bvail
08-04-2009, 12:07 PM
Fresh start on Cooking in a Can. Previous thread highjacked too many times. I'm mainly an 'over the road' camper with an Aspen Classic camper, so I have plenty of room for a simple kitchen - stash my stuff in one of those plastic 'milk crates'. Seems that stopping at resturants not only consumes a lot of riding time, but also empties the wallet, so I'm a relatively new fan of cooking in the can or dehydrated bag-o-food (survival food in a bag).
But what to boil the water in to heat the can? I looked all over for a nicely sized and light boiler to drop a can in but really didn't find the right size. I found it in my garage. Although they are a rare find these days, a steel coffee can fits the bill perfectly and is perfect for my Coleman single burner stove (16 oz. propane). I had one sitting in the garage full of nuts and bolts, so it was available for kitchen duty - after emptying the contents of course. Still had the plastic lid, so I can also use it for a storage container in my camper. I took a piece of coat hanger and fashioned a handle that will slip down into the can when I store it. This can is one of the newer ones that had the foil seal on top so one didn't have to use a can opener to get at the coffee grounds. I drilled two holes 180 degrees apart on the inside lip of the can and made the wire handle square so that it would drop down into the can when storing. I don't know if these cans are still available, since many of the coffee cans are now made of plastic, but they do make a real nice water boiler.
I tried boiling water in a small pot with my JetBoil stove, but found it sucks too much butane to be efficient. The Coleman single burner works much better for me and I can use the hot water for cleaning up - probably could even use it to clean me up - sponge bath - if shower not available.
I still use my JetBoil for brewing coffee and the dried meal in a bag.
On the old thread, someone mentioned boiling the can still sealed up. I'm just wondering if there would be a danger of the can blowing up. I can see the headlines: "Camper killed by Dinty Moore" :eek:
But what to boil the water in to heat the can? I looked all over for a nicely sized and light boiler to drop a can in but really didn't find the right size. I found it in my garage. Although they are a rare find these days, a steel coffee can fits the bill perfectly and is perfect for my Coleman single burner stove (16 oz. propane). I had one sitting in the garage full of nuts and bolts, so it was available for kitchen duty - after emptying the contents of course. Still had the plastic lid, so I can also use it for a storage container in my camper. I took a piece of coat hanger and fashioned a handle that will slip down into the can when I store it. This can is one of the newer ones that had the foil seal on top so one didn't have to use a can opener to get at the coffee grounds. I drilled two holes 180 degrees apart on the inside lip of the can and made the wire handle square so that it would drop down into the can when storing. I don't know if these cans are still available, since many of the coffee cans are now made of plastic, but they do make a real nice water boiler.
I tried boiling water in a small pot with my JetBoil stove, but found it sucks too much butane to be efficient. The Coleman single burner works much better for me and I can use the hot water for cleaning up - probably could even use it to clean me up - sponge bath - if shower not available.
I still use my JetBoil for brewing coffee and the dried meal in a bag.
On the old thread, someone mentioned boiling the can still sealed up. I'm just wondering if there would be a danger of the can blowing up. I can see the headlines: "Camper killed by Dinty Moore" :eek: