Food Safe Gel Firestarters?

[RustyShackleford]

Based on the great reviews here and elsewhere, I picked up a few tubes, one for me and two as Fathers day’s gifts. We’re visiting my dad right now and I gave him his early (the in-law gets his late). The challenge is this - because we were flying out I need to come up with a way for him to light his. He doesn’t have a propane torch, so I am thinking gelled alcohol is the way to go.

Lowe’s has a brand called Imperial fire starter that they keep on the shelves. It looks like it would be ok for use with food, since I’d just be using a little at the beginning and it claims to be non-toxic ethanol. Is that all I need to get or is there something special?

 

[motocrash]

Buy him a propane torch.
Doesn't every man need a torch?

 

[smokin peachey]

I use a propane torch I made out of a piece of pipe and a mig welder tip.

Propane is for starting fires and wood is for cooking!

 

[gmc2003]

Weber sells gel cubes.

Chris

 

[RustyShackleford]

Buy him a propane torch.
Doesn't every man need a torch?

I should. But he’s 75 and far more likely to embrace the ease of some gel over remembering to refill his propane tank. I’d have beer luck getting my mother to keep a benzene brûlée torch filled.

I’ll have to look for those Weber gel packs

 

[motocrash]

Yeah,maybe he's better off without a torch then.
I too use the Weber cubes.They are inexpensive ($4) and light very easily.I use 2 a little farther apart than in the pic to start a chimney.

 

[RustyShackleford]

Yeah,maybe he's better off without a torch then.
I too use the Weber cubes.They are inexpensive ($4) and light very easily.I use 2 a little farther apart than in the pic to start a chimney.

So two for a chimney and one full one for the tube? That’s even easier than telling him to squeeze out a quarter dob. No excuse for him to not use it now!

 

[motocrash]

So two for a chimney and one full one for the tube?

I don't use pellets but I see no reason why one cube put under a tube at the proper distance would not work...