With the popularity of outdoor gigs soaring, the need for outdoor cooking stoves is higher than ever. There are many outdoor cooking devices out there, all enticing and effective. In this guide, we focus on white gas stoves. As the name suggests, a white gas stove uses white gasoline butane as their fuel.
There are hundreds of these stoves in the market, some are cheap while others are expensive, some efficient while some are not so efficient but it all comes down to your preferences and budget. The winter is chill is melting away and spring is slowly setting in. It’s a time when everything is blossoming, families are shopping for stoves to use in spring and summer.
Whether you will be using it for making meals under a tent or outdoor you can be sure that cooking on these stoves is a rewarding pleasure and you will enjoy the thrill. But to get the fulfilling experience out of the stove you’ll have to choose the right stove for the occasion; a versatile and portable piece.
There are a number of factors you must put into consideration when choosing a white gas stove. We went out and tested a number of stoves to determine the best of them and we listed them on this review so you will have a variety to choose from.
Things To Consider
The gas burner
The first thing you need to consider is how the stove works. How does it cook the food? The key question at this point is, what is the cooking style of the stove? Your choice will depend on your preferences. For instance, do you like cooking your meat fast or slowly? The moment you determine what your favorite style of preparing meat is, you are set to go shopping.
Does it have a warranty?
The gas stove could break down for some reasons. When this happens, you may have to write it off and buy a new one, but if it had a warranty you will get a replacement. I would recommend strong brands and brands with warranty. A good brand should have confidence in their products, that’s why good stoves come with a ten-year-warranty.
The cooking platform
Many grill manufacturers make very impressive castings which are relatively big compared to the size of the gas burner. The burner should not only be good but also proportional to the stove itself and should be positioned at the center of the casting.
If the casting and the burner are not proportional, the casting will have hot and cold spots. You can guess what effect that will have on the pot; it will be unevenly heated. The casting should ensure that the heat is evenly distributed over the pot.
Flame control devices
Fire can be very wild if not effectively controlled and this can make cooking an ordeal. Before you buy a gas stove, check out if it has working flame taming devices. Also, remember that the more exposed a burner is, the faster in consumes the gas. These devices will also limit how much of the oils, salt and grease get to the burner which reduces the lifespan of the burner.
Cooking grids
You need to examine the materials from which the cooking grids are made. However, most cooking grids are never much of an issue. Whether they are made of stainless steel, cast iron or coated with porcelain, a good percentage of cooking grids will work well as long as keep them clean and maintain them properly. Most white gas cooking grids are covered with porcelain so you need to clean it immediately you are done cooking (when hot).
Please be careful when doing that because most materials are very fragile when hot and could easily chip. When it chips, the underlying burner will rust and eventually its performance will deteriorate.
Grill temperatures
Some foods need high temperatures to boil while others cook well at low temperatures. A good stove should give you a wide range of temperatures. It should reach at least 500 degrees. For instance, steak will need very high temperatures to cook fast. A wide range of temperatures will let you cook delicate meals at your convenience without flare-ups.
Go through the reviews
Buying white gas stoves gets even easier, thanks to the internet. Today almost every company has an online presence, the internet is fast becoming the world’s economic hub. There are hundreds of reviews on these stoves on the internet. Before you make an order via Amazon or walk down a local store to buy one, take your time and read through the reviews online.
Comb the internet for a variety of white gas stoves and read through the reviews of customers who have had an experience with those stoves. Once you decide on a given stove, read about it on multiple platforms and see if customers have had some complaints concerning it and evaluate if it’s still good for you regardless of its shortcomings.
Do have enough space for your favorite gas stove?
The next thing you ought to do is to survey the available space. Do you have sufficient space for the stove and the gas container? It doesn’t matter how good your gas stove of choice is, if it is not going to fit in the space you are allocating it then you are not going to have fun using it, more so if you intend to use it in a tent.
If you are planning on using it for outdoor cooking then space will not be a limitation but if you want to consider the layout of your tent then space is going to be a major factor.
To get the best fit, read through the features of the stove on the manufacturer’s website, check out the dimensions of the stove then measure the available space to see if it would fit in. If it doesn’t I would recommend that you make a new outdoor kitchen with ample cooking space.
Capacity of the Stove
Is the gas stove man enough for the job you intend to do with it? Capacity in this context refers to the ability of the stove to pull out the job you intend to do with it. For instance, one stove can have enough fuel for you for a week’s camping but the same stove may not come with enough gas to sustain a family for the same duration.
If you are alone you will need less fuel and you will cook enough food fast using almost any stove. If you are camping with your family, your will need more fuel and a stove with the capacity to cook more food fast.
Weight, Size and Folding style
The weight, size and how it folds matters because they directly affects the mobility of the stove. If the stove is small and light it will easily fit into your backpack and it will be easy to carry around. If it folds into something small and compact then it would even fit into a smaller backpack and you can carry it everywhere during the hike.
There is a stove out there that will perfectly meet your outdoor cooking needs and I hope this review will help you narrow down to it.
White Gas Stoves Featured In This Roundup
Nova Stove Optimus
Weight: 15.2 ounces
Dimensions: 4.9 inches long, 3.1 inches wide and 2.5 height
Features: Multi fuel stove, boils a liter of water in 3 minutes, stainless steel coated with aluminium and brass, two tear warranty and accessories
Best use: Camping, hiking, outdoor cooking
The Nova Stove Optimus is legendary and forms the benchmark for an ideal outdoor white gas stove. No wonder it has won numerous awards since its launch. This piece has cooked thousands of meals for families and groups in the wilderness and often ends up stealing hikers’ hearts. Backpackers love it for its quick priming burner.
