Long term cooking stove options
Posted by Royal_Assignment9054@reddit | preppers | View on Reddit | 38 comments
I have an assortment of propane and butane camping stoves, and enough fuel for 3 or more weeks. Beyond that point, and if unable to restock on fuel, what do you suggest would be good options for cooking? We have wood in the property, so I’m thinking some sort of wood-fueled camping stove. What are your thoughts and recommendations? Thank you!
CollectiveJohn@reddit
Wood gasification
No-Surround-1159@reddit
We live in the so-Cal high desert. YMMV. From June through October I use simple solar box cookers because I’m trying to avoid heat in the house. I have two 2nd hand Sun Ovens. Ridiculously expensive new. I also have a larger homemade one, composed entirely of salvaged materials. I’ve not had much luck with the parabolic ones or the oven bag designs, but the box cookers, even the ones made from cardboard and picture glass, can reliably roast a chicken or be treated as a crockpot. My larger cooker accommodates 4 chickens or about 20 pounds of ribs. I just position it toward the afternoon sun and food is done by the evening meal.
You can’t burn food in it, however green vegetables look pretty unappealing due to the time involved. I will usually boil water in it, then steam the veggies.
Its main advantage is that it heats without an ignition source, which means you can cook or sterilize your water around possible gas leaks—such as after an earthquake.
ryan112ryan@reddit
Solar is the perfect long term option especially if you get one that seals well. Cooks all day and no smells or smoke.
It’s also like a crock pot, set it and forget it, lets you do things like security, gardening etc.
You’ll need wood fire for cloudy or rainy days but you can do so much with a solar oven.
No-Surround-1159@reddit
So true! Solar in 3rd world countries has had great long term health benefits.
Besides reducing the need for traditional fuels (and the labor to gather it), people who would not waste the fuel on sterilizing water, now do it for free.
Smoke and ash related eye injuries are fewer. Food is cooked more thoroughly and is more digestible for babies and elderly.
Plus, as you mentioned—unlike a fire —it can be left unattended while you do other things.
Many-Health-1673@reddit
Firefox stove. https://fireboxstove.com/stove-buyer-guide/
Revolutionary-Half-3@reddit
Other than wood or solar, Multifuel camping stoves are surprisingly capable. I'd definitely get the repair kit and a spare pump w fuel bottle.
The MSR XGK-EX is the latest in a line of bombproof expedition grade stoves, but it's really on/off. A simmer ring can help.
MSR Dragonfly can simmer, but isn't quite as good for long term use with crap fuels.
Optimus Polaris is a simmer-capable s Multifuel stove, it'll use diesel, kerosene, gasoline, white gas, isobutane, butane, and even propane. Like the MSR options, it has a shaker jet instead of an external pricker.
Primus Omnifuel and Omnilite Ti are similar to the Polaris, but without a shaker jet.
RoboDurp@reddit
I have a rocket stove with a cast iron top, think it's called eco stove? Have a nice little support grate to feed in all sizes of fuel
weaverlorelei@reddit
I can cook/bake/make anything that requires heat over a wood fire. Start by getting a good, footed cast iron Dutch oven.
Mysterious_Touch_454@reddit
TRangia that has stickstove option for heating. Use the liquid until it runs out and then stickstove under it.
Cute-Consequence-184@reddit
I have a bit of everything. I've lived off grid before and learned to always have a backup. I also used to travel and sell at craft fairs and reeactments and also do my canning and quite a lot of my summer cooking outside since our AC isn't that effective. So I have a variety
We are a farm and heat the main house with a basement wood stove in the winter. I can always put a Dutch oven on that in the winter as long as I use a diffuser underneath.
I have a 2 burner propane camping stove and a 3 burner RV stove+oven I use for canning and baking outside. These are the ones I use the most often. I have a vintage stovetop "ovenette" and a Coleman camping oven that are used on top of the 2 burner stove. I only recently got the 3 burner stove when another canner upgraded and put it up for free on marketplace.
A few days ago I picked up a camping grill free off marketplace - mainly like a large propane grill just on tiny folding legs and not as large. I'll probably use that on the porch in the summer instead of standing out in the yard in the sun and I'll get rid of the large one.
I heat my RV with propane so I have a 200 gallon tank in the back of the yard and I have 15 propane 20lb tanks I have scrounged from yard sales and marketplace for free and I fill each summer when propane is on sale. So I can go for a long time just cooking with propane.
But I also have a kerosene camping stove which can burn kerosene, diesel, bio-diesel and even the thinner cooking oils. Since this is a farm, we have large tanks of diesel. I used to use this when I set up my tent at craft fairs to sell soap and other handmade goods. It helped warm the tent on cold mornings and would have a Dutch oven full of stew ready by lunch. Two pints of kerosene can burn for over 4 hours.
I recently picked up a vintage white gas 2 burner camping stove I'll probably give away. It came bundled in a bunch of vintage dual fuel and propane camping lights at a moving sale.
I have chimney bricks I occasionally use to make a rocket mass stove in the summer. More like play around with since I have so many other stoves. If I ever run out of propane they are ready and waiting.
I have a mini solo style stove I can use with a cooking grate over it I bought the cooking grate to use over an open fire. But since it also fits over the solo stove, it works either way. Don't really know why I bought it, it was just very cheap and fun to play with. I use a diffuser under my pit while on the cooking grate over the solo mini to prevent scalding.
I am planning to build an outdoor wood fired pizza oven. I got the bricks for free off marketplace 2 years ago and they are a large fire pit right now. I now have the guts of a dead dryer I plan to put legs on and make into a fire pit -- freeing up the bricks.
I do have a vintage dual fuel Coleman camping stove. I rarely use it now that I have the 2 burner propane stove. It is best used when I don't need anything larger and it is a simple meal since the cooking to is very small.
I have a 2n1 propane heater and cooktop I bought cheap and used for emergency heat in my RV one entire winter. Works great as heat but is unstable with a cooking pot on top. Could be used in an emergency only. Might work better if there was a way to stabilize it while cooking.
I have a 2 deck brinkman propane camping oven (but stove) I picked up years ago at a junk store. I can bake 2 loaves of bread in it or any other pot that will fit inside.. I'll probably give that to a friend if I can ever get it out of storage.
I have the wood and windows to build a solar oven. I miss having one. Just too many other things happening on the farm and now it is going into winter. So maybe next spring.
I've cooked over open doors before. I do have the new cooking grate with tall legs and I have ones with no legs.
And I almost forgot, I have a V-shaped folding emergency camping fire grate in my truck. It holds the wood and scraps off the ground.
And I have a small folding biomass stove I take when light camping.
Royal_Assignment9054@reddit (OP)
All I can say is: wow
MadRhetorik@reddit
“Long term”? Rocket stove hands down. Many different ways you could build one that has either griddles or grates built in. Wood is renewable and easily found in many places. Propane, butane, kerosene, diesel, natural gas, gasoline. All of these will eventually run out or go bad if the grid is down long enough. Get comfortable with cooking on wood coals. Learn to make charcoal. There are a massive amount of primitive skills that people neglect because of the new and exciting gizmos and gadgets nowadays. They could save your bacon one day.
huscarlaxe@reddit
Eco zoom versa Is one of my favorite things at my cabin. It cooks hooter than my range at home with just twigs.I've been using it for 4 years now and it also works as a charcoal stove.
silasmoeckel@reddit
I threw a tri fuel kitchen stove in my house propane wood or coal. Old school it's pretty and can heat my basement at least.
Summertime have an outdoor kitchen wood, propane, and electric.
My wife wants a dedicated cauldron for washing making large amounts of hot water etc, they were pretty common back in the day. Haven't found a great spot for it thinking a 3 season glassed in garden area.
devilworm2018@reddit
You can use gas...kerosene...Coleman fuel...in Coleman stove they work with about anything
shadowlid@reddit
I got a rocket stove off Temu recently just to play with for $30 and WOW!
I was able to bring water to a rolling boil in 9mins. Started boiling at 6 minutes. It's super fun to mess with too!
Huge_Wonder5911@reddit
I would consider a wood burning stove for heating your house as well. Something that would serve as dual purpose. Just make sure to vent it properly….
Grand-Corner1030@reddit
start grilling with wood. Butane/propane is the backup, save it for rain days and when you need to be portable.
Cheapest is a backyard fire pit. Essentially, a clear space that you can start a fire. Downside, it tends to use excess wood. Upside, its soothing and relaxing to watch the fire.
For regular fire, a grate to go over or something to hang a pot from makes it easier. A lot of it can be improvised, but if its home use, build with what you have. Its fun to MacGyver it. I've cooked a lot of sandwiches with a forked stick, perfectly toasted. Far simpler is to use a pan, the learning curve on the sandwiches lost me some tasty sandwiches to the fire.
If you can use what's available, it gets a lot easier to prep. I can cook food for an indefinite time (months) by burning wood, except I keep butane for rainy days.
dittybopper_05H@reddit
Don't forget the Dutch oven. It's a very versatile piece of gear that can be used to make all kinds of stuff. You can bake bread in it, bake pies (including savory ones like beefsteak pie, a favorite of the distaffbopper), make soups and stews, roast meat, the list goes on and on, and all it needs is the coals from a fire underneath, and if baking, on the lid.
Townsends did an excellent series of videos of primitive cookery with a Dutch oven:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nlo-4ugeFU8&list=PL4e4wpjna1vzKz9IGAzienDEtghOfvgfG
BTW, if you're not familiar with Townsend, you should be. Although oriented towards 18th and early 19th Century reenactors (Townsends sells the clothing and equipment/accountrements for that), the information is really good for prepping, which in many instances is the same:
How to do tasks without modern conveniences.
