arnold
2008-10-09 22:25:20 UTC
LTR Coleman Eventemp 3 Burner Stove Arnold
URL for HTML in test folder (tinyurl was down- sorry)
http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/test/TESTS/LTR%20Coleman%20Eventemp%20%203%20Burner%20Stove%20Arnold/
test version below
LONG-TERM REPORT
LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS
I used the Coleman INSTASTART in eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. Locations included my yard, the yards of relatives and friends, and day picnic areas. I car camped at Harold Parker State Forest in Massachusetts. Temperatures were between 55 F (13 C) and 95 F (35 C). There were mild winds at times and a few short periods of rain. I used a 20 lb (9 kg) propane tank for all my tests during this period.
PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD
I used the Coleman INSTASTART for 7 cookouts, consisting of 3 at my children's houses, one at my granddaughter's house and 3 at my house. I used the griddle exclusively for all these cookouts. I grilled steaks, pork chops, and marinated pork chops at the cookouts of my relatives. There are some differences between using a BBQ and the griddle that I noted when I was grilling at my daughter's and my son-in-law was using a BBQ. Getting the Coleman griddle up to temperature was a lot quicker than the BBQ. A comparison of cook times is not relevant since I was cooking items that were thinner. The amount of space required was about the same, but the Coleman was a lot more portable. The Coleman and large propane tank fits easily into my Toyota Scion Xa. Assembly of stove, tank, manifold and hoses is all done by hand without the use of any tools. I find it a lot easier to cook most food on the griddle compared to a fry pan. I find the cleanup
a lot easier with the griddle. Before using this Teflon coated griddle I was skeptical of using non stick cooking devices. The larger cooking area on the griddle makes it easier for me to cook. Part of that is I am using both hands to turn things on the griddle. With most fry pans I am using one hand to stabilize the pan and the other to turn items over and this is not always under full control.
I used the Coleman INSTASTART 3 times at my house for trying things before cooking for a larger group of people. When I cook fish the results are not consistent, but with the Coleman my cooking improved. The biggest advantage is that cleaning up is a lot easier. When it was really hot during the summer, I would cook up enough meat for several meals. I found that when I did this the cooked meat was less likely to dry up after being cooked. I could now cook ahead enough for several meals and notice very little change in taste over the next few days.
Car Camping
I car camped twice for 3 days each time at Harold Parker State Forest. On the first trip, we found that the griddle was forgotten. This meant some modifications had to be made in order to cook the bacon, eggs, and pancakes. The bacon was cooked in a fry pan with the large burner. I then used the fry pan to cook the pancakes and eggs on the middle burner where I could use a lot lower heat level. Some pancakes did get a little burned but the result was edible. I used some enameled plates to keep the cooked items warm until all items were cooked. We came home for a few days and returned for another 3 days, this time with the griddle. Leveling the stove provides an easy path for the grease to flow into the grease pan. I did this by using dead tree branches and placing them under the plastic feet of the stove. Note the branches in the pictures below with the griddle in use. I did this by eye and it worked very well. I have sometimes
used a level, but I can do almost as well by placing water in a pot and putting it on the stove. This time the bacon was cooked first on the griddle using the 2 large burners. When the bacon was cooked, I turned off the large burners and moved the bacon to the right side of the griddle. I then cooked the pancakes on the middle burner in batches of 4 pancakes. It turned out the large burners were too hot for pancakes and they burned easily. It is easier for me to cook on the griddle than using the fry pan. When the pancakes were done, I used the middle burner to cook the eggs over easy. Other than the yolk not staying intact they came out okay. I did try grilling onions, peppers and summer squash on the griddle. This requires a little more care, but being able to use both hands to turn the vegetables helps a lot.
