Sterno

[Joben]

I picked up a couple cans a while ago, but haven't had opportunity to try it out.
They fit nicely in my maxpedition bottle holder though...

Could one boil water with a can of sterno?

...and if so, has anyone around her made a wire stand or something to hold a steel water bottle over one?

 

[bltjr1951]

Nope, Sterno just won't boil water. Used it to get water hot for drinks.

Old Sterno ads show their stove cooking eggs/bacon with coffeepot too.

 

[crackerjax]

sterno blows...unless your haveing a party and need to keep food warm

 

[jackknife]

I used a Sterno stove and some cans of the stuff when I did my cross country motorcycle trip in 2000. Since I had no way to lock up the stuff in the saddle bags and T-bag on the sportster, I left my backpacking stove home and used the sterno stove as I wouldn't miss it if someone went through my stuff while I was in someplace. At night while camped out, it would get a pot of Dinty Moore beef stew or chilli bubling in about 10 minutes. Hot water for tea in the morning took about the same. This was on a trip from Maryland, to the Oregon coast at Tillimook, on a '95 H-D sporty. Had to travel light with only what would fit in Willy and Max saddlebags and a H-D T-bag on the low sissy bar. The sterno stove folded very flat, and took up very little room, and was cheap if it got stolen. But it worked pretty decent.

 

[plumberroy]

I have this set, it uses the small cans of fuel. The pot is 5"x2", it does have fold out wire handles if you can't see them in the pic. It has a short tube that sets on the can and reaches to about an 1/8" from the pot bottom. this thing will bring the pot to a rolling boil in 5-6 minutes. I bought it for the old outdoorsie value to set with the several other old sterno stoves I had setting on a shelf in my den. I was pleasantly suprised by its preformance..
Roy

 

[texasred66]

Yes it will boil water I have used it for many years. A wind screen is handy-I use heavy tin foil. If you are not familiar with Sterno it burns clear-you can't see the fire-be careful.

 

[udtjim]

It is quite a bit better than nothing, don't expect to cook a home type meal with it however.

 

[MustardMan]

Nope, Sterno just won't boil water. Used it to get water hot for drinks.

That is flat out incorrect. You can most certainly boil water with a sterno.

Sterno fuel is simply alcohol in a gel. It's a heavier / less efficient but easier to contain version of an alcohol stove.



Personally, I'd just use a proper alcohol stove with a fuel bottle. You have to be a bit more careful with them, to ensure you don't spill the fuel and burn yourself, but you don't have all the mess and waste of the little sterno cans.

 

[dawsonbob]

Used Sterno off and on for years, and yes, it will boil water. As a bonus, the old flat sided folding Sterno stove will burn wood if you run out of the canned stuff.

 

[abo4ster]

If you are new to using stoves outdoors, minimizing the wind is key to efficiency. Cook/boil times are greatly increased with a proper wind screen.

Here is my supercat alcohol stove I made from a diced chili can. I use denatured alcohol for the fuel. Wind screen is cut from an oven drip pan I bought at the dollar store.

I like denatured alcohol as it is clean burning, you can get it at any hardware store, wal-mart, etc. and it is easily put out with water if you have to extinguish quickly (hence its use in marine stoves).

http://jwbasecamp.com/Articles/SuperCat/index.html