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cmayer37
member (26)member
  
06/07/2021 09:29PM  
I currently use the Primus Eta Power stove system. This is a remote canister stove with a wide, stable base that I really like for cooking stability for larger pots when cooking for our group. The negative is that it has a fairly small burner that concentrates the heat too much on a 9 - 10 inch fry pan - causes scorching when frying fish, making pizzas, etc. I have been using a heat diffuser (I think is an outback oven component) that solves the scorching issue, but the heat diffuser warps and causes the fry pan to be too unstable.

Any recommendations on either a better system to diffuse heat without instability problem, or a stable canister stove that has a wide enough flame that a heat diffuser is not needed? I don’t want to go with heavy stoves like Coleman double burner, and prefer the simplicity of canisters vs liquid fuel. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
 
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06/08/2021 08:46AM  
I had a Primus Essential stove that is similar. I sold it as considered it a bulky pack size, but it did cook well.
What fry pan are you using? Maybe a heavier double layer pan would work better, Primus Campfire Frying Pan

For a replacement stove if so desired an MSR WindPro 2 would work very well. Remote canister, good flame control, large ported burner head, wide pot supports.
The Primus Essential stove set.
Dragonfly on the left, Alocs on the right and a Simmerlite botton, which is the same basic stove as a WindPro.
My WindPro at low flame.

butthead
 
Savage Voyageur
distinguished member(14416)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished membermaster membermaster member
  
06/08/2021 08:59AM  
I suggest you look into a small cast iron pan. You can do so much with cast iron. It’s an amazing addition to your cookware. You can get one from second hand stores for not much money. They transfer heat very well for pancakes, bacon, eggs, fish, biscuits. So my suggestion is to keep your stove and get a cast iron pan with a lid. To clean it you just wipe it out with a paper towel. I just got back from a trip and we used our cast iron pan twice a day over a stove. It also is great over a camp fire. To regulate the heat just move to pan closer or away from the fire.
 
cmayer37
member (26)member
  
06/08/2021 05:18PM  
I am using the GSI pinnacle fry pan. I will look into using a heavier weight pan as suggested. Thanks for the advice.
 
06/08/2021 05:52PM  
I used to bring cast iron and there's nothing better for even distribution of heat. If you like cast iron but want to save some weight, bring a comal.
 
06/08/2021 06:41PM  
I second the cast iron pan. I have a half dozen between 8” and 12”. One goes on every trip and is used for almost every meal. We trim weight wherever possible, but the cast iron always makes the list. It is perfect for the fire, and cooks great on my dragonfly. Wipe it out when you are done, stow it in a plastic grocery bag for travel, and clean well when you get home.
 
mschi772
distinguished member(806)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
06/08/2021 07:03PM  
fadersup: "there's nothing better for even distribution of heat"


I've got no beef with cast iron, but this myth couldn't be more wrong and has been busted many times. What it does do is hold heat really well and emits/radiates heat well once it has it which can be advantageous for certain things.

I like to grill fish on my Purcell Trench grate over a fire, but if I was going to do more cooking with canister stoves that my Kovea Spiders wouldn't be up to the task of, I'd get a Voyageur Stove.
 
RunningFox
distinguished member (230)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
06/08/2021 11:29PM  


Caphalon frying pan works well and won’t rust. Check Goodwill — You may find one. Coleman canister two burner. McAree walleyes.
 
OCDave
distinguished member(713)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
06/09/2021 10:10AM  
cmayer37: "...

... I don’t want to go with heavy stoves like Coleman double burner... "


With respect to the recomendations for cast iron skillets, it seems that is counter to your goals. It seems a wider burner while maintaining a small compact stove is your goal.

Consider the Primus Classic Trail stove. While this stove screws directly on to the canister, using an appropriately sized pan and a canister stand will provide a satisfying level of stability. This stove is inexpensive and WAY lighter than lugging cast iron into the wilderness. I picked up a few of these on sale at REI for $15 each to loan to my son's Boy Scout peers so they wouldn't need to carry Coleman 2-burners on backpacking trips. These stoves are great for simmering but, when high heat is needed they provide a widely distribute flame.