<<IMAGE GOES HERE. ALT TEXT = "IMAGE 3" IMAGE CAPTION = "car camping without griddle">>
<<IMAGE GOES HERE. ALT TEXT = "IMAGE 4" IMAGE CAPTION = "car camping with bacon pancakes and eggs">>
<<IMAGE GOES HERE. ALT TEXT = "IMAGE 5" IMAGE CAPTION = "car camping grilling vegetables">>
Cleaning the Coleman INSTASTART
At one of my daughter's cookouts the stove did get rained on when a short unexpected downpour happened. I had arrived later than I had thought I would. This was not a problem as this stove heats quickly and I was able to grill the marinated pork chops that I had brought very quickly before the rain started. The next day I opened the stove to check if water had entered and to see if there was any grease inside. To remove top lid, I removed the 8 Philip head screws from the border on the top of the stove. I unscrewed the two large burners and then lifted the top and leaned it on the open lid of the stove. Very little water or grease had gotten inside. I used a paper towel to remove a slight amount of water and grease. I put the lid back in place, screwed the burners partially back on, put the 8 screws in partially until all screws were in place. I then tightened all screws and finished screwing the burner heads back on.
<<IMAGE GOES HERE. ALT TEXT = "IMAGE 1" IMAGE CAPTION = "at my daughter's house">>
<<IMAGE GOES HERE. ALT TEXT = "IMAGE 2" IMAGE CAPTION = "open for cleaning">>
SUMMARY
I have many reasons to like the Coleman INSTASTART stove. It has most of the benefits of a BBQ in a portable stove. It is light, stores easily and assembles quickly. The battery ignition works quickly and ignites before there is an odor of propane. The griddle heats quickly and is very efficient. I start cooking sooner and take less time cooking. It stands up to heavy use very well and is very reliable. I would prefer a wider spillway on the griddle to facilitate the flow of grease. This is my fourth Coleman camping stove since 1974; it is larger but a lot more versatile. There were times when I needed 2 of the smaller Coleman stoves and now all I need is the Coleman INSTASTART.
CONTINUED USE
This has replaced my BBQ and I will be using the Coleman INSTASTART on all my car camping trips and for all my outdoor cooking activities.
My thanks to Coleman and Backpackgeartesters.org for the opportunity to test the Coleman EvenTemp INSTASTART 3 Burner Stove.
This report was created with the BGT Report Generator.
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------------------
URL for HTML in test folder (tinyurl was down- sorry)
http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/test/TESTS/LTR%20Coleman%20Eventemp%20%203%20Burner%20Stove%20Arnold/
test version below
LONG-TERM REPORT
LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS
I used the Coleman INSTASTART in eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. Locations included my yard, the yards of relatives and friends, and day picnic areas. I car camped at Harold Parker State Forest in Massachusetts. Temperatures were between 55 F (13 C) and 95 F (35 C). There were mild winds at times and a few short periods of rain. I used a 20 lb (9 kg) propane tank for all my tests during this period.
PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD
I used the Coleman INSTASTART for 7 cookouts, consisting of 3 at my children's houses, one at my granddaughter's house and 3 at my house. I used the griddle exclusively for all these cookouts. I grilled steaks, pork chops, and marinated pork chops at the cookouts of my relatives. There are some differences between using a BBQ and the griddle that I noted when I was grilling at my daughter's and my son-in-law was using a BBQ. Getting the Coleman griddle up to temperature was a lot quicker than the BBQ. A comparison of cook times is not relevant since I was cooking items that were thinner. The amount of space required was about the same, but the Coleman was a lot more portable. The Coleman and large propane tank fits easily into my Toyota Scion Xa. Assembly of stove, tank, manifold and hoses is all done by hand without the use of any tools. I find it a lot easier to cook most food on the griddle compared to a fry pan. I find the cleanup
a lot easier with the griddle. Before using this Teflon coated griddle I was skeptical of using non stick cooking devices. The larger cooking area on the griddle makes it easier for me to cook. Part of that is I am using both hands to turn things on the griddle. With most fry pans I am using one hand to stabilize the pan and the other to turn items over and this is not always under full control.
I used the Coleman INSTASTART 3 times at my house for trying things before cooking for a larger group of people. When I cook fish the results are not consistent, but with the Coleman my cooking improved. The biggest advantage is that cleaning up is a lot easier. When it was really hot during the summer, I would cook up enough meat for several meals. I found that when I did this the cooked meat was less likely to dry up after being cooked. I could now cook ahead enough for several meals and notice very little change in taste over the next few days.
