Does anyone cook with kerosene?

[TrainChaser]

I've been looking at the Butterfly kerosene stove and the oven that you can buy with it, from St. Paul Mercantile.

I would really like to get opinions from people who have used kerosene stoves in general, and any who have used the Butterfly. 

I'm really NOT looking for opinions from people who haven't used them, haven't used kerosene, and don't know much -- if anything -- about them.  I know that some people are paranoid about liquid fuel.  But that's not what I'm looking for.

Also, I've just read that you're not supposed to cook with propane in a vehicle.  After doing it for a long time, I am wondering what the reasoning is; are you not supposed to use it in a closed vehicle, or not in a vehicle at all?

 

[Almost There]

Do you mean ones like these:

http://stpaulmercantile.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=73

I use propane, methyl hydrate (alcohol) and butane stoves but have never used kerosene for anything but oil lamps.

If that's the design of the stove you're looking at, I'm not fond of the pot stand on them. The first stove (the 2 burner #2414)  would be the more stable of the two but the pot holder thingies look flimsy to me. One of the dangers of the liquid fuel stoves is in tipping them over and of course having hot pots and their contents raining all over the inside of the van is not a good idea either.

My favorite stove for cooking inside the van is the $15.00 butane stove I bought last year in Quartzite. Standard cooking pots are quite stable on it, it takes up next to no room on my kitchen counter and in the US butane canisters are reasonably priced. My alcohol stove is too unstable for indoor use and the 2 burner propane takes up too much space.

All of the liquid fuel stoves are not recommended for interior use because they all give off CO amongst other hazardous stuff. When cooking with any liquid fuel stove I make sure that the window above the kitchen counter is wide open and unless it's horrible outside, so is the side door of the van.

 

[DannyB1954]

I bought a wick style kerosene stove and was not impressed. It would be good for outside, but indoors it gives off an odor when starting up and shutting down. Another thing is the bottom of the stove where the fuel is stored is not a sealed container, so spills and odor are possible when it is in storage. You would have to keep it in a tupperware style container.

I bought a pressure style kerosene stove, but have yet to use it. Maybe in the next day or so I will fire it up.

 

[TrainChaser]

AlmostThere, The one I was looking at is this one: http://stpaulmercantile.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=73&products_id=256

The 2414 pot holders look kind of thin, and the brass one next to it doesn't look stable enough for me.

What brand/kind of butane stove is the one you found? I have one, but I've never been able to figure out how to get the fuel cannister properly attached.

I don't cook inside when I have to keep the van closed. I just wondered if there were other issues.

Danny, could you let me know how that pressure kerosene stove works when you use it?

I am curious about kerosene stoves because they're used in much of the world, but few people here (that I've met or seen) use them. I am wondering if there are real issues, or if it's simply a matter of "ooooooooh, it looks scary!"

 

[SternWake]

I cooked over Kerosene on a MSR multifuel backpacking type stove for a while when i could not find white gas( naptha)/coleman camp fuel or similar in other countries, or it was obscenely expensive. Required a different jet, and it was messy. When the stove would cool the black residue would lift off of the stove and float around and stain anything it landed upon.

 

[jimindenver]

That little oven looks like it would work on any stove.

 

[Almost There]

I have an 'Alpha' brand butane stove that I bought in Quartzite but here's one very similar to it:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Camp-Chef-Butane-Single-Burner-Stove/20468060

They all seem to have safety interlocks built in. You can't insert a new canister unless the removable pot stand is the correct way up (not down for packing). You also can't insert an new canister if the ignition control is in the on position. Even after months of use I was stymied this morning when the new canister wouldn't pop in right - the old can had run out in the middle of heating water for my morning tea and I wasn't quite awake yet...forgot to turn the burner control to off....

All the ones' I've seen you simply insert the canister with the small notch at the top and then lock it in with the locking lever.

 

[MrNoodly]

http://sailing.yoexpert.com/sailing...antages-of-using-a-kerosene-marine-20499.html

http://ezinearticles.com/?Understan...Stove-and-Other-Liquid-Fuel-Stoves&id=4429780

http://outdoors.stackexchange.com/q...sadvantages-between-gas-liquid-and-solid-fuel

 

[TrainChaser]

MrNoodly, than you very much for that information! The first one was particularly interesting.

After reading all the pros and cons in the three articles, I'm leaning toward the idea that many people fear fire more than they do explosions. Kerosene is safe than I was lead to believe, unless you're a real klutz.

 

[MrNoodly]

I'm leaning toward the idea that many people fear fire more than they do explosions.

Perhaps because fires are much more common than explosions.

 

[TrainChaser]

Almost There: I followed your instructions, and the ones that came with the stove. With the notch up, the cannister WILL settle down in the rack. BUT the the little tube that the gas comes from on the cannister is hanging out in the air -- it doesn't go into the little hole below that it looks like it should fit into. And the little tab in the stove is wider than the notch in the cannister.

Nor can I press the cannister lever down. And the hinged cover won't settle into place, it's hitting the side of the cannister, like it's setting a bit too high.

 

[Almost There]

I'd have to see it to figure it out TC.

It doesn't take up much space so pack it along and it will get operated on and become usable at the RTR at the least.

If you find someone else along the way that is using a butane stove, hand it over to them. I know when I first got mine I had the same trouble...I wasn't holding my mouth right or something cause Rob figured it out in seconds.....

 

[SoulRaven]

I have experience with kerosene heaters in homes. You must have ventilation. As someone else noted, it can give off a black soot and everything in one's house, including the people will have a smell of the burnt kerosene and you may not notice it but others will, you can guess how I found that out. You do want to get the "white" and not the I think it is "red" fuel. The fuel can be hard to find. We burned it for quite some time as backup heat.

 

[DannyB1954]

If size matters, it is hard to get smaller than a camping alcohol stove. Youtube search fancy feast stove. You can buy or make them.

This guy is real entertaining

 

[TrainChaser]

Danny, I have a Trangia, but I was looking for something for actual cooking, rather than just heating up, and am exploring my options. Kerosene is used so much in the rest of the world, I wanted to consider it.

SnowGypsy, while reading all the information at the St. Paul Mercantile, they explained the difference between the 'clean' stuff and the dyed stuff. But I don't think they said what the actual results were if you burned the dirty stuff -- they just said it wasn't good for the stove. I guess what's bad for the stove is bad for our lungs, too! Thanks for the information!

 

[Almost There]

I cook on the Trangia that I have TC. I just choose not to cook on it inside the van because I find it's rather unstable when I'm using regular pots and a fry pan because the pot supports are designed for the Trangia pots. The pots also sit too high on the counter because of the raised wind screen.

Outside it's a different story. I press it in to use when I need an additional burner but mostly save it for canoe trips to extend the life of the Trangia pots. Out there I cook meals at least as substantial as I do when at home base. Maybe a bit different but still full meals not just rehydrating meals in a bag stuff.

 

[TrainChaser]

Another issue with the alcohol is having to use Trangia/aluminum cookware. I don't normally use them, and don't like the idea of having to have a second set of pots.

Oh, AlmostThere: I finally had the wit to call a local hunting/camping/tools/food-preservation/socks store that I know, and they said they know the Camp Chef units very well. He said to just bring it in, and they'll see what's what. I suspect that I'm going to feel like an idiot.... Oh, well, it won't be the first time!

 

[steamjam1]

I tried kerosene when I first started van dwelling. Due to the price of the fuel and the smell of the stuff I abandoned it. I tried white gas, but again with the price of the fuel I settled on an old Soviet Union gasoline stove. It works on regular unleaded and if you warm it up properly, gives off no more odors then my Coleman 533, but is MUCH more powerful. I still opened up a few windows when I used it like with any stove. I don't really us it anymore as my RV has a propane stove that works quite well for cooking. I'll still use it to heat up a a gallon or two of water to clean myself up at night.

I tried the Trangia, soda can stove, the SVEA, and Optimus 210, 99 but found them too hard to simmer with them.

 

[DannyB1954]

I fired up the pressurized kerosene stove today. It worked much better than the wick style. I let it run in my shop and went outside. When I came back there was very little odor. I probably wouldn't have noticed it if I wasn't looking for it. There are some negatives though. Here is the one I bought http://www.ebay.com/itm/222236521073?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

This one does not have a valve to control the output. It relies solely on how much pressure that you pump the tank up to. For simmering, you open the vent valve and let some pressure out. To turn it off, you let out all of the pressure. Because there is no valve some fuel seeps out if the tank level is higher than the orifice. If I bought another, it would have a valve before the burner like this one http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gasoline-Pe...610234?hash=item4655d31f7a:g:B9UAAOSwuMFUg3bs

The other downside to this model is you have to use some other type of fuel to get the burner hot enough to vaporize the kerosene. You pour fuel into the cup under the burner and set it on fire. One must use caution here as the flames from the alcohol or white gas or lighter fluid can go quite high.

If I go to RTR, both stoves will go to the freebee tarp, (the wick and pressure). If someone wants them before that PM me with an address.

 

[DannyB1954]

Danny,  I have a Trangia, but I was looking for something for actual cooking, rather than just heating up, and am exploring my options.  Kerosene is used so much in the rest of the world, I wanted to consider it.

SnowGypsy, while reading all the information at the St. Paul Mercantile, they explained the difference between the 'clean' stuff and the dyed stuff.  But I don't think they said what the actual results were if you burned the dirty stuff -- they just said it wasn't good for the stove.  I guess what's bad for the stove is bad for our lungs, too!  Thanks for the information!

The red kerosene just has a dye in it to show that road tax was not paid on it. People would buy kerosene for use in their home heaters and then burn it in their diesel vehicles. The States got wise to this and had red dye added to heating fuel. If LE checked a trucks fuel tank and it had red fuel, they knew that the road tax had not been paid so it was illegal. 

If you have an airport nearby jet fuel A is kerosene.