Friday, November 25, 2011

Camp Stove with 30,000 BTU Burners

I’ve been wanting this propane Camp Chef camp stove with the 30,000 BTU burners for several years and finally this Black Friday it was on sale for $79 regularly $120 and now it’s mine.

The two main reasons I wanted this stove is for canning and brewing. Canning is very time consuming and the 30,000 BTU burners will heat the water and bring it to pressure much quicker than the kitchen stove or a typical 10-12,000 BTU camping stove especially when you do 6-8 canning loads a day. It is also useful when cooking for large groups where large pots are used when cooking a dozen or two ears of corn, big pots of Chili, boiling potatoes etc.

Propane Consumption:
Running one burner wide open (30,000BTU’s) will burn for 15 hours using 20 lbs. of propane. However you would not normally do that because once the food or water reached temperature you would dial down the flame to maintain a cooking or processing temperature therefore using much less propane.

The stove is called the Explorer by Camp Chef Model Number EX60LW. http://www.campchef.com/explorer-2-burner-propane-stove.html

Features:
Two 30,000 BTU burners
Three-sided windscreen
Fully adjustable heat-control dials
Regulator and 3 ft. hose included
Removable legs
Portable

Product Specifications:
Stove Dimensions: 32 5/8" x 14"
Height: 29"
Total Output: 60,000 BTU
Weight: 40 lbs.
Warranty: One Year

Manufacturer Comments:
The Explorer stove is designed for the true sportsman. This is a rugged stove with intrigue and attitude. Features two 30,000 BTU/hr commercial cast burners. It is great for all types of outdoor cooking. Rugged cooking surface pattern reflects this outdoor appliance's strong performance capabilities. It is preferred by family campers, hunters and scout groups.

One of the great uses for this stove is Emergency Preparedness. You can call it anything from Disaster, Emergency or Survival Preparedness; but either way it's something that's on a lot of people's minds these days. We feel it's very important that all households have at least a 72 hour kit and some food storage. More than likely with a disaster you'll not be able to use your home stove or range, so the perfect fit for that is this stove. A way to cook your food or boil your water should be on any emergency preparedness check list. This stove will boil water fast, making it safe to drink, then cook you a great meal. One 20 lb tank (not included) can get you 15 hours of cooking time. Hopefully, you would not have to use this stove for anything more than patio and camping, but if disaster strikes, you'll be ready.

Summary:
I think it is a wise addition to my preparedness tools. It is well built and I expect many years of service from it. It comes with the hose and regulator. I currently have on hand two 30 lb. propane tanks for its fuel source.

Here are some pictures of my new stove:



9 comments:

  1. I have a gas stove that will still work when the power goes out. I also have a turkey fryer that does the same thing. I imagine getting propane might be the problem.

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  2. That is impressive looking. If we didn't already own two turkey fryer burner/stands I'd put it on the to-get list. And what a way to use the dreaded Black Friday! Now that's something worth buying on that crazy day!

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  3. Becky,
    You’re lucky to have gas. I had it in Illinois, but here in Florida it is rare and almost no natural gas in the state. So during power outages, that are becoming more frequent the last few years, I have my camping stove and now my Camp Chef portable stove. Like you I have a turkey fryer that I want to make a set of legs to raise the height to the same level as the camp Chef. This way I’ll have three burners at a counter height and that should make large amounts of food processing easier.

    Unless our oil supply is totally cut off, I don’t believe propane will be too difficult to get because it is a by-product of gasoline and diesel fuel production. It may be hoarded by many for a while but that should settle down after a month or so.

    Then again, there is always the trusty old campfire!

    Mike

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  4. Carolyn,
    Sometimes Black Friday has some useful items on sale! It is a nice solid piece of equipment. I originally saw it at the “Granny Miller” blog where she used it for canning. She was a great writer, teacher and video maker. It’s too bad see decided to change her format and during a blog site save she accidentally deleted the entire blog……… and can’t retrieve it.

    Mike

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  5. I love your stove. It is exactly what I need for all my cooking and canning. My Jenn Air is worthless. It has 2 very small burners. I have to put hot water into my WB canner, then put it over both burners to heat it. It takes forever. I have to do the same to boil water for pasta. Someday...

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  6. Rose,
    I know what you mean. I have a GE electric flat top range and the burner BTU just isn't enough to can with or cook 2 gallons of soups etc without taking more time than I have plus I'm affraid the weight will crack the stove top.

    This coming weekend I'm going to make 3 gallons of laundry detergent and this camp stove should heat the water in no time. I'll let you know how it goes!

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  7. My husband purchased this stove for camping and it's great - you will love it! I am starting our family's food storage and I know that he would appreciate a pantry as functional and organized as yours. Thanks for sharing all the photos and info.

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  8. I am looking to purchase this exact stove for an expedition camper and am wondering about propane consumption rates. Obviously it will burn through a tank rather quickly on full throttle, but how long will a tank last with lower demand cooking like making eggs every morning? I want to get a rugged unit, and this one looks the part, as well as having the ability to boil large amounts of water quickly but also able to handle lower temp cooking. Propane refill is difficult south of the border (Central and South America) and I want a unit that won't bleed me dry.

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  9. Kyle check this post. It about propane consumption with a camp stove that has 10,000 btu burners. This should give you an idea of what you will use. I never did a test with this camp chef but assume it will be similar for small amount of cooking needs.


    http://www.livingprepared.blogspot.com/2009/05/cooking-with-propane.html

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