Meths Stove and real cooking

[polarcherry]

What can be done easily?

Boiling water no probs on meths, but proper cooking - what's the best you've done and how easy was it?

Overnighters always meths but for proper cycle touring I still take a Soto gas burner and canister.

Bacon butties, pasta dishes with cooked veg and fried meat etc etc. I'd never dream of cooking that on meths as gas is so good at frying and simmering.

Also when proper cooking on meths say 2 meals a day cooking for 15-20mins does the amount of ml of meths start to add up that's it's more or less efficient and heavier than gas?

Cheers

[Trail-rat]

Some of stuarts remote meth stove might be better but my 8g is only suitable for boiling 400ml of water.

I fell out of love with gas after running out on a colder than expected trip to the islands on a sunday......gas not possible...cursin the fact i left my perfectly good whisperlite in the attic.

So i take that now for touring and any propper cooking.

[ianfitz]

I'm pretty sure the Stuart made a fully adjustable double ring merge stove.

I'm also pretty sure that it took him a VERY long time to make and its not a commercially viable product

Seriously though I'm not sure that a meths stove is the best choice if you want to cook proper food. They are brilliant at what they do well!

[Ray Young]

Stu still advertises his afterburner stove in his shop if that's any good.
http://www.bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk/s ... rner-stove

[TheBrownDog]

Last question first - how much meths? If you're cooking breakfast and dinner every day Id estimate you'd go through 500-750ml of meths in a week depending n your stove and how many cups of tea you had after each meal. On longer tours I take a 1lt Trangia bottle in a cage under the down tube. Full its over a kg in weight. Ive no idea how this might compare with a gas cylinder, but the thing with them on longer trips you will ALWAYS have to carry two, because they only run out when you're using them.

Seriously though I'm not sure that a meths stove is the best choice if you want to cook proper food. They are brilliant at what they do well!

Yep. But Ive cooked all manner of things on meths stove from fry ups to big stews and pasta dishes. Ive got a Trangia, has a simmer lid thingy, which is great for up to four people as it has two big pans so you can cook, say, a pasta sauce or curry in one, cover it and set it aside when its done, and then do the pasta or some rice or noodles. It can be done - but if you have ever tried to move the simmer thing on a white hot Trangia stove, you will know that there are easier ways to get a second degree burn on the palm of your hand ,,,

The other two big issues they dont tell you in the guidebooks are the washing up and the fact that you have to add more meths halfway through the process. I always expect the stove to reignite while Im filling it up. A Trangia stove holds a lot of meths - it will burn for 20 mins or more - but that's never been long enough for a big cook up.

Stu still advertises his afterburner stove in his shop if that's any good.

The Bearbones Afterburner stove is my all time fave meths stove - Stu sells it as a kit with windshield/stand that is the perfect fit for my 600ml Alpkit mug. Everything fits in there, including my drinking cup. It is quick at boiling water and it has a simmer ring, and tho Ive not used the simmer ring on it, it is there if and when you need it, which may well be tomorrow morning. Bacon butty for breakfast I reckon.

[Charliecres]

I regularly cook a fry up using meths. My set-up moves the pan further from the flame when using a frying pan . It's not efficient but it works. Otherwise, I'll use a cosy for stuff that needs a simmer.

[polarcherry]

Yes it was the afterburner I was thinking about.

Thinking mutli use so the afterburner would be held within a backpacking light titanium pocket stove (well actually the smallest config for the titanium honey stove) so I could do a bit of wood burning with the full size honey stove - not really for cooking but for warmth. http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/bushcraft/RD106.html

[polarcherry]

Any other views?

[Bearbonesnorm]

Surprising what you can conjure up on a meths stove.

[polarcherry]

That menu is pretty amazing!

What did the food look like

[Bearbonesnorm]

What did the food look like

I have to say, it looked very nice. They even had their own special bubbly to help wash it down.



Here they are enjoying their dessert.

[StuartG]

I have the afterburner which is great for solo trips. If I am touring then the trangia is taken, purely as the pots and pans come in a set. The trangia has enough capacity of meths to run for a seriously long time. I am happy using it to cook for 2 people. After that the pans are too small.

Personally I don't think the meths is the issue, it's the ability to carry the additional kit to cook.