cooking with mr.buddy heater

[Gamalot]

haha sorry, by little buddy, i meant the base camp

By "Little Buddy" I mean the yellow heater pictured just below. I think the call mine a Buddy Junior and it has a single tank while the Big Buddy has 2 tanks. Mine is 9,000 BTUs on the high setting and plenty hot enough for a 2 man pop up. The old style has a fixed top handle and the new ones have a folding top handle.

[kylerprochaska]

anyway, any ideas on how to use the round, base camp mr. heater for cooking/warming?

[Gamalot]

I would not even try it with the base camp model! I don't know if there is plastic around the grate but I do know it has auto shut off for CO and for tipping. It is also only 3,800 BTUs and I would go for the portable buddy like we have modified even if I did not want to cook on it.

[teamlund]

I see alot of guys mount their mods above the heat? i know heat rises but isnt it hottest right in front of the ceramics right by the heat guard?

[Kevin23]

I see alot of guys mount their mods above the heat? i know heat rises but isnt it hottest right in front of the ceramics right by the heat guard?

Nope, the hottest part is the very top.

[Gamalot]

All I ever do is warm up already fully cooked foods on my Buddy. I suppose you could probably cook eggs or burgers from scratch but this might be asking a lot from a device designed to provide just heat. All of these mods work pretty good for warming up foods but I have only ever tried it inside my pop up or a shanty and don't expect it will work all that great if you are sitting exposed out on the ice. Zero wind, maybe.

The question regarding out in front or on the top is a good one and I think if I wanted to toast bread I would want it right in front of the ceramic for a few seconds on each side. The heat seems to be hottest right above and a bit forward of the ceramic so what we are showing does work pretty darn nice for heating up a hot lunch that is already cooked and just needs to get warm. I can get my pre cooked chili or lasagna hotter than I can stand in a matter of a 5-8 minutes and that sure is a welcome delicacy when I am freezing and getting warmed up at the same time. Kind of like getting a double bang for your buck when you heat your food and your tent at the same time from a single source. Smells pretty cool too if you have a nice meal prepared.

[bart]

Gamalot, I like just reheating pre-cooked meals, no fuss, no mess. That chili and lasagna sounds good too. I'm going to try to get more creative with meals this year...

[Gamalot]

Gamalot, I like just reheating pre-cooked meals, no fuss, no mess. That chili and lasagna sounds good too. I'm going to try to get more creative with meals this year...

Two words, Venison Stew! It makes Surf and Turf taste like dog food when you are catching fish while eating your hunting and garden harvest.

Go back to around page 3 of this thread and check out the tin pans with covers my wife found. They work great and she loves to hook me up with all sorts of great ready to heat meals for the ice. She gets them in a bunch of sizes and styles and I bring chicken wings, lasagna, beef and venison stew, chili or what ever she cooks and has left overs of. Right around Christmas time she starts packing my lunches for the entire winter and freezing them. I even brought left over Surf and Turf one time with a baked potato and sour cream on the side. It's a wonder I stay at 180 pounds the way she feeds me. Not much can beat a hot meal on ice!

[TimmyLo]

After looking at all these innovative ideas you guys came up with, I decided to give my idea a try.  I used to have a blind heater with a 9" grate that I never used, so I decided to adapt the grate  to my Buddy Heater.  It had 4 legs on it, 2 of which I cut off and used the other 2 as hinge pins.  I mounted a piece of 3/8" copper tube between the handles.  The tubing has 2 end slots to except the 2 hinge pins (legs) and is attached with 2 small sheetmetal screws.  To attach the grate all you need to do is hold the grate vertically, rotate it forward, and snap it over the cross bar on the wire guard on the Buddy.  It makes a very solid attachment, and can be attached and removed in less than 5 seconds. 

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Hey OldFox, I have that exact same grate and the buddy heater with the fold down handle, so I am planning on making what you have made.  I was just wondering if you had tried cooking on that yet and if there were any problems with the handle melting.

[Frabill 44]

or just buy a propane grill for 25 dollars

[oldfox]

Hey OldFox, I have that exact same grate and the buddy heater with the fold down handle, so I am planning on making what you have made.  I was just wondering if you had tried cooking on that yet and if there were any problems with the handle melting.

