What it looks like How it works Kelly Kettle I'm posting this as a placeholder to come back to tomorrow. I'll work up more then. Also - A Russian Samovar See where this is going?
Fire in the pot with pot surrounding the fire and the chimney being the wall of the pot are works of art to me. All designed to get the most heat out of crappy fuel, burn straw, grass, animal dung, twigs, etc and were the honorable ancestor of the rocket stove concept. The Kelly Kettle is the only one I have really used and it never quits amazing me with its simplicity and efficiency. My only complaint is that I use it for water only and don't know what I would do if I didn't have vinegar to clean it with. It does not come apart to clean. Been a bunch of good cooking stove ideas in the last couple days, habachi, dutch oven, this one, and all are a very neglected area in long run after TSHTF events. While nothing beats a kitchen wood stove with warming oven and a water jacket to heat water, they are heavy, don't move well as they break at the drop of the stove, are expensive, and are now rare, most of us already have a grill. The gas ones are so efficient and handy, that most people use them, but once the propane runs out, you have had it. Nice to see some alternatives.
Thanks for your patience. I was struck by the Mongolian Fire Pot (MFP) in terms of being very appropriate for the rural population with access to 'traditional fuels such as coal, kero or other fuels. By the Numbers (HAP = Household Air Pollution - ie cooking smoke) Region East Asia and Pacific Country Mongolia Population 2,796,484 Percentage of population using solid fuels for cooking 70% Number of people affected by HAP 1,957,539 Number of households affected by HAP 652,513 Number of deaths per year from HAP 3,802 Number of child deaths per year from HAP 453 Urban population using solid fuels 60.9% Rural population using solid fuels 95%>no data Population using wood for cooking 34.0% Population using dung for cooking 23.3% Population using charcoal for cooking 0.2% Population using coal for cooking 19.4% Population using kerosene for cooking 0.0% Population using gas for cooking 0.3% Population using electricity for cooking 22.8% Population using other fuels for cooking 0.0% What solid fuel? Mongolians usually cook in a cast-iron or aluminum pot on a small stove, using wood or dry animal dung fuel (argal ie sheep dung) What do the cook on a regular basis? The nomads of Mongolia sustain their lives directly from the products of domesticated animals such as cattle, horses, camels, yaks, sheep, and goats, as well as game. Meat is either cooked, used as an ingredient for soups and dumplings (buuz, khuushuur, bansh, manti), or dried for winter (borts). The Mongolian diet includes a large proportion of animal fat which is necessary for the Mongols to withstand the cold winters and their hard work. Winter temperatures are as low as −40 °C (−40 °F) and outdoor work requires sufficient energy reserves. Milk and cream are used to make a variety of beverages, as well as cheese and similar products. Money quote - "The nomads on the countryside are self-supporting on principle." The MFP is well suited for soup, broth, stews, and other (mostly liquid) related food choices. Included images of the Kelly Kettle and Samovar to show the idea isn't unique to the Steppes. While the rocket stoves have, of late, shown an increase in efficiency (less fuel needed for cooking) I've not seen any comparison to other cooking means (like the MFP) in terms of food cooked/fuel used and 'best' type of fuel. Traditional hot pot in action. The short chimney version emits a lot of smoke ( HAP) - note how the pot cover fits the cooking bowl. I ws unable to find any kind of MFP with an extended chimney, this being more like a rocket stove. An interesting hybrid cooking system, to include a stove, and different pots is seen here () As mentioned earlier, Steamboat cooking (How to cook steamboat) I thought this would be of interest to folks looking for a low fuel usage, cooking device that is fuel type agnostic. Speaking of which, animal dung is still in use world-wide for any number of reasons (Dry dung fuel - Wikipedia) More here: Cooking with Dung - energypedia.info Why indoor smoke matters (Combustion of dried animal dung as biofuel results in the generation of highly redox active fine particulates) Conversion of dung to biogas hits the First World (Cow dung – a source of green energy -The official website of Denmark)
