AlexHolsgrove
18-03-12, 09:00 PM
I was going to reply to this topic (http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?88851-Ah-Kelly-Kettle), but decided that I could dedicate one specifically to Ghillie Kettles.
Last week I purchased one of the new Anodised 500ml "Maverick" Ghillie Kettles (http://www.ghillie-kettle.co.uk/anodised.html) with the full cooking kit. I already own a few gas burners, but decided this would make a nice addition to the set. British made - the build quality and finish is very good indeed. I gave it a ouple of test runs at home, and it boils the 500ml water very quickly, and also using very little fuel.
I started with some wood shavings and a bit of "maya-dust" and used my ferro rod to start it (have to do it the hard way, despite a jet lighter in my pocket!). Once the fire was established, I placed the kettle on top and added a few slices of kindling wood. The chimney effect was great, and really roared the fire up. It was only a couple of minutes until the whistle blew (more fun than a Kelly Kettle, but you can't fully seal the flask unless you get a cork stopper).
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8396442/online/britishblades/GhillieKettle.jpg
I also tried the cooking set today with a couple of bits of bacon (sunday morning, why not) but this where it all falls down. To cook on top of the kettle with the metal support, you have to keep it full of water. If it's full, you'll get a stream of boiling water flooding out. You then need to keep a good fire going to get enough heat to the top of the kettle. I had to add a couple more bits of kindling to get some heat into the pan and it became a pain having to monitor the boiling water, and having to keep removing the pan to check or add more fuel.
This is just my personal experience - I don't consider myself clumsy at all, but I think the kettle is awesome for a very quick brew, but wouldn't have bothered with the cooking kit had I know what I do now. I can see it as a great companion to my gas stoves as it's very fuel efficient, but would never replace them as a means to cook anything.
Last week I purchased one of the new Anodised 500ml "Maverick" Ghillie Kettles (http://www.ghillie-kettle.co.uk/anodised.html) with the full cooking kit. I already own a few gas burners, but decided this would make a nice addition to the set. British made - the build quality and finish is very good indeed. I gave it a ouple of test runs at home, and it boils the 500ml water very quickly, and also using very little fuel.
I started with some wood shavings and a bit of "maya-dust" and used my ferro rod to start it (have to do it the hard way, despite a jet lighter in my pocket!). Once the fire was established, I placed the kettle on top and added a few slices of kindling wood. The chimney effect was great, and really roared the fire up. It was only a couple of minutes until the whistle blew (more fun than a Kelly Kettle, but you can't fully seal the flask unless you get a cork stopper).
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8396442/online/britishblades/GhillieKettle.jpg
I also tried the cooking set today with a couple of bits of bacon (sunday morning, why not) but this where it all falls down. To cook on top of the kettle with the metal support, you have to keep it full of water. If it's full, you'll get a stream of boiling water flooding out. You then need to keep a good fire going to get enough heat to the top of the kettle. I had to add a couple more bits of kindling to get some heat into the pan and it became a pain having to monitor the boiling water, and having to keep removing the pan to check or add more fuel.
This is just my personal experience - I don't consider myself clumsy at all, but I think the kettle is awesome for a very quick brew, but wouldn't have bothered with the cooking kit had I know what I do now. I can see it as a great companion to my gas stoves as it's very fuel efficient, but would never replace them as a means to cook anything.