Wow great idea. I also like the little sterno cooker and it’s cheap too.
I used to keep sterno on hand when I lived in California because of the threat of earthquakes.
Thank you for the detailed explanation of how to make the cooker out of the coffee and tuna cans. Very easy to understand. :)
LOL - I really wasn't sure if you'd get that or not. I figured if you were interested and didn't get it I could go out and get mine and take pictures. This is something we did back when I was a kid in Camp Fire. Then, I did it with my kids also. But, besides that, we have always been able to use those in emergencies and get by fine. I actually have about 3 of the cans ready and maybe a dozen of the tuna cans ready. I need to make some more soon.
I also like that little sterno stove because it's so cheap. It also folds up flat so is easy to keep stored when not in use. VERY compact. We've had emergencies where I was able to use as many "burners" as I needed to make breakfast and other meals. I have a percolator that's for camping, made to use over a camp fire. It takes a long time for a whole coffee pot of water to heat and I think I had to use 2 cans of sterno to keep it going one time but it does work!!!
Also, on those cans, you *can* just cook on the top surface of the can if you're frying bacon and eggs. There's enough of a lip there that it'll hold the grease of a couple of slices of bacon. Fry the bacon then use the grease for the egg and you don't need a pan. Cooks faster that way. Just enough for 1 person though, which is also why I have multiple cans.