I have not used it yet...no ice here    I have tried it by boiling water (takes about 10 min), with no problem with the handle.  Handle does not touch the grate, and stays cool..

[teamlund]

or just buy a propane grill for 25 dollars

yeah, cause everyone here wants to have to haul even more gear out on the ice.

[Gamalot]

I would think you wouldnt want to interfere with the buddy's main purpose...heating you!

When my wife has the oven and stove cooking all day in the kitchen I can turn off the furnace because there is plenty of heat in the house. Same happens when you turn on the heater in your pop up. The heat warms up your meal and your shack at the same time. 2 for the price of one!

As I have said many times, all I ever do is warm ready made meals up and I have never cooked anything from scratch on my Buddy. If it can warm my tent and my toes then it can warm my lunch.

[Voltaire]

yeah, cause everyone here wants to have to haul even more gear out on the ice.

No, I want to haul less gear out on the ice. Maybe I am in the minority.

[kasilofchrisn]

I tried the paint roller expanded metal tray thingy last season and this year and it works GREAT.
It does make the best corndogs. Lightly crunchy outside and nice and hot inside.
I have not cooked foods from scratch but reheating or making heat only meals with it is great.
I do sometimes bring out a campstove for serious cooking but not always. Especially when I can have something hot without the weight and space the campstove takes up.

[BuckyBadger]

Hey All,  followed this thread since last season.   I bought the paint roller item but never got a chance to build it.   But I was at the big "C" store a couple of weeks ago and came across a perfect solution.   It is a double wide spatula, they still have it on their website for like $12, grill pro wide head spatula.   But I bought one and brought it home,  it fit perfectly on the buddy heater.  I didn't even have to adjust it at all and it balanced right on it.    Here are some photos,  I drilled a simple hole through the spatula and then the handle of the buddy and one D-ring later it is attached.    I am looknig at maybe riveting a lip on it but for now it holds the little weber trays perfect.    Plus you have a spatula at hand if you ever need it.







Possibly rivet a lip on the outside edge not sure yet.

[adksguy]

great ideas guy always looking to get the most out of my gear

[woody38]

[panfishboy]

I cook on my sunflower all the time.

[TType86]

After reading this post I decided to add a food warmer grate too! Went with the paint grate idea. Bought at walmart for $2.50. Cut it to size then re-attached the edge piece to the grate. Very simple. I wanted to be able to put it on and take it off very easily. Didnt want to cut into my new buddy heater or use screws etc... This one rests perfectly and needs no alteration of the heater at all. Easily supported a big can of clam chowder. The new buddy heaters are nice because the handle folds back so no need to worry about heat transferring from the grate to the handle (I noticed this problem on my BIG BUDDY depending on the setup). No need for any type of hardware to be used. Grate goes on and comes off in seconds. I plan on re-heating fast food burgers or canned soup etc for them long days on the ice!

[wyoutdoors]

TTtype86, nicely done! 

[Grumpyoldman]

I never modified or disconnected anything on my buddy heater.  Shortly after I got it, I just lay it on its back and it didn't go out.  Perfect cooking surface.     

[Buckeye Fan]

My fishing buddy Ed came up with a great set up for both of our Mr Buddy Heaters for heating food or drinks while we are fishing.  He bought a an adjustable small grill at Ace Hardware made by Grillmark.  We cut it in half and made two grills.  It is really solid and sturdy.  Thought you guys might like to see how we made them.  This is a pic heavy message hope it works.  If anyone has some good ideas for easy food ideas and what type pan set up you use on your cooker that would be great. 

Buckeye Fan

[Flypopper]

Sweet!!!  Does your wife let you cook in the LR? 

[bogeyjoker]

Thanks for taking the time to post this.

[lefty2053]

Great post. I will have to find me a grill to put on my Heater.

[icefishingOhionut]

Buckeye fan that is awsome!   Are you from Ohio?

[Buckeye Fan]

Ohionut

I am from Dayton, Ohio moved to Antioch, IL in the late 80's.  I still bleed scarlet and gray.

Go Buckeyes!


Buckeye Fan

[da man cave shack]

That is a sweet set up nothin better then some nice warm food on a cold day.

[FishingForFun2010]

is that a buddy heater or the bigger big buddy? thanks for sharing as this was the exact conversation at work last night...how to cook on a buddy heater. genius!