article of delight - korean butane stove

From years of camping in my Westfalia Vanagon Camper I eventually started to use a butane stove for cooking dishes that would cause permanent odor inside the vehicle. I would still cook things that does not create oil smoke on the inside kitchenette's gas stoves.

As soon as I equipped myself with a butane stove sky is the limit of what I could cook on the road.

stir fry of morning glory with fermented shrimp paste

Most Asian families that has a good cook would invariably have a stove or hot plate they can use at the dinner table. There are many dishes that one can enjoy eating as you cook.


I have this not so good looking butane stove which I have for over 2 decades - and I purchased it with a princely sum back then when they were relatively rare in North America. Today you can buy them for as little as $25 at most Asian grocery stores. You can also find them at your boutique kitchen supply stores for a very inflated price of $99 or more, and they all very much delivery similar performance.

this is a standard size - i have it for over 2 decades

All these stoves use a standard disposable 8 oz butane cartridge that cost as low as $1 each if you buy a 4-bottle pack. I have notice while the stoves may be made in many Asian countries (with the lion share from China now) the bottle always comes from Korea.

All these stoves has excellent burner heads that give out a very nice and even flame, in the entire range from low to maximum. Seeing the flame pattern of these burners you would appreciate how bad the flame on the all too over-hyped "sealed" burners of many household kitchen gas burners.

i love the graphics design of the two middle ones

with a korean "inverted wok" - it is a form of indoor korean grill

about a year ago i was shopping in the korean supermarket h-mart nearby and came across smallest one I've ever saw. Unlike most that suffers from the "race to the bottom" of manufacturing cost reduction, it one is endearingly beautiful. It has generous amount of gleaming stainless steel on the surfaces that soil the most. Instead of cheap stamped steel the grate is made of cast alloy. The chassis is made of enamel steel painted a fire engine red. It also come with a very well made storage case. Over the years I have found Korean products generally have excellent quality. Without hesitation I bought it and kept it for the rainy days.

mini ninja

iphone as a size reference - the pan on top is actually a wok with non-stick finish; it is also made in korea of thick cast aluminum

loading the butane cartridge

note the cartridge extends out at the back from the diminutive sized stove; depressing the lever on the left opens the gas shut-off built into each butane cartridge - it is a very well designed system

In the same store, I also found this wind shield made of stainless steel also made in Korea. It is a perfect match.

with the wind shield set up - the union is a marriage made in heaven

it folds and stored away in a compact container - it say "Made in Corea" with a misspell

stir fry anyone?

The wind shield is indispensable if there is even the minute of breeze while cooking outdoors. For me I camp often in very windy conditions in the Columbia River Gorge known for being one of the windiest place on earth for frequency. The breeze would cause you to waste a lot of fuel and you would have a hard time cooking a dish well.

napa cabbage with bacon bits

filet mignon with korean pepper

while shopping for a kettle this week I came across these salt and pepper shakers. i bought them for use in Tatyana for camping. the lid keep the content from spillage in a moving camper.

The lid is designed to stay in place by a designed-in detent when open and you can operate it in one hand

they replace the very tired ones made by rubbermaid which I had for a long time - no more looking for the misplaced lid; also the holes on the new shakers are bigger so works for more coarsely ground grains

Unmistakeably these shakers are made by the same Japanese manufacturer who makes the liquid dispensers I bought back from San Francisco.