Hotcans, Self heating food

[WB]

http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/94312/photos/PHOTO_4839266_94312_7161701_ap_320X240.jpg

I've 'acquired' a few of these recently and tried them out during a lengthy stay in Bunker drain. Despite what you may think they actually taste pretty yummy, and no need to carry around pans, stoves and other cooking guff with you!

Handy if you are spending the night underground or something. :thumb

[styru]

yep, we've reviewed various ones on here over the years. the hotcan came out best and is already the one listed on here on the catacomb packing list.

.

[WB]

Cool, have you a link to the original review?

[SparkUK]

How long did you spend in the concrete nightmare otherwise known as Bunker? I can't get out of there fast enough usually, never mind having dinner down there LOL. As for Hotcans, yeah they are deffo the best, I still have half a box knocking about.

[styru]

important to remember that a hotcan alone is nutritionally incomplete. if you want to survive properly it must be combined with other food groups as detailed below:






self heating meal can (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-heating_can) + self cooling beer can (http://www.newtechspy.com/articles06/miller.html) = total nutrition :thumb

.

[WB]

How long did you spend in the concrete nightmare otherwise known as Bunker?

5 hours, lol. We had our 'All day breakfast' at the RAEL chamber. :thumb

@styru Self Cooling beer + Self Heating food = Prohobonirvana :p

[Ordnance]

Cool Cans never really made it! Has anybody seen them on sale?

I have a few Hotcans in the car along with 'Self Heating' sleeves for 'Boil in the bag' but Hotcans win every time.

[diehardlove]

Cool Cans never really made it! Has anybody seen them on sale?

I have a few Hotcans in the car along with 'Self Heating' sleeves for 'Boil in the bag' but Hotcans win every time.

They used to do tizer years back that tasted cold but was all down to it having menthol or something in so not strictly cooling cans apart from that dont think ive ever seen them.I like the us mre ...

[satsukisan]

oh god i once got addicted to hot can coffee it was evil stuff made me look like a crack addict

[BenCooper]

Pfft, Jetboil FTW. Just as convenient, and not made of gristle...

[SparkUK]

If you're just wanting one hot meal I reckon it's Hotcan all the way, two or three and the Jetboil wins I figure.

[tucker]

They are good, but cumbersome. A small burner, gas bottle, enamel cup and tin of food can be packed away to the size of the average beer can :)

[Speed]

Exactly, they are good for what they are but if you require more than one a trip then go with a gas burner, metal cup and some cans instead. Id highly recommend that approach for the cattas, its alot lighter and less bulky, alot cheaper in the long run and you can make tea with it too!!

[Oxygen Thief]

Exactly, they are good for what they are but if you require more than one a trip then go with a gas burner, metal cup and some cans instead. Id highly recommend that approach for the cattas, its alot lighter and less bulky, alot cheaper in the long run and you can make tea with it too!!

Absolutely. We did the Hotcan thing for a while, but they're so heavy per meal, and after a while it's a limited choice. God for one meal on a day trip I suppose, but now we take more fresh bread and cheese, and various cans of anything we fancy. A micro highlander stove and small gas canister that's small enough to fit in a stainless steel mug that can be used to brew tea is the finishing touch.

[WB]

Yeah thats a fair point, if you are doing a stay of more than one night then yeah they are heavy things.

I was thinking of just single night stop-overs where you don't really need a stove, well not unless you can't live without tea. :D

PS, I hear ya on the value for money argument but I failed to mention the ones I 'acquired' were free.

[keffa]

The Jetboil used to be the darling of the army for exercises and such but it's so bulky (Comparatively that is, it probably seems small and compact to some) and it's boiling cup is a tad limited, plus there are a million and one things you can do to it that reduce the boil speed over time.

Much handier and smaller is the Optimus Crux (http://www.rvops.co.uk/optimus-crux-1593.html) and a mess tin. Takes slightly longer to boil water (Around an extra 30 seconds) but much easier for cooking up an "All in". :-)

To give you an idea of how small the Crux is, you know the concave bit underneath your gas canister. It fits inside that so the bottom is flush!

[diehardlove]

Absolutely. We did the Hotcan thing for a while, but they're so heavy per meal, and after a while it's a limited choice. God for one meal on a day trip I suppose, but now we take more fresh bread and cheese, and various cans of anything we fancy. A micro highlander stove and small gas canister that's small enough to fit in a stainless steel mug that can be used to brew tea is the finishing touch.

I used to think mine was small and lightweight with its folding legs etc but yours is wicked i want one just for the weight saving and how compact it is.

[Oxygen Thief]

The Crux looks nice, but it's pricey.

I've been using the same one of these for years...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000JXQABQ?ie=UTF8&tag=amazonbookshop-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000JXQABQ

[diehardlove]

Not that you can get much cheaper or lighter than ots but dealextreme have a tiny one and its cheap as chips.

[Oxygen Thief]

Not that you can get much cheaper or lighter than ots but dealextreme have a tiny one and its cheap as chips.

link ?

[diehardlove]

link ?

