Many of us grew up using or have seen Sterno cans being used at banquets, family get togethers or possibly even in a camp setting. Backpackers tend to try and cut out as much weight as possible and one method that many use is taking along solid fuel tabs to warm up water and reconstitute dried foods in whatever mess kit or bush pot they prefer. Would you believe that both Sterno and solid fuel tablets are connected and have a similar history?

Well, it surprised me! I discovered the connection while doing research on one of my favorite historical artifacts and one that had been on my search list to buy since I started my early 20th century living history journey, the Theroz Mess Kit. Sterno was invented in 1893 and immediately was marketed for use to keep foods and beverages warm, primarily using chafing dishes and drink apparatuses designed for the purpose. Theroz at some point saw this gelled fuel as limiting and they patented a machine and method to create a solid fuel source that could serve the same purpose and weigh less. The burn time on their one by one inch cubes were advertised at twelve minutes and when two cubes were used the setup could boil a pint of coffee and heat soup in seven minutes, once both were removed and the top pan dropped directly on the heat source would heat a can of beans in three minutes providing a complete meal in ten minutes.

The Theroz company was associated with the Basic Products Corporation in Lawrenceburg Indiana. The corporate office was in the Woolworth Tower building in New York City. I unfortunately could not find any sources that led me to when the company was founded or when it was disbanded but based on the catalogues and advertisements that I could find, the Theroz mess kits stopped being sold early on during the Great Depression, so were they a casualty of this economic event?

Based on my experience I think this kit is an ideal mess or cook kit for outdoor recreation. It weighs less than a pound for the complete setup, offers a cup, spoon, two pots, a skillet, and a versatile wind shield. A Sterno can fits nicely in the bottom portion to act as a heat source when fuel cubes are not. You can bake in this setup easily with little fear of burning using the bottom wind screen and the top pot to hold coals. Based on your needs you can cook using different arrangements of the pots and pan and if needed or desired, you can even use the kit as a makeshift space heater by using charcoal or heating rocks and placing them in the pots! The only downside but one that I understand is the hand/spoon combination. It is curved so it can fit inside the pots but when using it to lift the pots the handle is a bit awkward.

Using it in the field has been very convenient. Coffee really can be made within seven minutes, the canned soup is warmed but not as hot as I like it, so I drop it down to the level of the fire for a couple minutes while my coffee cools enough to drink it. I have not cooked beans on the top pan as in the picture but will in a new YouTube video on my channel so you can see the results!

Bibliography

“Basic Products Corporation Wholesale Price List.” CONTENTdm. Accessed April 29, 2022. https://images.indianahistory.org/digital/collection/dc042/id/35/.

“June 16, 1918 New York Tribune Gazette.” New York Tribune June 16, 1918 Page 62, September 28, 2020. https://www.gastearsivi.com/en/gazete/new_york_tribune/1918-06-16/62.