Single Burners for Camping in Japan

Japan is experiencing a camping boom, and many campers opt for the easy-to-use single burners when camping. Let's take a look at a video to see what burner pads are and how, if at all, they can make your cooking experience better when enjoying the outdoors.

Video Introduction: Single Burners and Burner Pads

This video, titled "Should You Buy a Single Burner and Burner Pad Together?" (シングルバーナーとバーナーパッドは一緒に買うべき？), was uploaded by "HAMA."

Different Types of Single Burners

Photo：A single burner

There are two types of single burners: unified and partitioned. The unified type has the burner and gas canister in one unit, making it compact and convenient for cooking for one person.

With the partitioned type, the burner and gas can are separated, and the burner is more stable than the unified type, so it's recommended when using a large pot.

In addition, there are two types of gas canisters: CB cans and OD cans. CB cans are often used in household gas stoves, and inexpensive ones can be purchased at 100-yen shops all across Japan. The video uses a unified single burner with easily accessible CB cans.

The Pros of Using a Burner Pad With a Single Burner

Photo：A burner pad

In the video, Hama-san from Okinawa goes over whether or not you should use a burner pad with your single burner.
As you probably already know, a single burner is a small gas stove that can start a fire. It's a piece of outdoor equipment that can easily be used to boil water and cook food when camping or enjoying other outdoor activities.

However, using a single burner by itself has some disadvantages, such as not distributing heat well, resulting in burnt pots and pans, as well as being unstable when used with larger pans. This is where burner pads come in.
The main feature of a burner pad is that it converts the flame into a more evenly distributed source of heat. This makes it possible to cook dishes like curry, which requires heat be increased gradually, without burning the food.
[Video] 4:35 - Using a Burner Pad

In the video, you can see how gyoza (Japanese dumplings) are cooked. By using the burner pad, the gyoza are evenly browned and look delicious!
[Video] 12:45 - Cooking Gyoza

Beware of Thermal Radiation When Using Burner Pads

Photo：A single burner

The burner pad used in the video is a burner pad by Uniflame, made with a stainless-steel frame and a special heat-resistant steel mesh. The burner pad distributes heat and allows the user to adjust the strength of the flame to suit their needs. However, it's recommended that you cook over low heat because the thermal radiation can damage utensils and also heat up the gas can.

Thermal radiation can also occur when using larger cookware, such as frying pans. Although not shown in the video, there are heat shielding tables for single burners. Consider checking them out as well!

Should You Buy a Burner Pad for Your Single Burner? Summary

The burner pad, which more evenly distributes the heat of a single burner, expands the range of cooking recipes you can prepare. Some campers use single burners without a burner pad when boiling water and with a burner pad when cooking. The less burnt-on food, the easier it is to wash your cookware. If you're thinking about purchasing a burner pad, be sure to use this video/article as a reference!