With the counters installed this seems like as good a time as any to introduce the burner I've been making my meals on for the last few weeks, the Origo 4100 flush mount alcohol stove. I chose alcohol because aside from wood and electricity (both of which I will be using) there's really no other option if you want to unplug from fossil fuels. If you're new to my blog this matters because living inside our carbon budget is paramount if we don't want to turn earth into venus by the end of the century. Yes, alcohol emits CO2, but in doing so it's just releasing carbon that it sequestered while growing as plants, which makes for a net zero sum.
Choosing the Origo was easy because it's the only available flush mount alcohol range out there. It says "designed in Sweden, made in Europe" on the box, which helped me feel a little less queazy about the 450 dollar price tag. The high cost of stainless along with a lack of competition is likely driving that price.
In researching the Origo, I learned that alcohol is expensive, might smell a little funny*, and doesn't burn as hot as other fuels, which is why it's often a dealbreaker for the less than carbon conscious. After actually cooking on it for a few weeks I can tell you that's completely true, but not neccissarily a bad thing! Let me explain.
One thing I've learned living off-the-grid is that if energy is just a little more expensive and slightly harder to access it encourages big changes in how we use it. Suddenly you find yourself turning the pot off when it boils, paying attention to cooking times, always using a lid, and not heating more than you need to. People are terrible at self-regulating, and that's why I like systems that regulate themselves. No single energy source is all that "green" when you try to apply it to a planet crowded with seven billion people, but for me personally alcohol is still a winner because not only are we using a renewable resource, but using it with the care and respect that it deserves. Plants worked hard to grow those calories!
*the alcohol smell is easily eliminated by lifting the hinged range when done and placing neoprene covers over the burners inside, pretty easy.
Choosing the Origo was easy because it's the only available flush mount alcohol range out there. It says "designed in Sweden, made in Europe" on the box, which helped me feel a little less queazy about the 450 dollar price tag. The high cost of stainless along with a lack of competition is likely driving that price.
In researching the Origo, I learned that alcohol is expensive, might smell a little funny*, and doesn't burn as hot as other fuels, which is why it's often a dealbreaker for the less than carbon conscious. After actually cooking on it for a few weeks I can tell you that's completely true, but not neccissarily a bad thing! Let me explain.
One thing I've learned living off-the-grid is that if energy is just a little more expensive and slightly harder to access it encourages big changes in how we use it. Suddenly you find yourself turning the pot off when it boils, paying attention to cooking times, always using a lid, and not heating more than you need to. People are terrible at self-regulating, and that's why I like systems that regulate themselves. No single energy source is all that "green" when you try to apply it to a planet crowded with seven billion people, but for me personally alcohol is still a winner because not only are we using a renewable resource, but using it with the care and respect that it deserves. Plants worked hard to grow those calories!
*the alcohol smell is easily eliminated by lifting the hinged range when done and placing neoprene covers over the burners inside, pretty easy.
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