"Sheldon" > wrote:

>Sterno is okay for small keep-warm jobs but I'd never attempt to use it
>for cooking indoors. You are far safer with propane, which can safely
>be used indoors... my kitchen stove uses propane. There are portable
>table top propane stoves that operate quite well with a small
>cylinder... far safer than sterno in every respect. A small propane
>cylinder is also much more economical as there is no waste... with
>sterno once the can is opened you have to use it all as there is no way
>to effectively reseal the can and it evaporates rather quickly... in
>fact sterno evaporates from factory sealed cans so check them every six
>months.

I don't know about Sterno, but I agree that using propane indoors is
safe. The only precaution I take when using the propane burner is
that I use a supply line that has a pressure guage in it. Before each
use, I open the tank valve to charge the line, wait a few minutes and
check the pressure. If it has dropped, then there's a leak. That
would be the only problem, having leaking propane falling towards the
floor at the tank and being ignited somehow. The same thing could
happen outdoors, were it not for the fact that it usually gets
dispersed before a disaster happens. Except for the fact that you
have a small tank indoors, I don't see why it would be any more
dangerous than using a regular propane-fueled stove, which could also
leak, BTW, like any gas stove. Now, my backpack camp burner which
uses Coleman style fuel produces huge amounts of CO and could easily
kill you if used indoors.

--
The Doc says my brain waves closely match those of a crazed ferret.
At least now I have an excuse.