Cheap Preps: 'Fancy Heat' an Alternative to 'Sterno'

"Fancy Heat" is a wonderful Dollar Tree item to add to your preps. It is a cheap generic version of Sterno. It can used for an emergency heat source, can use it to cook food or for camping. These cans of of "Fancy Heat" only cost a dollar plus tax. You can light 'em and they'll last about 2 to 2 and a half hours each and you can refill them. There you go another prepping item that won't cost you hardly anything.

[@robertmoore4637]

I’ve used the Walmart stuff. Worked great for me. I never thought about refilling them. Great idea. As a kid in deer blinds, we used a metal coffee can with a toilet paper roll and alcohol.

[@Deorse]

Yep, I've done that except I used an old metal paint can instead.

[@SL-ui9dd]

....... learn something new everyday. 👀

[@weatherstorms]

You can refill with denatured alcohol, and will be great as a little alcohol stove with carbon felt in it. :)

[@christinawalker7743]

Thank you for sharing.... I just picked up 10 cans using for S’more’s 🤪

[@Deorse]

Awesome. I hope that worked out for you.

[@Gigi-uy3wt]

Thanks for the vid! Learned something new.

[@Deorse]

Excellent to hear.

[@weatherstorms]

Also keep the fancy heat cans when fuel runs out. They make a great alcohol stove when you refill it after putting carbon felt inside. :) Try to avoid 91 % alcohol. It burns uncleanly with that yellow flame. Plus it blackens the pot with soot. Try denatured alcohol or yellow bottle heet. It burns blue, and does not leave behind soot.

[@Deorse]

I'm well aware of the soot. I'm not entirely sure where I'd find denatured alcohol, Walmart and Dollar Tree only only sell 50%, 75%, and 91% isopropyl alcohol.

[@xenaguy01]

@@Deorse
Denatured alcohol is used as paint remover/thinner. It is ethyl alcohol, like what goes in booze, that has been _"denatured,"_ or poisoned, with methanol to prevent human consumption. You find it in the paint department of Walmart, Lowe's, Home Depot, Ace, or any other hardware store. It is sometimes known also known as Methylated Alcohol.
You can also use straight Methanol ( also called methyl or wood alcohol), also found in the paint section. This is also the ingredient in Heet gas line antifreeze (yellow bottle), found in Walmart or auto parts stores.
Of course, isopropyl is much cheaper.

[@DowJonesDave]

I'm looking for something to cook canned food in case of power outage. This looks like just the thing. I don't want to have to use water to wash pots and pans, so my plan is to just use this to cook in the cans. Put just a small amount of water in a small pot with the can in it and heat that over a sterno rack to avoid burning the wrapper and glue that's impossible to remove (have a steel toaster oven rack for a grille).
Also a large stash of plastic forks (once again to avoid using water to wash dishes).

[@JAD1DAD]

Have you tried refilling with 1k kerosene to see if you could increase burn time? Also, 70% isopropyl alcohol will burn longer than 91%.

[@Deorse]

That's a good point, but 70% isopropyl alcohol won't burn as hot either, these barely put out enough heat to bring a single cup of water to a boil.

[@ungratefulpeasant8085]

I saw those at the dollar tree and wondered if you could cook over them.

[@Deorse]

Yes you can. They don't produce the same BTU's of heat as a LP gas camp stove but you can cook on them. They just take a little longer to heat and they're limited to what they can cook.

[@bonitajones430]

Can you reuse as oil burners? Either K1 or vegetable oil?

[@Deorse]

I would be careful about using anything else other than rubbing alcohol or denatured alcohol. I don't think that vegetable oil will work. I would be careful about using kerosine. Kerosine is meant for lamps and specialty made heaters.

[@carolw.4043]

Talking about emergency heat and it's 97 here...lol

[@christopherhorton821]

It's better to use denatured alcohol.

[@Deorse]

Yeah, but isopropyl alcohol is easier to get ahold of, though.

[@christopherhorton821]

@@Deorse That's true but breathing in isopropyl alcohol is bad for you.

[@foxfews3428]

great vid thx for the review mate. just got a clue from a guy on my server #142rr3
on how to get some fire going in bugout survival cases.

[@Deorse]

Great to hear.

[@Lilmissflawless]

Can you toast marshmallows with this?

[@Deorse]

Yes.