A Simple Cooking Outfit MLCB Post #258, February 14, 2018

My basic cooking kit is not light, compared to what it could be. It is not modern, as many have come to see it. It is not attractive or superb. But my basic cooking kit is very functional and versatile. It consists of a Sterno Stove, a spacer, and a Trangia burner. The aluminum bottle has been replaced by stainless steel, so the bottle may be used for heating as well. It was inexpensive, and it ticks all the boxes for my brand of cycle touring.
I got the Sterno Stove from a Goodwill or some such thrift store, and I think it cost me a dollar. This one is vintage, and has a center ring instead of prongs coming toward the center, as the new ones have. It is nicer than some of those that were made in the seventies, which were just a grid with sides and a bottom, with an open front. Those are good for burning wood, But this one can fit a Trangia better, and the more enclosed construction works better for cooking with a burner. I’ve never considered using sterno in this stove, as I find sterno is only good for warming, or maintaining heat. This model is from the 50’s or early sixties, I’m presuming. It burns wood as well, quite efficiently.
I have the spacer with the Trangia for a simple reason. The Sterno Stove places the bottom of the pan too far from the flame. I find that the flame and the pot bottom on any stove should be about one inch apart for the best heating with the most efficiency. It saves on fuel and time to have the Trangia burner in the “sweet spot” like this. Some of the other homemade stoves I have also work well in this arrangement, especially fancy feast stoves.
Trangia stoves are great. They can hold and transport fuel, they have fabric in them so they can better and more efficiently carry fumes from the alcohol to the flame ports in the top of the stove. Some of the other “knock off” stoves lack this. They have pretty good durability, no moving parts, and require a minimum of maintenance. They are always ready to go, with little left to buy. I use Heet in them often. Denatured alcohol comes in large containers, and I use this when I can. But supplies run out on the road, and Heet is pretty ubiquitous, it comes in a small plastic container, and it is quite an efficient fuel in these burners. The fuel can be made to work in most weather, and in all weather using my setup. The Trangia should be insulated from the ground, and the Sterno Stove and spacer do this nicely.