Post by Natasha on May 1, 2006 14:46:35 GMT -5
this is a great and useful item for those of you who like to cook on the grill and who like to go camping and have a real camp fire.
they get the fire going strong very quickly, and keep it going.
all your ingredients are from your own home. so you don't have to spend money unless you want to.
what you will need.
*a old useless pot or coffee can (what ever it is it needs to be metal or glass, and preferably with a handle to handle it without burning your hands)
*old candles that you no longer use or want. don't try to take any paint off them or take the wicks out. just make sure that any paper is off them. you will melt it all. (i get tons at yard sales and from discount stores when they want to get rid of them.) if the candle is in a jar you can melt it by placing it in a boiling pot of water, be sure not to have too much water in it to make the container float and tip over. just enough to melt the bottom of the wax in the container and the rest will melt too.
*tons and tons of dryer lint. (i have even sent my hubby out to laundromats to get more lint when i ran out. the smelly lint really gives off a nice smell when burned)
*egg cartons (the Styrofoam cartons are best for the grill starters) or plain paper cups. not the ones with the wax on them these don't light too well unless you have something else in it to light it. make sure the cups are the little ones big enough to take just one drink from it.
*a stirring device that resembles a stick, can be plastic, metal or anything else. this is just to poke your lint into the wax. so it should also be something that you don't plan to use again.
*wax paper or newspapers to cover your work area to prevent any spills from being a hassle to clean later. i use wax paper right under my cups cause i will drip it and i can peel it off the paper and reuse it instead of having it stick forever to regular paper.
Now you will melt your wax directly over the heat on your stove. you do not need to use a double boiler as you would to melt other waxes to make candles. it doesn't matter if you burn this wax, which is what a double boiler prevents. but watch it, you only want it be just melted. don't let it sit on the stove for too long or it will begin to burn and can possibly catch fire if it gets too hot.
while the wax is melting you can now take your lint and stuff as much as you can into your egg carton or paper cup. you need a lot of lint.
when the wax is melted (it doesn't have to be any certain temp. just melted) pour it slowly over the lint . try to keep it in the little sections if you are using the egg cartons. it's not a ice cube tray that you can break them apart later if you over fill them. you can pour the wax directly if your melting device has a handle that you can hold on to it with such as a cooking pot or old coffee pot. if you are using a metal coffee can, or other device with no handle you can try to use pliers to lift it. or heavy duty gloves that are heat resistant. it's better in this case to have a ladle to scoop the wax out with, but this gets really messy so be sure to have your work space covered with paper.
poke the lint around inside the melted wax, and add more if you need. your concoction should be a gooey, mess, with lint sticking out everywhere. it's not going to be pretty, and if you want to add a little bit of wax to smooth the top out you can but this may hinder the starter from lighting quickly. you can also smooth it with your hands when it cools down enough. some people put sticks into the top of the starter, or straw, or even the left over wicks that melted in the pot with your wax. myself i use a stick of straw for the campfire starters. but if you are using the paper cups which are best for the campfires you just light the paper. and if you want to use the carton (as long as it's a paper egg carton) you can light that as well. the Styrofoam cartons i use for the grill, since you can just reach into the section of the carton when the wax is cool enough to handle and ball up it up. just use the wax ball in the grill later, the carton can serve as a holder to keep them from making a mess until they are ready to use but do not burn the carton in the grill or it will give your food a nasty taste. these little balls of wax and lint don't give off any odor or toxins when you use them to get your coals or grill wood to light, and are safe for the food. make sure they have tons of lint in them i even make some stick out for a quick light.
that's it. let your waxy creations cool till they are hard and they are ready to light. they will burn quickly and hot, so your fire is roaring in much less than half the time it would have taken it if you just tried to light it with a lighter and you don't have to use lighter fluid.
for campfires i usually use enough to put inside the wood and then light, it on each side of the fire, and add more when i add more wood or need to get the fire up and blazing again.
for the grill i usually use about four to six golf ball sized starters half way under the coals to get them lit
don't be surprised if in a few minutes the starter is no longer visible. it will melt away quickly, but it's effects will remain for along time.
i sell these at various prices at a great rate this time of year till the end of the year. i usually cant keep them in stock.
please post your own recipe, or variations for more options.
they get the fire going strong very quickly, and keep it going.
all your ingredients are from your own home. so you don't have to spend money unless you want to.
what you will need.