Car Camping
I car camped twice for 3 days each time at Harold Parker State Forest. On the first trip, we found that the griddle was forgotten. This meant some modifications had to be made in order to cook the bacon, eggs, and pancakes. The bacon was cooked in a fry pan with the large burner. I then used the fry pan to cook the pancakes and eggs on the middle burner where I could use a lot lower heat level. Some pancakes did get a little burned but the result was edible. I used some enameled plates to keep the cooked items warm until all items were cooked. We came home for a few days and returned for another 3 days, this time with the griddle. Leveling the stove provides an easy path for the grease to flow into the grease pan. I did this by using dead tree branches and placing them under the plastic feet of the stove. Note the branches in the pictures below with the griddle in use. I did this by eye and it worked very well. I have sometimes
used a level, but I can do almost as well by placing water in a pot and putting it on the stove. This time the bacon was cooked first on the griddle using the 2 large burners. When the bacon was cooked, I turned off the large burners and moved the bacon to the right side of the griddle. I then cooked the pancakes on the middle burner in batches of 4 pancakes. It turned out the large burners were too hot for pancakes and they burned easily. It is easier for me to cook on the griddle than using the fry pan. When the pancakes were done, I used the middle burner to cook the eggs over easy. Other than the yolk not staying intact they came out okay. I did try grilling onions, peppers and summer squash on the griddle. This requires a little more care, but being able to use both hands to turn the vegetables helps a lot.
<<IMAGE GOES HERE. ALT TEXT = "IMAGE 3" IMAGE CAPTION = "car camping without griddle">>
<<IMAGE GOES HERE. ALT TEXT = "IMAGE 4" IMAGE CAPTION = "car camping with bacon pancakes and eggs">>
<<IMAGE GOES HERE. ALT TEXT = "IMAGE 5" IMAGE CAPTION = "car camping grilling vegetables">>
Cleaning the Coleman INSTASTART
At one of my daughter's cookouts the stove did get rained on when a short unexpected downpour happened. I had arrived later than I had thought I would. This was not a problem as this stove heats quickly and I was able to grill the marinated pork chops that I had brought very quickly before the rain started. The next day I opened the stove to check if water had entered and to see if there was any grease inside. To remove top lid, I removed the 8 Philip head screws from the border on the top of the stove. I unscrewed the two large burners and then lifted the top and leaned it on the open lid of the stove. Very little water or grease had gotten inside. I used a paper towel to remove a slight amount of water and grease. I put the lid back in place, screwed the burners partially back on, put the 8 screws in partially until all screws were in place. I then tightened all screws and finished screwing the burner heads back on.
<<IMAGE GOES HERE. ALT TEXT = "IMAGE 1" IMAGE CAPTION = "at my daughter's house">>
<<IMAGE GOES HERE. ALT TEXT = "IMAGE 2" IMAGE CAPTION = "open for cleaning">>
SUMMARY
I have many reasons to like the Coleman INSTASTART stove. It has most of the benefits of a BBQ in a portable stove. It is light, stores easily and assembles quickly. The battery ignition works quickly and ignites before there is an odor of propane. The griddle heats quickly and is very efficient. I start cooking sooner and take less time cooking. It stands up to heavy use very well and is very reliable. I would prefer a wider spillway on the griddle to facilitate the flow of grease. This is my fourth Coleman camping stove since 1974; it is larger but a lot more versatile. There were times when I needed 2 of the smaller Coleman stoves and now all I need is the Coleman INSTASTART.
CONTINUED USE
This has replaced my BBQ and I will be using the Coleman INSTASTART on all my car camping trips and for all my outdoor cooking activities.
My thanks to Coleman and Backpackgeartesters.org for the opportunity to test the Coleman EvenTemp INSTASTART 3 Burner Stove.
This report was created with the BGT Report Generator.
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------------------