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Camp Kitchen

February 3, 2014 By Chas Bruce

Envirofit Biomass Cookstove G-3300

Envirofit Biomass Cookstove G-3300
Envirofit Biomass Cookstove G-3300

At just under seven pounds this is no ultra light unit, but for boating or car camping it makes an interesting alternative. It may look like a woodgas stove, but no, it’s basically a refined rocket stove.

This clean burning unit will outperform any open fire, particularly the classic 3-stone setup. With a combination of insulation and directed flame, the rocket stove will reduce energy use by 60 percent while lowering smoke by 80 percent.

Envirofit Biomass Cookstove G-3300
Envirofit Biomass Cookstove

These stoves were invented by Dr. Winiarski to help developing countries where firewood usage and health issues are a continuing problem. Pioneered at the Aprovecho Institute twenty some years ago, Winiarski and the crew are still refining the idea and providing testing, support, and impetus to get these stoves to the developing world.

This stove uses a ceramic insert to both insulate and focus the flame. The metal tray allows you to push wood into the fuel chamber as needed to control the flame. The tray and a grate keeps a constant flow of air for clean combustion. In use we found it easy to light with a wad of newspaper covered by the tips of four sticks of wood. Once the flame was going it was easy to feed more sticks into the firebox to keep it going. We used a wok which made a potskirt impractical. Still we cranked in more sticks and got a blaze going, and in matter of minutes a steaming rice n’ veggie stir-fry was on our plates.

The grates fit neatly within, and the whole outfit will stow neatly in a 5 gallon plastic bucket.

$99

Filed Under: Camp Kitchen Tagged With: Envirofit, stoves

January 23, 2014 By Chas Bruce

Snow Peak Coffee Latte Set

Snow Peak Coffee Set
Snow Peak Coffee Latte Set

Get your morning Joe in style with this Snow Peak Titanium Set.

Here’s how it went for us:

  • Boil up some water in the Ti French Press, or in a separate container.
  • Toss 3 oz of course ground coffee into the French Press.
  • Stir in the hot water and put the lid on.
  • While waiting about 3-4 minutes for coffee to steep, take the shorter Ti Foamer and fill about 1/3 full with milk.
  • Heat over flame, looking for about 160 degrees, or just when the side gets uncomfortable to the touch.
  • Slowly push the knob down on the French Press, set aside.
  • Take the hot milk, put the lid in place and pump the white knob up and down about twenty or so  times.
  • Now pour about 8 oz of coffee from the press into your double walled Ti Mug.
  • Top with the hot foamy milk from the Foamer.

Voila! Perfect morning Latte! Delicious. Maybe not a full bodied espresso, but just perfect for an eye opener when we roll out of the tent in the AM.

Titanium Cafe Press and Titanium Milk Foamer come in a sleek black nylon carrying case. Weighs 13 oz total. Makes 3 cups of coffee.

Snow Peak Coffee Cup
Snow Peak Titanium Coffee Mug

Don’t forget your 14 oz (volume) Titanium 450 Coffee Mug (4.2 oz weight). The double-walled construction keeps your drinks warm longer. Get the matching insulated lid for sipping and slosh proofing. Another $55.

$110 the set

Filed Under: Camp Kitchen Tagged With: coffee, Snow Peak

June 28, 2013 By Chas Bruce

mKettle Wood-Fired Water Kettle

mKettle Wood-Fired Water Kettle
mKettle Wood-Fired Water Kettle

A compact update to the classic Irish Kelly Kettle or Volcano Kettle for those like us that always need that spot of tea handy. Made of hard anodized aluminum, this stove is made specifically to heat the pint of water it holds using twiggs or other found wood. The design wraps the water around the central chimney, so it efficiently uses the heat from the flame. A silicon stopper allows you to carry water in it full time.

Weighs 13 oz., 7″ tall, 3.75″ diameter. A neoprene sleeve protects you from the hot surfaces; replaces the wire bale of the Kelly Kettle.

Comes with a Rip Stop Nylon Carry Bag with D-rings. It just takes a second to find a handful of twigs and it handily boiled water for us in under 8 minutes at 4000 feet.

mKettle Wood-Fired Water Kettle
The mKettle in action.

We particularly liked the woodsy smell of the twigs as it heated up. We didn’t have one on hand but there is an accessory Tri-Cross stand that provides pot support and makes it easy to use the chimney to cook other items.

$82

Filed Under: Camp Kitchen Tagged With: mKettle, stoves

May 6, 2013 By Chas Bruce

Coava Stainless Steel Coffee Cone

Coava Stainless Steel Coffee Cone
Coava Stainless Steel Coffee Cone

This handsome stainless Steel Filter is designed for use in Chemex and other pour-over style coffee makers. You won’t be using a new paper filter every day.

We tried this and have to agree that it provides richer flavor than paper filters. Since the perfectly sized mesh allows more of the essential coffee oils to percolate to your cup, this really can have the deep flavor of a french press.

$80

Filed Under: Camp Kitchen Tagged With: Coava Coffee, coffee

May 1, 2013 By Chas Bruce

Vargo Titanium BOT – Water Bottle/Cooking Pot

Vargo Titanium BOT - Water Bottle / Cooking Pot
Vargo Titanium BOT — Water Bottle/Cooking Pot

No need to carry both a water bottle and cooking pot, the “BOT” is designed to be used as both–and in Titanium, no less for you ultralight weight savers.

The BOT slips  into most water bottle pockets for easy access whether you need a quick drink or when you’re preparing to tuck in. The screw-top lid turns upside down and nestles in the top as a cooking lid. The temperature resistant O-ring won’t melt when exposed to high heat. The lid is pot-lifter friendly and easy to grip.

