Like countless others I’m staying at home to reduce the risk of spreading/catching COVID19. I spent two weeks in mandatory home isolation after returning to Australia from visiting family in New Zealand, and am now only leaving home for essential local trips such as grocery shopping.

To amuse myself I’ve been doing most of my cooking outdoors on the back deck using my Trangia, a twig stove and a small Australian made portable cooker called a Cobb Oven which runs on a few BBQ heat beads. So although my long cycle tour has been suspended, I’ve still had the fun of camp cooking at home.

I’ve discovered that methylated spirits (Trangia stove fuel) is almost impossible to buy. None in supermarkets, paint shops, DIY stores or camping stores. I eventually found some in a small suburban supermarket, and they are sensibly rationing it at 0ne bottle per customer.  Of course what’s happening is that the majority of ethanol supplies is being redirected to COVID19 prevention such as hand sanitation. Even local distilleries are now producing ethanol for sanitation instead of rum, vodka and gin. 

So if I had been out there cycle touring in regional Australia, I would have difficulty buying stove fuel along the route. Of course this would have been the least of my worries, with closed states borders and many rural communities now wanting no non-essential visitors.

Following are a few pics of the recent COVID19 self isolation home camp cooking creations. Recipes provided on request.:)

So, Graham, how many kilograms have you packed on with all that "quarantine camp" cooking and dining? ;-)

Yum!  I'd like the recipes...

I'm also curious about the extra bits you seem to have.  I just have the nonstick 27-5 (it and the larger 25-5 were the only options in western Canada at the time).  I see a nonstick frypan and another pan (the one you are cooking the sausages in)?  What are you cooking the bread/cake in?  And is that a cozy?  Do all these extras package easily with the stove set?

Boy, you are making me hungry!  Eat well, this too shall pass!

Bill I was really hoping someone would ask that question. I’ve lost 4kg in 16 days despite exercising far less than I normally do.

The reasons for losing weight I think are that I’m eating almost zero sucrose nor processed foods with hidden sugar, eating smaller portions and a lot less meat. So tasty treats at office morning teas, no muffins after training rides and so on.

Jacquie I have a few Trangia stoves inc non-stick versions of the 25 and 27 series. I made pot cosies for both sizes. They work really well, especially for cooking rice and pasta using less fuel. They pack small and weigh hardly anything.

The big frying pan (shallow wok) is an accessory the Cobb Oven which is similar to a mini Weber Oven but better.

The nutty fruit loaf is cooking in bread tin, another Cobb oven accessory. None of the Cobb gear is suitable for cycle touring but it is excellent for lightweight car camping, and back yard outdoor cooking.

For cycle touring, I only take  27 series Trangia. I have an old UL version but next tour I’ll take the non-stick model. It’s much easier to make fritters in the lid/frying pan.

Here is the nutty loaf recipe. Just about all the other meals I ad lib without recipes on the Trangia. The nutty loaf is not a cycle touring recipe. It’s an outdoor one I cook on the Cobb, not on the Trangia.

Maybe I'll try making some lunches with my Trangia in the back yard and improve my camp cooking.  I won't be experimenting with bread, though, because it's yeast that's impossible to find here.  I haven't looked for methyl hydrate (as we call it here) because I still have a big jug of it in the shed.

What do you use for a pot lid under the cosy?  I see Trangia makes a lid that would fit either pot but it's not available in Canada as far as I can tell.

A couple of times on the road I've used hand sanitizer as a fuel. Purell HS claims to be about 70% ethanol. It's not a really hot flame and take a bit of faith but it did eventually get my tea water hot if not to a roaring boil. I think one might get turned into Homeland Security for cooking with hand sanitizer these days!

I hope folks aren't using denatured alcohol as a sanitizer. In the US it can be over 50% methanol which is toxic and can be adsorb through the skin. My preferred brand in the US is Green Strip which is 96% natural ethanol. It burns the hottest and cleanest of any of the stove fuels I've used. In Canada I think they have a stricter formula because all I've used burn very hot and clean.

On tour by myself, I take a tiny Snow Peak titanium cook kit and a home made <50 gm alcohol stove.  I also have ~thirty year old Tangia 25 and 27 kits that are stainless/aluminum ply. They are the cat's meow for outdoor cooking. Trangia stopped making them maybe 15 years ago but I see them on eBay at a premium price from time to time.

I use either the Trangia frying pan  ie the actual  lid as the lid, or the Trangia colander/chopping board/pot cover which I have found to be very useful and multi purpose. This is an accessory I bought separately. It looks a bit like a mini frisbee with holes in it.

I made the cosy in two parts. The lower part slides tight onto the Trangia pot; then the top section fits over the lid as well as over the pot. So it double insulates the sides of the pot.

Robert I’m not sure why there’s a shortage. I don’t think it is because people are hoarding methylated spirits for hand sanitiser like they are hoarding toilet paper for some irrational reason. I think the shortage in shops is because production plants have been redirected to producing ethanol for hand sanitiser. I believe our methylated spirits (Diggers Brand) is about 97% ethanol so it’s good Trangia fuel. Burns well and cleanly. It can be diluted with water to get a cooler, longer burn time.