Hi , need a new cooker for six people. Everyone says colemans duel fuel stoves are fast and ecconomical, but no one says what they are like to actually cook on. Can you control the heat, simmer on one and boil on the other for example. Please help!!
Hi - we have a coleman duel fuel stove and so long as you plan your meals and prepare well, two burners should be sufficient to cook for 6. we also have the coleman family cookset but find that to use the two larger pans, I have to fold back the side wind guards.
The main burner is the one to use for boiling and the ancillary burner for simmering or warming but the stove is very powerful and it does take a bit of getting used to.
The main burner adjustment also adjusts the ancillary burner so I find that if I need more power on the main burner, I have to turn down the ancillary burner. I have found the stove is so powerful that it is easy to overcook or burn food whilst using for the first few times. My advice is get one, you'll not regret it but keep the main burner low!
Yes, you can. Either make a casserole or stew, or quick fry a steak, make pancakes or fry an egg, bacon either on gridle or pan. All works great. Mine works even better than my oven at home!
Hi JD001,
Sounds like you are an expert on these cookers. I don;t quite follow what you are saying about the controls... to have main burner on full the anxillary one has to be lowered? I thought not having independant controls mean;t both high or both low, but now i think you are saying they share the same power source and it is divided giviong the main burner priority? Have i got that right?They now make a triple burner that might hold bigger pans but the gas source would be shared again?
Given that we only camp once or twice a year for about a week is this cooker ever going to be mastered? We have been using single burners but it was all getting too risky balancing them and as they only take smalll pans cooking large amounts took forever. Is a coleman the best solution do you think or would a camping gaz one be better,We don't have anything fancy like cooking kitchens, just a table outside. Thank you very much for your info, it really helps sort it all out.
I own a Coleman too and i think its a great cooker. To cook with two pots you might have to widen the wind breaks attached to the side but it works well. the main fuel valve feeds both burners but there is an auxilary vavev on the side to control the second burner, its just the case of getting the mixture balanced so both burners are under your control.
By gas source i assume you mean petrol, because the stove runs of unleaded fuel
I'm really getting there now. I also found some instructions on a manual on the Colemans web site. One more question though please. Do you need to empty and pack away feul tank after each cook, and does it get very hot, especially under neath. We generally cook on a plastic table, would this still be OK. Also in the morning we tend to emerge in dribs and drabs, and each make our cuppa as we get up. Would this stove be a real flaff to do this. We couls still use the single burners we have for individual cups of tea i suppose. I can see real advantages to this cooker for a big meal....but is it good for convenience and quick cuppas? Also is it absolutely a no no to cook in the tent with it and would it cope in light rain out side/Thanks again for your help.
The fuel tank isn't very big and during the week you will probably need to refill it depending on how much you use it, just judge it so you use all the fuel as a percausion i dont pack it away full of fuel.
cant remember how hot the base gets as i always use it outside of the tent on the ground, i dont cook in the tent as i have a little 7 yr old who likes to run around and being petrol god forgive if he was to knock it over inside a tent, if you are using a plastic table try insulating it with something between the cooker base and plastic top, wooden chopping board or something just to be on the safe side.
rain will not effect the cooker the secret to successful cooking on this stove is to prime it right before cooking, just a matter of pumping the primer about 30 times to get a nice clear blue flame, i also tend to use the better quality unleaded so not to clog up the jets. Coleman insist that you use there fuel but i have not yet tried it, i like the idea of just carrying a small about of petrol and not worring about taking huge gas bottles and regulators with me. But to answer your question about cooking inside the tent only you can decide how safe it is. Read some of the forums about this subject like i say with the little one around i wouldn't chance it.
hope this answers your questions satifactory Anxious i am now off to norwich camping for the week so wish me luck that the weather stays calm
These are definately the most efficient and powerful cookers but PLEASE don't use unleaded petrol with them... not only does it clog the generators but it stinks and is REALLY bad for you health.
Coleman fuel is clean but much too expensive in the UK, but you can buy a really clean petrol called Alkalate Petrol which is around £12 for 5 litres and that would last you about two weeks solid! Try googling 'Aspen 4T' and you'll soon find an outlet for the stuff.
You'll find lots of info on this forum and the web regarding these excellent cookers... happy camping !!!
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