I've been working seven days a week (well, I had last Sunday off, but other than that) for the last several weeks, and it was busy at work before that. Sorry I haven't been around much. The project I'm on is winding down by the end of the month which means I should be around more in May (it also means I'll probably be unemployed again, but that's another issue).

Bacpacjac left a comment on my blog, so I was reminded of ETS, so here I am. Note to Jac: Not just any ESBIT stove can do baking. The standard hinged box ESBIT stove doesn't have a prayer when it comes to baking. Speaking of my stove blog, I have kept my blog running. There's actually been about one post per week, so if you're interested in backpacking type stoves, check it out. I won't try to post here everything I've posted there, but I'll put my current post up:

I've been testing an ESBIT stove, the Epicurean Ti, that not only can be used for boiling water but also for low, steady heat applications like simmering and ultralight baking.


I've found the Epicurean Ti to be a really easy to use ESBIT stove that simmers well without any trouble.


If you're interested in having a few flame options other than just "high" or you find the idea of ultralight baking intriguing, check out the Epicurean Ti ESBIT stove.


HJ

Thanks Jim!

I'm a horrible baker at home but I'm pretty good with a Dutch oven and over an open fire. I'm on the hunt for stuff to let me whip up some muffins with my esbit/hexi/alchy/hobo stoves. (They're my back-up if I can't have an open fire.).

Being a fan of esbit, I'd love to give this a try. My local army surplus store carries a few versions of esbit stoves but I was sad to find out yesterday that this Ti version isn't one of them. Oh well. It'll have to stay on my wish list for the time being.

BTW, Jim, it's good to see you back here at ETS. I'm sending lots of positive thoughts for continued job success. I understand from personal experience how tough a lay-off and job instability can be. Hang in there!

Hi, BacPacJac,

Thanks.

It's actually semi-slow today at work. We go "live" this weekend with our little project. I'll be working 24x7 (with intermittent breaks due to the "hurry up and wait" factor) Friday - Sunday, so today's slowness is welcome. I'm going to try to sneak out at 5:30 PM. We'll see. I worked 71 hours last week. That was "fun." lol.

But I digress. This thread is about stoves and such.

ESBIT stoves were originally designed to do one thing: boil water.

Then a lot of people (hunters, backpackers, etc.) started noticing that a) "Hey, these things are light and that b) "I really don't need a stove, per se, just a platform". So the next "wave" in ESBIT stoves was to go minamalist, i.e. very light. But there was still no flame control, just on or off.

Lately though, people have been coming out with ESBIT type stoves that have some flame control. They're all "cottage industry" (guys doing it out of their garage) products, so you won't see them in a surplus store or outdoors shop. I only know of four examples, although there may be others. The one I show in my post is to my knowledge only available through the Flat Cat Gear website.

I've had a lot of fun making muffins, cookies, biscuits, etc. My family really likes it. It's a good incentive for them to get out on the trail with me, particularly the more recalcitrant members.




HJ