Volcano II Cook Stove

Brian Andrews

Brian Andrews

Joined
Dec 11, 2006
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I am basically re-posting this from my website/blog. But, I wanted to bring it over here in case there is anyone here who has an actual experience with this thing.

I just ordered one of these (photo from the Volcano Cook Stove Website):

volcii_set1.jpg


How I got around to finding it is a long and complicated story :D But, is interesting.

If you have never used a good carbon steel wok for outdoor cooking, you are missing out. If you think about it, the wok was made for cooking on intense heat. There is almost no simpler way to cook outdoors then starting a fire, letting it reduce to coals, and then plunking a wok down on the coals. Intense heat, for a short time, just what the wok was designed to do. This is assuming you have room and space to bring a wok along, but that depends on the situation. A wok can also be used for a lot more than stir frying too.

All this got me thinking more about home use. If you know the history of the wok, the design in a lot of ways is all about efficiency. Fuel was scarce and expensive. By having a small, hot, localized fire, the wok can cook a meal in minutes. However, and open fire wastes about 80-90% of its heat. This is also the reason for the old Chinese Hearth Stoves.

So, I have been searching around, looking for ideas on how to build my own old fashioned hearth stove. Perhaps out of brick and mortar, clay, or even cement. I had not got that far. I was getting very frustrated, not finding anything, when I came across some cool ideas regarding a Jiko stove.

Now, that gave me some good ideas, but the specific design looked a bit too complicated for me to build. Continued searching and I came across these plans for a clay jiko stove. Now we are talking. I think I can do this. Just modify the design a bit to hold a wok, and I am good to go.

Then, in the midst of all that, I came across the Volcano II stove (there is also an original Volcano out there). While not EXACTLY what I was going for, it looked so cool, I had to get it.

Having the Tentipi, and being able to have an open fire inside, made me want the Volcano even more. I can use it outdoors or in the tipi (if weather is real crappy) to cook like a grill, cook with a pan, cook with a dutch oven, and cook with my wok. In addition, it looks like it is great housing for a small wood fire inside the tipi! About the right size, low to the ground, pretty much perfect for that use. How cool is that. Now only that, when I plan on grilling while car camping, I typically bring along a baby weber grill. Even though it is small, it does not pack well at all. This one looks like it will be much better for packing up and hauling around.

From the looks and the design, it still looks like I can accomplish my original goal of outdoor cooking at home with a wok, efficiently using small amounts of fuel. While it may not be as efficient as a traditional hearth stove, or Jiko, it will certainly hold me over until the point I decide to build one.

If anyone has any experience with the Volcano I or II, please let me know. Here is a YouTube video I came across for them.
 
You can actually get them a lot of places. Target.com has them, of all places. Prices swing wildly though. I saw them for $75 from a store on Amazon.com. Target sells them for like $129.

I was afraid of imitations and all that, so I just ordered direct from the manufacturer. The first link in my post, $89.

While it may seem like a lot of money, if it were used in an emergency type situation, I can see how the limited fuel use could make it worth its weight in gold. Using a small amount of charcoal and a wok would probably be the most efficient.
 
Brian,
I can't wait to see your review after you have had a chance to try it out.
Ira
 
Many years ago, I read an article written by a lady backpacker who carried a wok to cook with. She mentioned how she whipped the wok out, cut up a few veggies and whatever else, cooked them up, ate, and cleaned up, all the while her companions were still setting up to cook.

It sounded like an interesting idea, although I never got around to trying it.

I am interested in your review, once you have a chance to test it out.

I have camped in a wiki and really loved the idea of a fire inside during cold weather, so this could work really well.

Doc
 
cool little story...i hadn't thought of wok cooking being that efficient before...it just never really crossed my mind.

i do like the way the wok can be used to cook liquids as well as solids, like a cross between a pan and a pot. i mostly do solo, so i wouln't need a full size wok, just something big enough to do a single serving...i wonder if a mini wok exists...

cool looking little stove, it does look very efficient.

one thing i don't understand though is do you load the fuel into the little area underneath the grate, or do you load the fuel ontop of the grate and let the coke fall down into the area? with the clay version, there is just one column, and the fuel is loaded through the door...
 