Capacity: 1.0 Liters (34 ounces) Weight: 4.7 ounces (133 grams) Dimensions: 6.5 L x 3.9 D inches (165 x 99 mm). Check the Vargo website for their various Titanium cooksets, stoves, campware (don’t miss the titanium chopsticks), and the rest of the “Titanium Lifestyle,” as they put it.

$100

Filed Under: Camp Kitchen Tagged With: cooking pots, Vargo, water bottle

May 1, 2013 By Chas Bruce

Esbit Alcohol Stove and Cookset with Heat Exchanger

Esbit Alcohol Stove and Cookset
Esbit Alcohol Stove and Cookset with Heat Exchanger

The GearGuys have long felt that there are advantages to alcohol as cooking fuel. More than white gas, propane or canisters, it’s cheaper, easily available, odorless when you spill it and in a pinch you can load it up with your Everclear. The downside is alcohol has less energy per once, extending cooking times.

Now Esbit has introduced a heat exchanger pot that increases efficiency by 30% and makes alcohol more viable as a cooking fuel. With this extra boost we were able to boil a pot of water in around 8 minutes at 4k feet. The pot is constructed from extremely light, hard anodized aluminum that has a wavy finned outer ring on the bottom that both provides more surface area and a efficient conduit for the flame.

The cookset includes a pot stand, lid, and a solid brass alcohol burner. The alcohol burner is constructed from brass and allows variable temperature control with a cover we could rotate in and out of the flame, plus it holds the denatured alcohol in it during transport with a screw top lid. Everything stashes easily in the large pot, which comes with a mesh bag, and fits compactly in the old backpack.

Dimensions-packed: 4.9″ x 4.9″ (12.5 cm x 12.5 cm) Weight: 10.9 oz. (310 g)

$70

Filed Under: Camp Kitchen Tagged With: stoves

February 14, 2013 By Chas Bruce

BioLite Portable Grill and Campstove

Biolite Portable Grill and Campstove
BioLite Portable Grill and Campstove

We were wowed by the Biolite Campstove introduced last summer. This unique camping stove uses the woodgas principle to fire up your campside meals. Your fuel is simply trailside twigs, wood chips or pinecones. This innovative stove uses the heat of the fire via a thermocouple to provide electricity to drive a draft fan that most efficiently burns the woodgas.

Not only that, it will generate extra electricity to charge your iPhone or iPod. Promised and now on the market, the BioLite Portable Grill turns the CampStove into a handy grill. As you grill you can pop a metal cap and add twigs and such to keep the fire good and hot. The stainless steel grill provides about 55 sq. in. of cooking area. The unit folds neatly into a plastic container. The grill adds about 1 3/4 pounds to your total kit, or just under 4 pounds for CampStove and Grill. Load with  flavorful woodchips like mesquite and you’ll have a smokin’ good barbeque.

$60 for the grill, $130 for the stove, $190 for the whole show.

Filed Under: Camp Kitchen Tagged With: BioLite, stoves

January 24, 2013 By Chas Bruce

Minibru Coffee Mug

Minibru Coffee Mug
Minibru Coffee Mug

Maybe a open-topped glass mug is not the ideal traveling mug. But if you’re armchair voyaging this could be the perfect quick single-cup French Press Coffee.

The minibru system is quite simple. Fill your cup with coarsely ground coffee to the lower fill line, then pour in hot water to the upper fill line. After 2-3 minutes, insert the filter cylinder and press down slowly until your brew is completely filtered. Then enjoy your freshly brewed cup of joe!

Clean-up is just as easy: remove the filter cylinder, separate out the gasket and rinse ’em off. The mug itself is glass, so you can put it in your dishwasher.

Capacity: 12 ounces. Materials: Glass mug, plastic plunger, silicone gasket.

$25

Filed Under: Camp Kitchen Tagged With: coffee

January 23, 2013 By Chas Bruce

Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Food Canisters

Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Food Canisters
Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Food Canisters

After years of providing high quality stainless steel water containers, Klean Kanteen has gotten serious about food containers, both insulated and not. 

These handy canisters will keep your food or dry goods fresh and tasty because they’re made of 18/8 food-grade stainless steel that won’t absorb food flavors or odors. The wide opening allows easy scooping, pouring and cleaning. The lid creates 100% stainless steel interior and locks in flavor with an airtight seal.

These canisters are strong, durable, shatterproof, leak-proof, and not bad looking. Containers come in 8 or 16 oz sizes with either a single-wall or double-walled construction. You could stack these in a high tech Tiffin arrangement, held in an insulated sleeve, or in one of Klean’s shoulder slings.

$18 – $35

Filed Under: Camp Kitchen Tagged With: food storage, Klean Kanteen

January 19, 2013 By Chas Bruce

Snow Peak Kanpai Bottle 500 Commuter/Coffee Mug

Snow Peak Kanpai Bottle
Snow Peak Commuter Coffee Mug

The Kanpai Bottle provides 3 lids to cover all your liquid needs — hot, cold or just plain drinking water.

This simple straight-sided stainless steel, vacuum sealed double walled container can keep liquids hot for more than 5 hours. The 500 ml (18 oz.) bottle snugly fits a 16 oz beverage holder though taller so it contains a full 18 oz., even with the insulating  layers.12.5 oz. empty, 3″ diameter by 8 1/2:” tall.

The hot and cold lids can leak slightly if not held upright. For tossing in the bag use the plain screw-on lid.

$80

Filed Under: Camp Kitchen Tagged With: coffee, Snow Peak

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