In the States it is called Sterno. We keep a case on hand to use with chafing dishes. They are safe for indoor use. This is my plan for short term disaster cooking.

Thanks Desperado, I have no plans on storing gasoline and I saw the propane link. I was about to buy a bunch of propane to keep on hand when I saw that and decided to rethink it.

Sterno sounds like the cheapest way to go for now until I get one of those stoves GrilledBison mentioned. Very nice that grill. Thank you for the info Bison!

Izzyjg99,

Can I keep my sterno in old detergent containers like the gasoline guy? Just kidding!

A solid fuel is probably the safest way to go, although airborne particulate dust can become highly explosive. Charcoal is very safe to store and has a high heat output; actually has a higher fuel energy density than even Hexamine. It is relatively cheap compared to the refined fuels such as Colemans or Paraffin and can be manufactured easily using bio fuel resources in the long term. It may require looking at a 3rd world solution for your charcoal stove though, such as the designs used extensively in Africa.

Gyapa Stove is one of the more fuel efficient designs - http://www.hedon.info/docs/EnterpriseWords-charcoal-stoves-Ghana.pdf

I just remembered that I have stored somewhere a gizmo called, I believe, the Safari Cooker, or something like that. The TV ads of long ago touted it for tailgate parties. Several tapered sheet metal sleeves that go together, along with a couple of grates, to make the stove. Fuel is, believe it or not, sheets of newspaper, crumpled into balls. Nothing else! It only takes something like nine (9) sheets of newspaper to BBQ a few hamburger patties! Newspaper, now that is a save fuel to store. Sadly, you can't even find them on E-bay (or at least not the last time I looked). But that little thing actually works, and works pretty well...

I have the exact stove mentioned by OBG. Picked it up 10 years ago at a yard sale and got a "smoker " as well. Both are still cookin' and smokin'.
The stove was in it's orig, cardboard box...like a box that boots would come in. We use it at least a dozen times a year,
Fuel is cheap,plentiful,and usually legible. Some buddies have looked for them...no luck either. Pull it out and use it a couple of times...Be Prepared.

I heard that zip-lock bags are the way to go for storing gasoline. Double just kidding!!

I have used white gas stoves, Svea 123 is my favorite, when I was camping and still keep it, and a gallon of white gas, on hand. Camping alone a quart of gas would last about a week more or less. Boiling water to avoid having to treat the water uses gas and colder temperatures always made me use more. YMMV.

More recently I have gone to propane for emergency fuel. A single-burner stove, a single-mantle lantern and a small catalytic heater (all of which use one pound bottles) have been my choice. Every third time I go to Wally I get a couple of bottles and have built up a good supply. The propane in small bottles has advantages like quick and easy starting, reliability, no-mess, and effectiveness going for it.

Camping I have also used a Zip stove. Now known as the Sierra Stove. This is essentially a burner that uses pretty much any solid fuel that boosts output by adding a tiny blower that runs for many hours on a small battery. Use a rotating pair of rechargeable batteries and a solar charger and you should be set for a long time.

These units burn pretty much anything you can fed into it and they are much better, faster and more efficient, than a traditional campfire. Scrap wood pallets, available around most retail stores, chopped into kindling work fine. Pine cones work really well. Twigs or newspaper rolled tightly into pencil sized sticks and cut short are okay but they burn quick.

Here in the SE I could run this unit virtually forever on the limbs that fall in the yard. Worse case, broken leg where I can't leave the porch, I chop up that coffee table I never liked. Should hold me for a week or two. No shortage of stuff I could feed it.

The only down side is that it doesn't simmer well at all (fires of hell or nothing), it produces soot and ash that can make a mess, and it has to be tended pretty much constantly when it is being used. You can't put a pot of pilaf on and walk away for ten minutes without it running out of fuel it has to be fed every five minutes or so. This is okay for reheating the pot of coffee, where I can stuff in enough fuel to bring it to a boil and running out of fuel just saves me a step during cleanup.

http://www.zzstove.com/

I keep my options open by having all of them.

I think this is a sign you need to go camping more often. :-]

By George, you're absolutely right! I shall inform my wife.

Actually, I'm more of a backpacker. The butane/isobutane/propane blend canister stoves are so convenient that I wind up using a canister stove for "Three Season" use. The only time I bring out my old Whisperlite anymore is for winter backpacks where the temps are below freezing. Oddly, I can't find too many friends willing to go on winter backpacks with me. I think the idea of camping directly on snow is intimidating to most people. Actually, it's a lot more comfortable than sleeping on dirt, rocks, roots, etc, and with the right equipment (two sleeping pads, one on top of another; a 4 season tent; and a 0F sleeping bag), it's quite comfortable. I'm looking forward to getting out there this winter!

HJ