Using a sold fuel stove...

Alternate outdoor cooking tools...solid fuel cubes! 

Over the Christmas holidays I tried an experiment cooking some tramping food over solid fuel tablets. Solid fuel tablets are wax coated cubes of petrochemicals called Hexamine which will burn for 3-5 minutes when lit. They have a long history and have been a mainstay of military ration cooking since the late 1890's. 

My YouTube vlog about using solid fuel tablets

The kit I was using for this experiment was a Coghlan's Emergency Stove and some square Esbit fuel tablets. I used the Esbit tablets as I had an open packet which needed to be used but I did utilise the metal stove that comes with the Coghlans kit. Esbit is a German company and perhaps the best known solid fuel producer in the world. 

Coghlan's Emergency Stove

The Emergency Stove is very similar to the hexamine cookers I used when I was in the New Zealand Army back in the 1980-1990's. I bought this item from Hunting and Fishing here in Christchurch and it was less than $20 NZ Dollars for the stove and an accompanying bag of 24 fuel tablets. 

...$20 for a aluminium stove and fuel tablets...

The stove can be used from either side depending on the size of your cooking pot. With the spikes up it can accomodate a large cooking pot...spikes down is for smaller vessels. You just rest your cooking pot across the top and the fuel tabs heat it from below. 

You don't really need the stove...in the military we often just found two relatively flat stones/sticks and set the burning tablets in between them. Then you rest your pot on top...basic but it works! 

Coghlan's Emergency Stove and fuel tablets

I was using a US pattern Cups Canteen I used in the Army to cook in...this is one of the few items I still have from those days. It is probably 40+ years old now and the fact it still works is testament to the soundness of the original design. 

US pattern Cups Canteen...1 liter size

The Emergency Stove can fold down into a flat square with space inside to hold the fuel tablets which come with the kit. I would be inclined to carry this in the original box it comes in with a Ziploc plastic bag on the outside to keep it dry. The cubes will light when wet BUT it will be much more difficult. 

Coghlan's Stove folded up for travel

Im super hungry...so let's have a look at the stove in action!!!

Cooking using solid fuel:

When I was in the Army our main ration pack meals were tinned...either Corned Beef, Meat and Vegetable Stew or Spaghetti/Beans. We had cans of Spaghetti + Sausages and tins of Beans + Meatballs for breakfast. I thought I would cook one of these as I loved the smell of cooking food and hexamine cubes on a cold morning. It is one of my strongest memories from back in those days...

My meal...can of Spaghetti and Sausages

NZ Army Ration pack circa 1989

You have to clear away any leaf and forest clutter before lighting up your fuel cube. I cleared a patch of ground, securely grounded my stove and lit a fuel tablet. Light the tablets with match or lighter and I generally find leaning a burning match across the top corner works well. 

Fold out the stove and place on cleared ground

Cooker positioned and ready to go

Each cube will burn for approximately 5-7 minutes and this is generally sufficient to heat precooked foods. It takes about 5 minutes to boil a cups canteen of water. Obviously using more tablets will assist but these cubes are not the most efficient way to boil/cook. 

Cooked Spaghetti and still some fuel left

They are prone to blowing out in the wind and very heavy rain will also put them out. You need to try to find a protected spot or form some kind of barrier around the cooker for best results. If the cube burns out before you are finished just chuck another cube on the stove and continue. 

Time to tuck into them vittles....!!!

Using solid fuel has a number of pros and cons. 

While they are cheap, basically foolproof and relatively light they are also inefficient and give off highly noxious fumes. Not ideal inside a hut or tent. They will also put soot on the outside of your cooking pots which may be a problem. 

...Hexamine residue on my cups canteen...

One thing to consider is that there may eventually be a ban on Propane/Butane canisters which will make these a more environmentally friendly option. Solid fuel and Trangia style alcohol burners may once again become the main cooking method for outdoor enthusiasts. Just like they were back in the 1930-40's. 

...Gas canisters may one day be banned...

If you have never tried solid fuel before you should buy a stove and pack of tablets and give them a go. 

You Tube: Using a solid Fuel stove