Easy emergency stove/candle from a can of tuna in oil

Originally posted by RavenSpeaks

Try using fiberglass insulation as a wick. You can find it
in your attic and also on insides of electric ovens and refrigerators.
It lasts a lot longer than cotton wicks.

That is an excellent suggestion thanks, I'll keep it in mind.

Originally posted by trig_grl

These crisco tubs work pretty well and last for about 14+ hours...if you buy the bigger cans then you get longer burning time, and the off brands are cheaper too.

Thanks for the shout out, 14+ hours is pretty impressive

Originally posted by kettlebellysmith

don't forget olive oil. it is smokless and oderless when burned. it gives off a decent light. I can't speak to the point of it getting hot enough to cook with.

If you make multiple wicks for the oil (like in my bowl-lamp pic earlier) then yes, absolutely, cooking is more than possible

reply to post by butcherguy


When it's very cold outside, your body needs all the fat/calories you can throw at it to stay warm. I can't tell you how many times I've been winter camping in -20F weather or colder, wondering if I was going to wake up alive. After eating something with a lot of fat, I can actually feel my body temperature rising inside the sleeping bag.

It didn't take many camping trips to get my 50 below patch that winter!

reply to post by grainofsand


Excellent thread and thank you for the info. S&F.

This kind of thing has been on my mind a lot lately. I love sausages and eat them a lot but I'm always left with a full coffee mug of solid fat afterwards. I hate chucking it away but haven't currently got the time to treat it to make it usable, and from the YT vids I've seen it takes loads of energy to prepare it which to me at least seems pointless.

Also about a year ago I started collecting junk mail and envelopes etc, for fuel in a little paper powered stove I plan on making. It's amazing how much paper I get through the letter box every month. I can fill a wheelie bin in two months, and thats with compressing the paper and the fact that I live alone so I'm only recyling my own mail. I used to hate getting mail now I love seeing a massive pile on paper on the floor by the door every morning.

reply to post by grainofsand


The simple tricks are the real winners in a survival situation,and this is a real peach.
No specialist tools needed,you got a can of tuna,a nail/knife and some string and off you go.

great survival advice!

great idea,

also like the wire and wick in a bowl idea as well. pretty cool

reply to post by rickymouse

We keep some cans of tuna by our stash of ApocalypseCuisine-the hubby loves it.Which helps out a lot on the occasions i run out of catfood,we live outa town+gas is too expensive to go in just for 1 or 2 things.So i cook a pot of rice+mix it with a can of tuna.They propably wish it would happen more often! Also,what they don't finish, i add to the dogs' pellets for extra nutrition.Anyway,this is a very helpful tip,OP,s+f.

reply to post by lasvegasteddy

I've been wondering about that? I live in South Africa,and we used to have a thriving seafood industry,but now all the canned tuna labels here state "produced in Thailand".Depressing.If it came out of SA waters,i would feel there's not reason to be concerned,not yet,anyway.Im not the type who worries about every single morsel i put in my mouth,because i try to always buy fresh and healthier options for my family,anyway,but still..the Fukushima thing has one wondering,when its a sea product from that side of the world.Where does most of the US tuna supply come from?

Thats an awesome idea! Thanks for the tip !

reply to post by grainofsand


Awesome thread! I'm a cook and we use heating lamps like this to keep food warm in holding trays for a few banquets we do. Only the tuna can double as a warm meal! I might try this just to do it and cook dinner that way tonight lol

reply to post by grainofsand


s&f

That is a very useful technique.
It is now filed in the back of my brain in case of SHTF or...camping even...I might try that

Thanks for all the comments folks
I actually eat a lot of tuna because I carry out pretty physical work and it's very easy protein straight from the can. That said, there's always a can or two in my work backpack and in the back of the car if I'm driving any distance...just in case.

On a related note, but regarding rising food prices, the very same can in the OP cost just £0.45 eighteen months ago, but is now £1.05 in the same supermarket. If you're noticing the same thing in your area (and able to) I would definitely suggest making a few bulk buys, if only to combat the price rises. They have a long shelf life, and if you never need them for any alternative emergency reasons, you could at least save yourself a few pennies.

I can only comment on the UK situation, but if you really want to save money you can register yourself as a sole trader with the tax authorities (hmrc.gov.uk...) then when you get the relevant confirmation paperwork through, print out some letterhead paper & business cards and take it all to a local food wholesaler to get a trade card. This will save you a fortune, and if you don't want the hassle of filing tax returns, just inform the tax people that you've ceased trading as soon as you get your trade access to the wholesaler

*Edit* If you feel that's a little dishonest though, it is really simple to just file a return once a year showing no business income, and perfectly legal. We all run with our own moral concerns though, so don't listen to me as advice, I'm just providing the info for anyone interested.

thats a really awesome idea, and so practical as it last so long and heats your scran too!

i do quite a lot of woodland and ancient crafts and stuff, and with some students of mine we had to fill some time in a stone age crafts session, so we made some lamps from stuff we foraged in the woods...

we found some sandstone lumps, rubbing two together actualy produces flat surfaces after a short while, so we fashioned them in to roughly a half brick size. then we made a circular depression into them about as wide as a mug and an inch or two deep, using the broken edge of palm sized pebble.

then we stood up a piece of punky (ie dried and rotten) wood the size half a little finger in there (taken from inside a hollow dying tree), using several tooth sized pebbles to brace it in place in the depression and stop it falling over.

we had to cheat for "oil" fuel though, using butter we bought with us for our toast, but if we were real cave folk we'd have had bear fat to render down etc etc, though with another group we also used bacon fat that we had warmed on a stone by the fire (again, for snacks) .. as long as you can melt a little of the oil into the punk wick, and then cover the pebbles with the oil they work a treat, fairly wind resistent and giving off a surprising amount of light for a couple of hours too.

it only took about 15 mins to make, and to top it off we light them via a bow drill fire

we also used small rushes/cattails and slices of fomes fomentarium (sp?)/tinder hoof fungus for wicks another time too

gotta love making stuff when you're outdoors!



ETA: i did have a camera phone pic of one but cant locate it... yet

a reply to: grainofsand
Bump because I did this the other day lol, easy candle and tasted lovely cooked, I keep a can of tuna in oil in my general day backpack.
Small and a good protein hit if needed...and an emergency stove/lamp #carryacan

I've been having trouble getting my Franklin stove to light and stay lit while it catches fire. I'll be trying a variation on this. I also have a BIG jar of bacon grease. It isn't clear enough to use for cooking; but I can run a paper towel through it and us it so start my Franklin..,.

Thanks for bumping this thread.

a reply to: Graysen
I had to Google Franklin stove, jealous as, I'd love one!
Left town this weekend but made sure I had that can of tuna in oil in my backpack. Takes up no space but could come in handy.