We are going on a roadtrip.
This requires some preparation. One of the most important parts of the preparation is getting the matter of food settled.
Earlier, I used to just grab food at fast food restaurants when travelling. This was not very good habit as my waistline started telling me. Also, there is no variety, it is the same old, same old all the time. So, this time I decided that we needed to be able to prepare food. The key ingredient in getting food prepared is a source of heat. If we are camping, there is no readymade source of heat. Previous experiences with campfire have left me thinking that it is hard to get a consistently hot campfire going. If the logs are even marginally damp, the campfire takes a long time getting going and when it does, even then, the heat produced is not enough. So, this time, I decided to get a camping stove.
This is what I got from our local REI. Looks much like stoves in India and works much like them too. A little bit heavier if we want to take it backpacking, but everything is integrated (as opposed to having the stove separate from the fuel bottle), so not much chance of problems as dust cannot get in and since there will be no repeated connections and disconnections to the fuel bottle, there will not be any wear and tear at the joint. At least, that is what most reviewers said.
After getting it home, I decided to give it a test run. It is important to test all gear before putting it to use at crucial times. So, in the night, after reading the instructions, I made some coffee on it. That seemed to work just fine, so I decided to cook a complete lunch on it. I made Tahari (a rice dish like Pulav), on it. Took in all about 20 minutes and was enough for two people. I think I am satisfied with the stove.
Roadtrip, here I come.
Earlier, I used to just grab food at fast food restaurants when travelling. This was not very good habit as my waistline started telling me. Also, there is no variety, it is the same old, same old all the time. So, this time I decided that we needed to be able to prepare food. The key ingredient in getting food prepared is a source of heat. If we are camping, there is no readymade source of heat. Previous experiences with campfire have left me thinking that it is hard to get a consistently hot campfire going. If the logs are even marginally damp, the campfire takes a long time getting going and when it does, even then, the heat produced is not enough. So, this time, I decided to get a camping stove.