How to Use a Camping Gas Stove: Tips and Safety Rules

Use isobutane gas cylinders

Gas burner cylinders can contain a variety of gases. Propane, butane, and isobutane are the most commonly used. Isobutane gas burns well at low temperatures and is ideal for winter. It’s also less explosive.

Heat the cylinder before using it

Before you connect the stove to the cylinder and turn it on, heat the cylinder. For example, put it under a blanket. Then the stove will not consume gas to heat it to its optimal temperature.

Ventilate the room

When the camping stove is running, dangerous carbon monoxide is released, so open the windows to ventilate while you are using it. Do not place the stove in a draft, as this will reduce its efficiency.

Do not bring water to a boil

Do not boil water on the stove. It takes a lot of gas from the gas cylinder to heat water to 100° and you don’t have to boil water to cook it. Porridge and convenience foods can be boiled at 80°, and tea can be brewed with hot water rather than boiling water.

However, if you are not sure about the water quality and want to sanitize it, it is better to boil the water.

Let the food stand

You don’t have to keep the stove on the whole time you’re cooking – instead, you can cook your food at about 80%. Then turn off the stove and leave the food to infuse under a lid to finish cooking. This will greatly reduce fuel consumption.

For example, if you need to cook cereal for 20 minutes, then cook the porridge for 15 minutes, then wrap the pot with a towel and leave it for another 30 minutes. And if you soak the grits overnight before cooking, the cooking time will be reduced even more.

Note that meat should not be cooked this way, as it can leave pathogenic bacteria in it.

Reduce the flame

Do not cook food exclusively at maximum flame power. Control the burner flame so that the fire does not go over the edges of the cookware, but heats the bottom of the cookware. This way the cookware heats most evenly and the gas is not wasted.

Watch the gas in the gas cylinder

When the gas in the gas cylinder is low, it heats the cookware very little or the flame does not light up at all. Do not miss this point and change the gas cylinder for a new one in time to avoid dangerous situations.

Avatar photo

Written by Emma Miller

I am a registered dietitian nutritionist and own a private nutrition practice, where I provide one-on-one nutritional counseling to patients. I specialize in chronic disease prevention/ management, vegan/ vegetarian nutrition, pre-natal/ postpartum nutrition, wellness coaching, medical nutrition therapy, and weight management.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Coffee with Sugar: How Many Cups to Drink a Day Without Harming Your Health

Melt in Your Mouth: How to Cook Juicy Meat in a Pan