Let me start off by saying that I’m not much of a cook. My escapades have included toaster oven fires and nearly welding a skillet to the burner. Needless to say, my wife banned me from the kitchen long ago. Fortunately, I can make a few things with a camp stove. The hardest part for me has been getting the temperature to stay consistent -turning the knob a little makes a bit more heat, turning the knob a little bit more and I’ve burned the eggs again; don’t even get me started on those clicky igniters. MSR must have heard my cries for help, because they sent us one of their Windburner stove System Combos.
The combo bit features a 2.5L ceramic coated sauce pan, and an 8” skillet. The ceramic coating is an absolute delight to clean … okay, I don’t really like to clean that much, but I was able to clean the skillet between meals with a single wipe of a damp cloth, not too shabby. It even comes with a cloth to safely remove any stubborn bits without damaging the non stick coating.
Side note: MSR does make a rather nice coffee press kit that’s compatible with this system, I did not have one at the time of testing, but have since required one and may review it at a later date. Since I didn’t have a compatible coffee press, I just boiled some water in the sauce pan, and used my trusty Aeropress to brew up some local coffee beans. The water boiled up a lot quicker than I expected, other than that, nothing odd to report.
Despite my kitchen shortcomings, I was able to cook up my daily egg scrambles, philly cheese steaks, and a few other simple recipes (pre packed by my wife, of course). The burner control was very precise allowing even me to cook my meals without burning them.
Overall, my impressions of the Windburner stove system are positive, and I will definitely continue to use this tiny powerhouse no matter which vehicle I camp from.
For more information on the MSR Windburner Stove System, visit: