Cooking on small gas camp stoves

[nsew]

Windshield - the cheap, tall and heavy 10 plate ones (H&S) for about £6. Remove 4 of the plates by cutting through the top bracket which releases the pin. Replace with the outer pin. Somewhat amazingly 40% of the weight vanishes. You now have two lightweight windshields for £6.

[Tigerbiten]

OP, I use a Trangia and have had issues with sticky porridge.

Have you tried diluting the meths with water to cool the flame ??

I add around 10% water to my meths if I'm not just boiling water.
It's harder to light and takes longer to bring things to a boil but you can cook food at a low simmer more easily.

YMMV ............

[Thehairs1970]

Windshield - the cheap, tall and heavy 10 plate ones (H&S) for about £6. Remove 4 of the plates by cutting through the top bracket which releases the pin. Replace with the outer pin. Somewhat amazingly 40% of the weight vanishes. You now have two lightweight windshields for £6.

H&S?

[nsew]

free shipping

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/High-Quality ... SwPhdU3qM5

[nsew]

Also decreases the amount of soot by a good margin. I don’t add water when the temperature is low or at altitude.

OP, I use a Trangia and have had issues with sticky porridge.

Have you tried diluting the meths with water to cool the flame ??

I add around 10% water to my meths if I'm not just boiling water.
It's harder to light and takes longer to bring things to a boil but you can cook food at a low simmer more easily.

YMMV ............

[horizon]

Trangias have their own simmer ring.

[Tigerbiten]

Trangias have their own simmer ring.

But it's not adjustable.
With pure meths it tends to be a fast simmer which if your not careful burns food to the pan.
By adding water to the meths you can slow the simmer rate down.
If I'm just boiling water, I may only add enough water to stop the pans sooting up. It does slow the boil time by a little but the pans stay clean so I think the trade off is worth it.
If I'm cooking the likes of porridge, I may add so much water that it gets hard to light. It increases the time it takes to come to the boil by a fair bit but the porridge doesn't stick to the pan even after a short simmer.
With the likes of beans it's somewhere in the middle.
I've found the trick with a Trangia is to learn how much water to add to the meths so you get the boil time/simmer rate you want.

YMM ...........

[Paulatic]

I’ve only experience of mini Trangia but have never burnt or stuck on anything. Porridge I bring to boil stir a short while and stand to the side for a few minutes. For other things the s simmer ring has worked as expected. A couple of times I’ve over closed it and killed the flame. It’s all experience
Does the big Trangia have a proportionally bigger burner?

[horizon]

Trangias have their own simmer ring.

But it's not adjustable.

It is - you just move the lid further over. It isn't that accurate though . But I really like your idea of using water to adjust the heat. I do use water (when I remember) but it is for the soot. I'm even thinking therefore of having two bottles - one diluted one not.

[yutkoxpo]

I dilute the meths normally, but that is for soot reduction. I've found the purer the alcohol the less need for diluting. My last batch was bioethanol that was, I think 96% and it burned very clean.

I use the simmer ring and/or a cosy, makes no difference. Same happens at home. I've started to wonder if it's a difference in oats - I live in NL and it may be different to what I'm used to.

My much friendlier alternative is cous cous, cinnamon and throw in some fruit, nuts and if feeling luxurious some dark chocolate

As for a pure bottle and a diluted bottle..... at the risk of being a total a.h., why not add water as needed?

And by the by, diluted meths isn't adjustable either! At least not easily or safely.

[horizon]

As for a pure bottle and a diluted bottle..... at the risk of being a total a.h., why not add water as needed?

I just thought it might be a way of conveniently having a fast or slow fuel without having to guess how much you've put in, or adding it as you go. Just an idea - it might work, it might not.

[andrew_s]

Does the big Trangia have a proportionally bigger burner?

The burner is the same for all Trangias; the Trangia Mini pan is smaller (0.8l vs 1.0 for a 27), but that won't change the chances of burning things on.

The main difference is that the full size Trangia has a windscreen that works efficiently, whilst the Mini doesn't.
The lack of a good windscreen on the Mini means that a fair proportion of the heat the burner puts out can just blow away. In a gentle breeze, that might give what amounts to a simmer. In a strong breeze, without any additional shelter, you might struggle to get the water to boil at all.

[yutkoxpo]

I just thought it might be a way of conveniently having a fast or slow fuel without having to guess how much you've put in, or adding it as you go. Just an idea - it might work, it might not.

I wasn't trying to be a smart ass. Apologies if it came across that way.

[yutkoxpo]

The burner is the same for all Trangias; the Trangia Mini pan is smaller (0.8l vs 1.0 for a 27), but that won't change the chances of burning things on.

The main difference is that the full size Trangia has a windscreen that works efficiently, whilst the Mini doesn't.
The lack of a good windscreen on the Mini means that a fair proportion of the heat the burner puts out can just blow away. In a gentle breeze, that might give what amounts to a simmer. In a strong breeze, without any additional shelter, you might struggle to get the water to boil at all.

I believe there is also an "army issue" trangia burner that is bigger than the usual one. I've no idea if it is compatible with what we use. It may not even be available new, but they pop up regularly.

[horizon]

I had always assumed that the Trangia with its somewhat pathetic wafty blue flame was a slow burner. My plan was to use it in conjunction with a camping gaz burner when I needed a quick brew. I've got the camping gaz now (£5 so a bargain) and I will still run them together but I do now know that Trangias are in fact fast and powerful, especially in windy conditions.