The Esbit stoves are pretty neat (I have one) but they're not a big cooker that you could use in an emergency to provide for your family. You can bring a Sierra Cup full of water to a boil, but don't plan on cooking a "family and friends" dinner of spaghetti. Just not powerful enough. Be sure and try the stove out in a non-emergency to see what it can and can't do.

Along these same lines (of "small cooker"), you might be interested in the Nuwick Emergency candles. I've been thinking about getting a few of these to stash in a Bug Out bag alongside the Esbit. I'd rather be stranded with a Coleman stove, but if you have to be moving you might prefer something small like the Esbit or Nuwick that can be easily carried.

Nuwick candle:
http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores...mberId=12500226