Kelly Kettle

[navyeyelasH]

Does anyone have one of these? How easy is it to get the fire going, I just watched youtube video where it took some gut over 30 minutes!

Also does anyone use it to cook on?

Thanks!

Ohh thanks Rven, do you use anything special to get it going? I'm thinking of using it at Glastonbury but not sure how much firewood will be left when we get there!

We love ours - but i wouldn't think of it as a means of cooking - we just use it to boil water.

I have (don't tell anyone - this is a deadly secret) a little tinful of cut up fire lighters that I use to get it going. You can do it with moss and twigs alone - but it takes ages, Firelighters give you boiling water in about 3 minutes!

I cannot imagine what the guy did to take 30 mins to get it going! Prayed for fire?!

After much reviewing and rambling on here, I fell in love with them, and dh bought me an Eydon one for my birthday. It's brilliant, and I cannot believe how quickly water boils once you've got the fire going. My first try was with just a piece of newspaper and some twigs, but I've since decided to use a tiny bit of firelighter with, it's just so much easier, and no more hassle to carry with. I wouldn't cook with it either though.

hmm I'm curious why you wouldn't cook on it? I was thinking of cooking a fry up on it?

There is a video here of someone improvising cooking on the fire pit. You can also get something that cooks over the chimney bit.

Well, I don't think it's warm enough really - you're using twigs for quick heat, and you can keep feeding the fire through the funnel. Once you've taken the kettle off though, you're using the material already there. I can see it being useful for heating up things, e.g. beans etc, but don't think it's really that useful for cooking.

In my experience the fire box thingy is better for a quick flare up to boil water, rather than maintaining the heat for cooking. I've never tried cooking on the chimney because it just feels too unstable.

If however you use thicker wood etc, you'd get proper coals after a while.

Missal - good point about heat. I was thinking of using the firepit part stand alone from the kettle though when cooking, would that make a difference heat wise?

Riven - do you reckon it gets hot enough then?

There are only 2 of us - but I was thinking of getting the larger kettle as that has a bigger fire pit which I assume means more heat??

We have one, but only the kettle bit to boil water for a cuppa.

It's BRILLIANT. I also use firelighters, though.

Well, I don't think it would, really. If that is all you have with you, yes, of course, you could put thicker pieces of wood on etc, but I cannot see how it is any different than just making a tiny tiny fire on the ground (obviously the base will protect the actual ground, but I mean from a heat point of view). With the kettle bit, the funnel itself means it's is incredibly fast for boiling water, but without the kettle, to me it just looks like a pot filled with burning sticks. Not slagging it off, I love mine, but I won't sell it as a cooking medium really.

We use a trangia, too, like Riven and it's dead easy and heats up soooo fast.

hmmm Missal I see your point re the funnel - is that what gets the fire really going would you say?

I'm trying to find something that does everything (ie cooks a fry up and boils water fast). If I take a one ring burner then I'd boil water in a pan rather than having to carry the kettle and burner, IYSWIM? So the kettle would be used.

Yes navyeyelash, I think so - air gets sucked in below and escapes through the funnel, so the same effect as blowing on a fire to get it going.

I won't use this as my sole source of cooking heat, so if you really only want one thing, I'm not sure I'd go for this. However, don't write it off just yet - it's SO much faster than boiling water in a pan, and costs next to nothing to run, so over time a lot cheaper than gas.

We got a trangia for £8 in Lidl.

FAB.

8 quid, what a bargain! i bought mine yonks ago and it cost a fortune

I think I might just risk it, normally I'd be able to pack a ring burner thing (it's a Trangia I'm sure - it's a friends not mine you see) and the kettle so it'll rarely be used for cooking and literally only ever for a fry up. I only want to take the one thing as I'll be using it at Glastonbury festival and have to walk about 1.3 miles with everything, so trying to pack light!

If I make a pan cosy and investigate some sort of super hot fuel (?) it might be ok. I know that gas, cylinders or petrol fuels aren't allowed though.

It even came with a little wind screen. Just get a bulldog clip to secure it and Bob's your uncle.

LOVE the Kelly Kettle for boiling up water for rice noodles, packet soups, tea, etc.

I think we already have a Trangia - it's from Lidl, just text my friend to confirm. But I'm guessing boiling hot water on that will be a bugger? And we will be boiling water more than cooking!

Riven, I nominate you to cook a fry up on your KK and report back . I'll buy you cake and tea @ the museum if I ever end up making it to a meet!

Are there cheapo Kelly Kettle imitations then? I would love one to play with (and we are taking my 10 year old nephew camping and I think it would be a good way to let him play with fire without the risk of exploding fuel) but can't justify £40.

Absolutely fabulous for teamaking. If you can find some the best fuel for a super speedy cup of tea is dead bracken stems.

Haven't tried to cook on it myself, but a friend has a cunning rocket stove made out of
two paint tins that goes over the base of the kelly kettle & cooks fantastically quickly.

I think that using the kellykettle itself as a stove you need a special holder thingy to go on the top of the kettle bit? At which point I guess it is kind of acting like a rocket stove . . . I would have thought it would be fine for fry-ups.