ChaosRainbow23@reddit
Thank you!
I just ordered a large Dutch oven, although not from Townsends. They are a bit pricey. I've got a Dutch oven I use at home, but it wouldn't survive cooking directly on a fire like cast iron.
Excellent suggestion.
ScumBunny@reddit
I also recommended the Dutch oven. It’s so versatile and handy. Just followed that YouTube, thanks! It’s right up my alley.
lavenderlemonbear@reddit
If it looked like I had to fire cook for an extended period of time, I'd be digging an actual pit for the fire, where the wind is blocked and the heat is funneled to the cook pot/grate. It's more efficient for the wood usage so it doesn't burn up too quickly. Just don't forget to dig an air intake hole so the fire doesn't smother. For just a week or so, I'd be using my plain old movable fire pit/bowl.
Hinter-Lander@reddit
A rocket stove.
ChaosRainbow23@reddit
How do you like it? I've never used one before but I considered it.
Usernamenotdetermin@reddit
And a bbq pit. Wood fired bbq is tasty.
ScumBunny@reddit
We have what we call a ‘grill billy.’ It’s a 55g steel drum with a custom grate on top. We fill it with cardboard waste, then fallen trees/wood, and cook out there at least 3x/month. The steaks are unbelievably good. Just gotta get the temp right.
I can do pretty much anything on it with my cast iron cookware. Even soups and boiling water. We also have a woodstove inside that I can cook on, but that’s a lower/indirect heat. BUT! I can use my cast iron Dutch oven to bake with the woodstove. Again, it’s all about the correct heat. You don’t wanna put your Dutch oven in a blazing fire, but once you’ve got a nice coal bed, scatter that around and use the wood grate to hold the oven. Works a treat!
ChaosRainbow23@reddit
I've got the following....
Gas stove that typically works even when power and water are out. (Just have to light it manually)
Full size propane grill with 5 extra full tanks, replaced when empty.
Built in wood grill on the deck.
Fire pit can be used with:
Large cast iron skillet.
Large cast iron grill grate.
Large cast iron pan.
I also have camping stoves and extra tanks, but I only use them when camping. They are in my camping / bug-out bin.
rocketscooter007@reddit
A good ole twig stove made out of a tin can would probably work. It's basically free if you have a metal can. Feed it sticks and cook on top. I used to be a boyscout project back in the day. They used a #10 metal can. There's probably 100's of different takes on how to build it, just look up tin can stove on youtube or Google. Another thing to Google is the Ikea hobo stove, people make a twig stove out of the Ikea utencil holder.
Virtual-Feature-9747@reddit
Robust solar generator and an induction cooktop.
We also have a rice cooker, crockpot, air fryer, spare microwave, and even a bread machine. All powered by a Bluetti AC500 (5 kW inverter) with two B300S batteries (3 kWh each) and six PV350 solar panels. You can run a thousand watt cooking device for 30 minutes twice a day and only use 1/6th of the batteries. Solar powered electric cooking quiet, clean, indoor safe and sustainable.
On the other hand, this setup was $9000 whereas the wood on your property is free.
Income-3472@reddit
A rocket stove is the way to go, compact, burns hot for a long time and only takes small sticks
ColonelBelmont@reddit
Rocket stove. Feed it sticks or other bits of wood.
Additional-Stay-4355@reddit
I always thought it would be cool to have an old fashioned cast iron wood stove for outdoor cooking - on a covered patio.
WHALE_PHYSICIST@reddit
Gasoline fuel stoves are pretty good and not too pricey. I imagine they can handle old stale gasoline better than an engine would also. It's not an option for super long term but could push you out to a couple years. They aren't very adjustable for temps, but neither is a campfire
ResolutionMaterial81@reddit
I like redundancy...so electric heat, electric inductive, natural gas, propane, butane, wood pellet, white gas, solar, wood (one of my latest is a wood fired pizza oven), Esbit, fire pit, etc.
Have multiples of most of them.
Also...cases of Butane canisters, larger & smaller full propane tanks, live on wooded acerage, gallons of white gas, many means to produce & store electrical power, etc
TheAncientMadness@reddit
biomass stove just went on sale today
https://www.reddit.com/r/preppersales/comments/1gvq4v6/my_patriot_supply_today_only_instafire_ember/
DeFiClark@reddit
Long term you want a proper full size wood stove. Keeping a camp size wood stove stoked to consistent temp to do any baking is an art and a pita. Japanese stoves with a stovepipe flue oven box are an option but $$$ for what you get.
Look for an antique or new wood stove dealer near you. If you have the space that’s the answer.
PlanetExcellent@reddit
Cowboy Kent Rollins built a big steel firebox he called Bertha that burns wood with a grate on top. I always thought a small version of that would be cool. You could probably make it disassemble if you want.
alittlebitofmystuff@reddit
I have a Volcano stove. Can use three types of fuel.