Cant seem to get dealextreme to work at the min but will get the link up the sec it sorts its self out,
This is what its called but there is loads of different ones on there.
Outdoor Portable Ultra Mini Stainless Steel

[Incognito]

Cant seem to get dealextreme to work at the min but will get the link up the sec it sorts its self out,
This is what its called but there is loads of different ones on there.
Outdoor Portable Ultra Mini Stainless Steel

think its this one
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/outdoor-portable-ultra-mini-stainless-steel-gas-stove-with-a-case-2-ag3-46371

[diehardlove]

think its this one
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/outdoor-portable-ultra-mini-stainless-steel-gas-stove-with-a-case-2-ag3-46371

Thats the one dam i cant even get on dealextreme but got these off google the folding silver one is spot on ive got it and its tiny.
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/outdoor-camping-mini-portable-metal-butane-stove-2-ag3-53134

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/ultra-mini-portable-outdoor-metal-gas-stove-with-a-case-2-ag3-52063


http://www.dealextreme.com/p/ultra-mini-portable-outdoor-metal-butane-stove-2-ag3-53147

[Carl747]

not sure if i like these hotcan things are they like the nescafe self heating coffee from a few years ago ? (if anyone can remember them lol)

Wasn't there a big problem with stuff used to heat leaking or something like that and a few people died or got very ill from it

[Oxygen Thief]

A hotcan is a full size can of food (crosse and blackwell I think) surrounded by a lightweight but bulky insulated heat pack. You have to pierce the heat pack four times. They don't always work 100% but normally no total failures.

[WB]

Wasn't there a big problem with stuff used to heat leaking or something like that and a few people died or got very ill from it

Nope, these use limestone & water which is totally non toxic.

@OT, i've never had one completely fail but sometimes they take a bit longer than normal to heat up.

They always taste better than expected I find. :)

[SparkUK]

I think the semi failure is down to how old they are, I figure factory fresh they are brilliant, I had a quantity straight from the factory and they were brilliant... ie about as hot as the sun but they have tailed off over the last two years or so. The ones I have now still work but they aren't as good.

[Oxygen Thief]

We only ever used brand new ones straight from the factory, and yes, brand new ones go off like rockets, mostly. Saying that, they were the most reliable of any self heating meal.

[keffa]

not sure if i like these hotcan things are they like the nescafe self heating coffee from a few years ago ? (if anyone can remember them lol)

Wasn't there a big problem with stuff used to heat leaking or something like that and a few people died or got very ill from it

Possibly a variation of the Magic can (http://www.snopes.com/horrors/poison/cokecan.asp) urban myth.

[Oxygen Thief]

Can't find self-heating coffee anywhere now, except for that minging shit with Guarana in it. What a waste of a hot expresso.

[SparkUK]

I think they get a little bit of moisture into the lime or whatever it is over time and lose a bit of oomph. I've never had a failure still and the stuff gets hot still though. I usually keep one in the car.

[Carl747]

Possibly a variation of the Magic can (http://www.snopes.com/horrors/poison/cokecan.asp) urban myth.

Maybe but it was the coffee ones and the heating leak leaking into the drink

i always like the self heating coffee myself

Nope, these use limestone & water which is totally non toxic.

@OT, i've never had one completely fail but sometimes they take a bit longer than normal to heat up.

They always taste better than expected I find. :)

So not going to leak and kill us lol

[diehardlove]

Exothermic reaction between h20 and calcium hydroxide,The reason they will lose efficiency is lime has tiny hygroscopic crystals in it,In other word the crystals pull water out the air or in the case of a sealed container the moisture when it was made and this causes a slow tiny exothermic reaction which sooner or latter will leave just the byproduct of the reaction,Its why concrete gets very slightly warm when its drying.
Bloody hell that took me ages to write lol

[Ordnance]

I think the Self-Heating Coffee was withdrawn because people complained it burnt their lips (to much in a hurry to let it cool a little maybe?) But it seemed to disappear overnight from Motorway Service Stations and the like OR perhaps Costa Coffee saw it as competition LoL

[Ordnance]

The Jetboil used to be the darling of the army for exercises and such but it's so bulky (Comparatively that is, it probably seems small and compact to some) and it's boiling cup is a tad limited, plus there are a million and one things you can do to it that reduce the boil speed over time.

Much handier and smaller is the Optimus Crux (http://www.rvops.co.uk/optimus-crux-1593.html) and a mess tin. Takes slightly longer to boil water (Around an extra 30 seconds) but much easier for cooking up an "All in". :-)

To give you an idea of how small the Crux is, you know the concave bit underneath your gas canister. It fits inside that so the bottom is flush!

Looking at the Crux, would it not be better to use a smaller circular can (as illustrated in the film) than a mess tin, as reducing the area to heat should speed it up a little, much as a JetBoil does? Mess tins are better with 'Boil in the bag' of course due to the size, but for a quick brew anyway...

[d86]

i've got one of these.

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/intensity-gas-stove-p158213

got it for £5.99 on a sale day.

the gas bottles are always on buy 2 get one free. @£2.00

along with me stainless mug (thanks dor the n.y.e tip on tht one o.t):thumb


and some £3.99 (set of three ) mess tins im sorted.

just buy rolls & sausages on the way..

simples...

t...:)

[keffa]

Looking at the Crux, would it not be better to use a smaller circular can (as illustrated in the film) than a mess tin, as reducing the area to heat should speed it up a little, much as a JetBoil does? Mess tins are better with 'Boil in the bag' of course due to the size, but for a quick brew anyway...

I do generally. A small pot. However mess tins still have their uses. :)

The jetboil relies on other factors such as its heating fins and conductive coating rather than shape or size of the boiling cup. However it's effectiveness reduces quite a lot over time and wear to the point where my 2 year old Jetboil now boils water no faster than the Crux.

[NickUk]

Hot cans are nice, but they weigh a ton. MSR Stove with small gas canister and mini mess tin is the way to go.