’ll need three to do the job of one Esbit), are larger/heavier, and are allegedly more toxic than Esbits.

“Skyline”

#7

Here is the reply I received from Colgate-Palmolive about SternoDear Sterno User,

It’s great to hear you enjoy the product. Regarding the 2.6oz. can, there has not been a change to the formulation so you may have a misprinted carton or label. I believe a batch may have gone out to retailer. We do offer a 7oz. can that burns 2 hours.
Gawd, I must have been bored when I e-mailed them!

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