Simple Tin Can Stove

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  Make this easy-to-build and easy-to-use, one-pot cooker in under an hour. 
  Photo By Walt Lund

I recently Googled “rocket stoves” and was inspired to build this version. I started with an empty soup can, a half-gallon juice can and a gallon can, and within an hour, I had a tin can stove I could cook an individual meal on.

To assemble: Near the bottom of the two larger cans, using tinsnips, cut a hole in both big enough for the soup can to just fit into. Nest the half-gallon can inside the gallon can.

Push the soup can, minus its top and bottom, through the holes in the nested cans. Fill the space between the gallon and half-gallon can with perlite or dry wood ashes for insulation. Find some kind of small grate to put on top of the can to hold your cooking vessel.

To start the fire, I dropped a piece of newspaper into the upright cans, inserted a handful of dry twigs through the soup can, and dropped in a match from the top. Within a few minutes, I had enough heat to boil a hot dog in beer. 

Walt Lund 
Kalkaska, Michigan