i would suggest you try a few different types of fuel and see what the results are.ask around to some camping/survival/hiking type friends and see what they have so you don't have to buy a gallon just to see how a quarter cup burns.
make a afternoon project out of it,try a few pots and see how they work and so on.
i have the Trangia cook kit with the windscreen and pots that are made to fit and use all the heat and this kit works very well as a water boiler while a Gaz stove does the real cooking.
i used Sunshine brand alcohol in mine and can get a rolling boil in minutes to heat a can of stew.the only drawback with these type of burners is that when they run dry it can be tricky to remove the pot of half cooked food and the hot burner to refill it.
the burners are not very expensive so some campers have a second filled and ready to go,the hot one allowed to cool down a bit and refilled to be swapped if need be to finish the meal.meals which are simple and filling seem to work best for this type of stove.
get a real Trangia,i have a knock off and while it does work it's not as solid and the seal on the lid is not %100.
the big ones in the Army cook kits are whoppers and really run hot and long for a alcohol burner.