A camping stove is a portable outdoor cooking gadget. There are many different camp stove sizes and weights available, but the two main types are canister and liquid fuel designs. Backpacking stoves are the most compact, lightweight models, while family-size cooking equipment often features several burners. The basic camping stove construction is a metal case-like lid and frame that contains cooking elements as well as lighting features. Camp stoves are made for outdoor use only and should never be used indoors.
Canister styles of camping stoves are considered the easiest to use since the cooking flame can be controlled by turning a knob. Propane, butane or a blend of these two fuels are often used in the canister. The canister typically looks like an oblong-shaped metal piece; it attaches to the burners and is usually located on the outside front of the camping stove.
Liquid fuel camp stoves have a tank that may take white gas or kerosene. It should be noted, however, that the type of fuel these types of camping stoves are designed for depends very much on what heating resources are available in the part of the world in which they are sold. No matter the kind of heating material used, a liquid fuel camping stove has to be started by pumping the tank to pressurize it. It takes more time than a canister stove to get the temperature ready for cooking.
Some family-size camping stove styles are large and sturdy enough to hold big cooking pots, such as those used to boil corn on the cob. Larger outdoor stoves have more than one burner. Many backpacking stoves are so compact that they can fit inside a smaller pot or pan, yet can be folded out into a small, one-burner cooking gadget at the campsite. Backpackers, like campers who haul their outdoor gear on car trips, need to cook outdoors, but as they're hiking and carrying equipment, compact, lightweight stoves are important.
A camping grill is usually considered a great feature of any type of outdoor stove. It's a metal rack designed to fit above the elements; this bonus feature comes with many different brands of camping stoves. While the regular camping stove rack is made to hold pots and pans, a grill is designed for cooking meats such as steaks, hot dogs or hamburgers directly on the metal. A grease pan located under the stove's elements typically collects the drippings.