Sunday, November 5, 2017

SOLO STOVE TITAN - off grid cooking REVIEW

Last year I had purchased the SOLO STOVE TITAN from Amazon. This is a wood burning camper's stove that is lightweight, and designed to cook fast, efficient, and with less smoke.


My first experiment perculating coffee



The link I provided with Amazon goes over the specifics of this camper's stove, but I wanted to post a review on how a person could use this for an off grid situation.

The Solo Stove Titan that I had purchased (pictured) is for 2-4 people. I paid extra for the larger size as I wanted this as a serious back-up method to cook for my family in an off grid scenario.



My goal was to cook that didn't require fuel of any kind. After all, how long will propane, gas, or charcoal last? But collecting small twigs and branches, offers an unlimited possibility. Even better, an easier and safer way for those who live in the city and are faced with a lack of space and restrictions.


My next project was boiling water with a Turkish pot. This mini pot was smaller than my perculating coffee pot, so I added a small grate to the top to balance.


Due to the engineering of this stove ---- it heats up fast. I was able to make instant coffee within minutes. Since I burn wood in my fireplace frequently, I start the fire in this stove the same way --- stacking tiny pieces of wood in the shape of a pyramid, and pieces of newspaper to feed the fire (Save those mail flyers!)

The small cast iron I switched to fit perfectly over the stove, so I removed the grate. But the fire was too strong for frying an egg. I should have waited for the fire to die down, but one of the good things about cast iron is that once it heats up, it can maintain its temperature to continue cooking.

I successfully scrambled the egg, and switched to hotcakes.


If I needed to heat the stove more, I just fed it more sticks 



My impression of this stove is that it does EXACTLY what I envisioned. It allowed me to cook using resources from my front yard, and the neighbors didn't think my house was on fire. Even better, my fire was contained, and the engineering of this stove allowed me to cook rapidly.  

Here are some ideas that I think would be perfect for this stove 

COFFEE
CANNED SOUP
BOILING WATER
RAMEN NOODLES
SCRAMBLED EGGS
PANCAKES
FLAT BREAD
PANFRIED BISCUITS
DEHYDRATED MEALS
MRE RATIONS
GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH
RICE
PASTA
SPAGHETTI SAUCE


For cookware, I choose cast iron, and camping pots and pans meant for outdoor cooking. No teflon! 

The only challenge that I see with this stove is keeping it maintained for cooking. Also, of course, no temperature dials to turn, so it really requires paying attention to either feed, or stop feeding the fire. 

Also, collecting supplies and sticks in advance will make cooking easier, as all of your attention can be kept on safely maintaining the fire.

As pictured, I used a metal table so that I could sit and cook eye level. 

Stay tuned for further reviews with the stove! This Solo Stove Titan is a *****5 star success. I would give it a 6 but it doesn't collect the wood for me... but that's okay. I found it fun. 










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