Sapient Conglomeration: National Preparedness Month part 5

Guest post writer Amaury M, did this great bit on The SurvivalistBlog.net. This story is about the Blue Hill UL Stove. There are many similar products on the market to choose from, so check some out. The important fact is, you need to own a couple of these items to be truly prepared. And this is another example of how inexpensive it is to get some of the basics.

Here's from Amaury M -

The Blue Hill UL Stove is a stainless steel stove top ring that is designed primarily to be attached to the top of a Sterno can and when combined, turns the pairing into a readily available, lightweight and inexpensive cooking kit. It’s very well designed, versatile, and works well in field or home conditions. The design is similar in concept to the Swiss M1 gel fuel stove found in military surplus circles of late.

The ring fits inside the lip created on the top of seven ounce can of Sterno. It has three detents that easily supports a canteen cup, mess kit, or other medium-sized cooking ware be it improvised or commercial. The ring’s design helps keep the cooking surface closer to the heat source and allows for good air flow to feed the flame. When not in use, the ring slides over the Sterno can for ease of storage and takes up no extra space. Now that this is available, it merits taking a second look at using Sterno fuel for recreational outdoor activities, as a backup to a primary stove, or in preparedness for emergency situations. I can make it heat up whatever I need between nine and fifteen minutes (sea level). A true boil takes a lot longer, but is not impossible. Using Sterno is not meant to be the only option, it’s just meant to be functional one for certain situations.

For those that are not fond of using Sterno, this stove top ring can be used with any appropriately sized can that has a lip area at the opening. For example, a large cat food or Frito-lay cheese dip can work really well. By placing denatured alcohol in it, you can create an improvised alcohol stove. The stove ring fits over these cans the same way as with the Sterno can for ease of storage and transport. Add some paper hole punch sized openings around the top of the can and it makes the alcohol work even better.

I understand that there are many other alternatives to Sterno (whether DIY or commercial) that work better and give off far more heat. Still, I find Sterno hard to beat in terms of price, availability, or ease of use. For example, I recently bought four cans of Sterno for fifty cents a piece of a clearance shelf at my local grocery store. On clearance or not, since each seven ounce can burns for about two hours, it isn’t a bad deal to have around in a pinch.

Using Sterno has many positive points. Though it does take longer and the heat output is lower, it still gets the job done. Sterno doesn’t smell bad, can be used indoors, and its gel form makes it harder to spill. To improve boil times all you have to do is add a pinch of salt to your water and fashion some type of lid for your pot. It’s also sold just about anywhere. To make it happen, you just pop the lid, light it, and start cooking. Many other stoves can be finicky or harder to light. Right now, I use mine to help make a cup of Joe or hot chocolate when I go fishing or am otherwise out and about outdoors.
As a first responder, my experiences in Florida with four back to back hurricanes during a five-week period in 2004, taught me the hard way that being prepared is better than being miserable. The Blue Hill UL Stove may not be fancy, but it’s like any other piece of equipment; the one you have with you works better than the one you left at home. You can take a look at it yourself by looking up Blue Hill UL Stove on You Tube. The man behind product is Shawn and goes by houseoffire72.

Great info shared here by Amaury M. . Do your own research, check out some other items that are similar and get a simple cooking stove in your emergency kit.

Suggestions to research -

Rothco Single Burner Folding Stove