I LOVE my cast iron cookware. I have a Lodge skillet that sits on my stove top and I use everyday. I also have a Lodge Dutch Oven that I don't use as much as I should. I would never take either on a trip that I would need to carry them any farther than from my house to my car. If you prefer a pan as your solution, the Fry-Bake Deep Alpine pan is a great alternative to cast iron for any trip you will backpack or portage.

I have both the Deep Alpine and the Expedition sets. I use the Deep Alpine and a 12 cm IMUSA cup for all my cooking on nearly all my trips (1-3 people tops). If I were frying fish for a group of 4 or more, I'd consider the Expedition Fry-bake but, in all honesty I have had it for several years and never taken it on a trip.

Good Luck. I hope you find something that works for you.
 
06/09/2021 10:41AM  
If you get a cast iron or aluminum pan, be sure to season it before you go to use it. Do NOT wash with soap and water ever. I use a pan sized steel plate about 1/4th inch thick under mine to spread the heat and that works well with the pan's natural ability to spread the heat. For me, I think heat regulation is better also.
 
mjmkjun
distinguished member(2885)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
06/09/2021 01:40PM  
Classic Primus Trail camp stove w/canister stand or a Dragonfly stove and a carbon steel pan. Buy the pan and get familiar with it before your trip. The more you use it the faster it gets seasoned. Don't buy a paper-thin one from China as bottom will warp. Carbon steel is a compromise between cast iron and stainless steel.
 
portagedog09
distinguished member (162)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
06/09/2021 05:01PM  
+1 on the MSR Windpro, like butthead. Great for general pan frying as it has the largest flame head that I know of on a remote canister backpacking stove. There are several other styles/models out there with the same or same size flame head. I use the GSI Glacier Stainless fry pan - 10", but there's an 8" as well. Stainless inside over an aluminum core, non-stick, practically wipes clean. The heavier aluminum bottom also helps with heat disbursement without a diffuser disk.

Now for more of a deep fry - i.e. fish nuggets, I use my MSR Reactor with the 1.8L pot. It has THE largest flame head of any backpacking stove and produces gobs of heat that will keep the oil up to temp better than any other stove I've used. The narrow deeper pot concentrates the heat, but also limits the number/size of your fish pieces. Upside is cooking goes quicker. Note - the Reactor is NOT a good simmering stove.

pd
 
06/09/2021 06:13PM  
Cast iron on a single burner Coleman works for our group.
 
foxfireniner
distinguished member (204)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
06/10/2021 06:57AM  
I used to use Coleman Peak 1 stoves. Nice big flame area. The one them had the leather plunger bushing go bad in the middle of a trip so I decided to modernize.

First I got a pocket rocket...which, to your point, is like cooking with a torch. That is in my ditch kit now with nothing but stuff that requires boiling water.

Then I decided to stay on the canister path and got a Windpro. I use the Stanley Adventure cookset. I prefer to deep fry so I take a nalgene bottle of oil and funnel and reuse my fish frying oil all trip. The windpro deep fries like a pro. The skillet in that set is stainless with a heavy bottom and works great for frybread and tortillas, hash browns.

Then the Derecho hit my area last summer and I lost power for a week. I had to dip into my camping gear to cook. So I picked up the multifuel Dragonfly and it also deep fries for me very well. I also like the added stability over the Windpro.

I like the Stanley set but I ditched the bowls and replaced that space with a smaller pot. I even bent up an old aluminum plate and turned the big pot into a reflective oven. Made chocolate chip cookies, I did.