*a old useless pot or coffee can (what ever it is it needs to be metal or glass, and preferably with a handle to handle it without burning your hands)
*old candles that you no longer use or want. don't try to take any paint off them or take the wicks out. just make sure that any paper is off them. you will melt it all. (i get tons at yard sales and from discount stores when they want to get rid of them.) if the candle is in a jar you can melt it by placing it in a boiling pot of water, be sure not to have too much water in it to make the container float and tip over. just enough to melt the bottom of the wax in the container and the rest will melt too.
*tons and tons of dryer lint. (i have even sent my hubby out to laundromats to get more lint when i ran out. the smelly lint really gives off a nice smell when burned)
*egg cartons (the Styrofoam cartons are best for the grill starters) or plain paper cups. not the ones with the wax on them these don't light too well unless you have something else in it to light it. make sure the cups are the little ones big enough to take just one drink from it.
*a stirring device that resembles a stick, can be plastic, metal or anything else. this is just to poke your lint into the wax. so it should also be something that you don't plan to use again.
*wax paper or newspapers to cover your work area to prevent any spills from being a hassle to clean later. i use wax paper right under my cups cause i will drip it and i can peel it off the paper and reuse it instead of having it stick forever to regular paper.
Now you will melt your wax directly over the heat on your stove. you do not need to use a double boiler as you would to melt other waxes to make candles. it doesn't matter if you burn this wax, which is what a double boiler prevents. but watch it, you only want it be just melted. don't let it sit on the stove for too long or it will begin to burn and can possibly catch fire if it gets too hot.
while the wax is melting you can now take your lint and stuff as much as you can into your egg carton or paper cup. you need a lot of lint.
when the wax is melted (it doesn't have to be any certain temp. just melted) pour it slowly over the lint . try to keep it in the little sections if you are using the egg cartons. it's not a ice cube tray that you can break them apart later if you over fill them. you can pour the wax directly if your melting device has a handle that you can hold on to it with such as a cooking pot or old coffee pot. if you are using a metal coffee can, or other device with no handle you can try to use pliers to lift it. or heavy duty gloves that are heat resistant. it's better in this case to have a ladle to scoop the wax out with, but this gets really messy so be sure to have your work space covered with paper.
poke the lint around inside the melted wax, and add more if you need. your concoction should be a gooey, mess, with lint sticking out everywhere. it's not going to be pretty, and if you want to add a little bit of wax to smooth the top out you can but this may hinder the starter from lighting quickly. you can also smooth it with your hands when it cools down enough. some people put sticks into the top of the starter, or straw, or even the left over wicks that melted in the pot with your wax. myself i use a stick of straw for the campfire starters. but if you are using the paper cups which are best for the campfires you just light the paper. and if you want to use the carton (as long as it's a paper egg carton) you can light that as well. the Styrofoam cartons i use for the grill, since you can just reach into the section of the carton when the wax is cool enough to handle and ball up it up. just use the wax ball in the grill later, the carton can serve as a holder to keep them from making a mess until they are ready to use but do not burn the carton in the grill or it will give your food a nasty taste. these little balls of wax and lint don't give off any odor or toxins when you use them to get your coals or grill wood to light, and are safe for the food. make sure they have tons of lint in them i even make some stick out for a quick light.
that's it. let your waxy creations cool till they are hard and they are ready to light. they will burn quickly and hot, so your fire is roaring in much less than half the time it would have taken it if you just tried to light it with a lighter and you don't have to use lighter fluid.
for campfires i usually use enough to put inside the wood and then light, it on each side of the fire, and add more when i add more wood or need to get the fire up and blazing again.
for the grill i usually use about four to six golf ball sized starters half way under the coals to get them lit
don't be surprised if in a few minutes the starter is no longer visible. it will melt away quickly, but it's effects will remain for along time.
i sell these at various prices at a great rate this time of year till the end of the year. i usually cant keep them in stock.
please post your own recipe, or variations for more options.