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Next time you are near a big city go to the local Chinatown. You will find woks and stir fry pans of every size and they are cheap! A wok, unlike a knife, is not questionable if it comes from China. or you can get this one from Amazon.com for under $20
Ira
 
The nice thing about a Wok is that you dont wash it.. When you are done and its still hot pour some cold water in it. Then dump it and you are done... The more you cook in it the better the food comes out.. The oil seasons the metal and nothing sticks to it after you use it once or twice... When at war you can also use it for a helmet or just wear it as a hat lol .... Like everyone says you got to have more then one use for everything

sasha
 
siguy said:
i found this one...its rather alot cheaper, but i don't like that it doesn't have a proper handle...http://www.wokshop.com/HTML/products/woks/woks_mini.html
Click to expand...

I personally like the two ears models. Handle styles used to vary mostly by region. Now it is probably mostly a preference thing.

The main reason I like the two ears is for durability. Initially, it is easy to throw in the oven up-side down for seasoning. Also, when cooking outdoors, there is not need to worry about burning up a wood handle.

I generally would pao a wok over wood coals. You can still pao one with only two ears, it is just different, so I guess it depends on what you are used to.

The Wok Shop you mentioned is an excellent place. I can not recommend them highly enough. Tane Chan is they owner and they are out of Chinatown in San Fransisco. They have some of the best customer service I have ever come across.
 
I guess I have started two topics here. One on outdoor cooking with a wok, and one on the Volcano stove :D

You are not going to need the volcano if you want to cook with a wok outdoors. I just happened to come across it in my search for a more efficient way to use one. While I think (and I hope) it will work great, I can tell I will use the volcano for other things as well. I like to dutch oven cook (which it would probably be safer, but not necessary to use this), it is always nice to have a grill around, and mainly a fire container for my tentipi.

As far as wok's, you had better bet if you get one that it comes from China :D That is probably the only time I will ever say that :D If you want to buy one, I would do some reading up on them first to help figure out what you want. Not only material, but size and handle design as well. IMO, carbon steel is the ONLY way to go. But, don't take my word, do some research and you will come to that conclusion on your own.

The reason I mention all that is because seasoning a carbon steel wok is much like seasoning a cast iron pan. Sure you can do the initial seasoning, but the more you cook with it, the better it gets and is more of an investment in time than money.

If you are new to woks and wok cooking, I would highly recommend the book The Breath of a Wok as a good starting point for both learning about the wok and recipes.
 
thanks for the post! :thumbup: that volcano stove looks perfect for car camping/disaster backup - or a tipi! hope you report back on how well it does in your tentipi.

and thanks for the wok info - makes sense that a country still cooking over open fires (and with limited fuel resources to go around) until very recently would have one of the best cooking utensil designs for a campfire.
 
I have and use both sizes of the Volcano stoves. I bought them primarily for use with cast iron Dutch Ovens but they also work well as a simple charcoal grill. They are designed so that once the top grill is removed, a Dutch Oven will drop down inside, supported by it's top rim. The heat is more concentrated, so less bottom coals are used, and because of the greater efficiency of the Volcano, burn time is about 1.5 hours (depending on the quality of your charcoal).

If I recall correctly the Volcano Junior model will accommodate 8" and some 10" Dutch Ovens, while the Volcano Senior model will handle the larger 10" and 12" sizes. While I have not used mine with a Wok, I see no reason what the right sized Wok would not very well with the Volcano. On occasion, I have left the top grill in place and used a cast iron skillet with the Volcanos'.

The aluminum "Big Dutch" Dutch Oven is made for the Volcano Senior and can cook anything from roasting chickens to small turkeys to beans for a crowd at speeds that will surprise you.

If you do a lot of backyard cooking, camp cooking for crowds or just want an alternative fuel capable survival stove they are worth having.
 
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