 
LarrySw45
member (46)member
  
06/10/2021 12:59PM  
I would respectfully suggest that you don't need a heavier skillet.
You need to put more oil in the skillet you have to transfer more
heat out to the edges. Like deep frying. The oil will circulate if you
use enough.
Larry S
 
Bromel
distinguished member(563)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
06/11/2021 04:51PM  
Just buy a used Coleman 400B or 442 stove on Ebay and call it a day. Excellent stove for frying fish with nice wide burner.
 
gotwins
distinguished member (267)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
06/11/2021 08:33PM  
Carbon Steel pans are like cast iron, only lighter. They are more responsive to temp changes on the stove compared to cast iron. I agree with the above, use a lot of oil for frying fish. We use a cast aluminium pan for our fish frying above the campfire, but have used it above 2 stoves when there was a fire ban. They are now hard to find, but the cast Al pans are former washing machine lids. Stu has a similar pan in his BWCA journal store, with slightly higher edges, which could be an advantage.
 
gotwins
distinguished member (267)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
06/11/2021 09:42PM  
Photos of the Maytag lid with walleye & lake trout


 
mjmkjun
distinguished member(2885)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
06/12/2021 06:04PM  
gotwins: "Photos of the Maytag lid with walleye & lake trout



"

Gotta love the smile. Feast!
 
cmayer37
member (26)member
  
06/12/2021 09:04PM  
Thanks for all the suggestions. I have several things to experiment with to see what helps the most.
 
06/13/2021 07:12AM  
cmayer37:
I don’t want to go with heavy stoves like Coleman double burner, and prefer the simplicity of canisters vs liquid fuel. Any advice is greatly appreciated. "


I love my Voyager stove. Two burner, stable and I don't have to bend over to cook. Heavy? Not really. Packable? Absolutely and it doubles as a dandy table.
 
joewildlife
distinguished member(605)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
06/14/2021 08:46PM  
Get one of these $15 stoves, they work great and have a good sized burner and simmer well. I cook fish nightly...last trip cooked at least two fish nightly for 13 nights and didn't kill a big cannister. I use a G3 pan, I think it is.
 
Jackfish
Moderator
  
06/15/2021 02:05PM  
gotwins: " "

Campsite on the west end of Ahsub Lake?
 
gotwins
distinguished member (267)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
06/15/2021 04:15PM  
Jackfish: "
gotwins: " "

Campsite on the west end of Ahsub Lake?"


You nailed it! May of 2021.
 
Tommygun33
member (5)member
  
06/26/2021 06:43AM  
I second joewildlife ,
I have been using this stove for 6 straight years with no issues. It is great for frying fish ,pancakes and all the real food. Can go down to a very small simmer flame and can easily support a 9 inch skillet . I 100% recommend
 
AluminumBarge
member (48)member
  
06/26/2021 12:31PM  
What kind of stove is this?

 
Kestrel222
member (17)member
  
06/26/2021 02:26PM  
I think it's this one that I found on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/HOUSWEETY-Lightweight-Classic-Backpacking-Canisters/dp/B00INN4KDO/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=camping+canister+stove&qid=1624735466&sr=8-5
 
06/26/2021 02:31PM  
Primus Classic Trail, a good canister top single burner. Or an oriental clone, several are made.
Housweety Stove is a clone with folding pot supports (somewhat flimsy) and a slightly smaller burner.

Kestrel222, it's simple to learn how to link websites and a courtesy to the other thread followers.

butthead
 
cmayer37
member (26)member
  
07/05/2021 06:47AM  
I got back a week ago from a trip into the south arm of knife and wanted to report back in appreciation for the advice members here provided. We had beautiful weather and a great trip!

Before the trip I purchased a primus classic trail stove and the the stainless steel primus campfire frying pan. The stove was a success and the much larger burner and 4 pot supports were definitely a big help. Was able to use without heat diffuser which resulted in more stable base for fry pans.

I am thinking about replacing my primus Eta stove with a second classic trail stove, my only issue is that the pot supports are too narrow for the Eta system pots I have -- will keep my eyes open for a stove with large burner and wider pot supports (each support would need to be about an inch wider than the trail stove).

The new frypan worked very well also, but not sure there was a big difference in temperature control between the stainless steel pan and the non-stick GSI pinnacle fry pan that I also brought along. I noticed the guys reaching more for the GSI pan as less food sticking when making eggs, etc.

Thanks again for the all the advice!
 
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