The aluminum pump is self-purging and has a reliable build-in cleaning needle which makes it easy to maintain. It is highly versatile giving different fuel options to choose from; you are not limited to white gas. The stove stands on a fully collapsible frame which makes backpacking even easier.
This phenomenal stove is continually upgraded and newer versions are released annually. The latest version has a power line control valve which adjusts the flame when you twist a green control knob at the edge of the valve. The fuel container is an Optimus fuel cylinder which is suitable for pressurized fuels and has a safety cap. These fuel containers are surprisingly light.
MSR XGK EX Stove
Weight: 13.2 ounces
Dimensions: 5 inches long, 3.9 inches wide, 3.5 inches height
Features: Multi-fuel stove, compact and easy, priming pad,easy to clean and maintain, high efficiency, heat reflector, aluminum wind shield
Best use: Backpacking stove, outdoor cooking stove
The MSR XGK EX Stove has been around for more than three decades and is still a favorite outdoor stove among many hikers. Its reliability in adverse, windy and cold conditions has made it a trusted companion of mountain climbers not to mention a powerful flame which melts large amounts of snow in short durations.
Recent versions pack smaller, making it one of the easiest gas stoves to carry around. It has retractable legs hence flexible enough to fit in small cooking spaces while the stability can be adjusted depending on the size and weight of the pot. This stove is the emblem of reliability among stoves.
It has been tried, tested and proven to be the ultimate mainstay of hikers and mountaineers for decades. Its performance and multi-fuel feature will always keep it among the top stoves.
KOVEA Booster Dual Max Gas Stove
Weight: 48 ounces
Dimensions: 3.5 inches long, 2.7 inches wide and 4.7 inches height
Features: Multi-fuel stove, fully collapsible, easy to carry, very efficient
Best use: Mountaineering, hiking stove, camping stove
The KOVEA Booster Dual Max Gas Stove is among the best stoves for many reasons. It has fully retractable legs for minimum space on your backpack and maximum stability to enhance pot safety. Its air shutter lets you control how much oxygen gets to the burner to aid the combustion of different types of fuels.
Despite the small size of this stove, it gives reliable stability for relatively large pots and an impressive performance in bad weather. When you receive the package, you don’t need a technician to assemble it, it comes with a step by step assembly guide. Other accessories include: a safety control set, flame adjustment valve and a pump.
MSR Dragonfly Stove
Weight: 27.2 ounces
Dimensions: 7 inches long, 7 inches wide and 7 inches height
Features: Multi-fuel stove, dual valve, powerful and durable, fully foldable , windscreen, aluminum heat reflector
Best use: Camping, mountaineering and Hiking
The MSR Dragonfly Stove is one of the most advanced outdoor cooking devices this far. Over the few years it has been in the market, it has won numerous awards majorly because of its fast heating ability. This stove was built to burn hot and it gives nothing short of that.
It is tough and works with a variety of fuels and the new innovative dual-valve design enables the user to enjoy full control of the flame. It best for fast cooking and melting snow.
The legs of this stove are fully foldable and spring open depending on the level of stability desired and folds to occupy small space in your backpack (folds to a third of its working size). This device can boil between 5.3 to 5.7 liters of water using 100 ml of fuel depending on which fuel you are using. Other accessories include: a windscreen, an aluminum heat reflector, spare parts and assembly guide.
Primus Omnilite TI Stove
Weight: 39 ounces
Dimensions: 8.5inches long, 4 inches wide and 6.75 inches height
Features: Super-lightweight stove, multi-fuel stove, very stable ,flame control valve, heat reflector, windscreen
Best use: Hiking and camping
The Primus Omnilite TI Stove was designed to handle harsh weather conditions, it produces a very powerful flame which is hardly influenced by outdoor winds. If you want a small, light, robust and efficient stove then look no further than this. The company continually improves their designs and we are always looking forward to the next version of the OmniLite Ti.
This stove is very stable and gives a steady flame in all weather conditions boiling a liter of water in about two and a half minutes. The stove has a flame control valve and comes with a number of accessories like heat reflector, a windscreen (foldable), an ErgPump with a self-cleaning needle, a storage bag and a fuel bottle.
Primus Multifuel III Stove
Weight: 70.1 ounces
Dimensions: 4.7 inches long, 4.3 inches wide, 4.3 inches height
Features: Multi-fuel stove, small, compact and foldable
Best use: Hiking and camping
The Primus Multifuel III Stove is known for two things; durability and versatility. It works well with a number of fuels; white gas, unleaded petrol, kerosene, diesel and jet fuel. Its flame burns steadily in harsh conditions to help you cook or melt ice in any weather.
The stove is small, compact and foldable therefore easily fits into a backpack. Its 230g gas can burns out in about 72 minutes heating a liter of water in 3 minutes and 10 seconds when running on kerosene. This stove comes with spare parts, a nylon bag, a windshield, an ErgoPump and a heath reflector.
Final thoughts
There are many white gas stoves and deciding on which one is good for your outdoor cooking can be a tall order. We hope that this post will make it easier for you. Feel free to consult or comment of this post and let us know what your favorite white gas stove is.
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