In short, providing your wood is dry, it will burn just about anything of substance, in saying that though, different woods are better for different purposes. Softer woods tend to burn hotter, while hard wood is far better suited for longer cooking periods and produces a more medium heat. As a rule of thumb, don’t use wood any larger than your thumb, as the stove just doesn’t run efficiently. For rip roaring heat use wood about the diameter of your pinky finger, and anything in between for a medium heat.

If you put the wood in the air intake, you’re just going to get lots of smoke and a very inefficient burn. If you feed the wood in through the top where you cook, you’ll get the same result, except perhaps a hotter flame but lots of smoke, as at that point it ceases to be a control burn. Put the fuel in the top half at the front of the stove and all will go well.

Not with petrol! Your eyebrows will thank you for it. My preferred method of lighting the rocket stove is to roll up one sheet of toilet paper, dip half in olive oil and once lit, push it to the very back of the stove so that the flames are licking up at the sticks. If you use this method, you are just about guaranteed to have a nearly smoke free experience, providing your timber is dry. And as with any fire start off with small sticks and twigs/ kindling. Once this is established begin to introduce your bigger fuel.

Not with water! You risk severe steam burning your face/fingers. Plus this is a steel stove and it will last so much longer if you can keep water away from it. When I am finished cooking, I pick the stove up by the handle with the aid of a tea towel or leather glove, and tip the ash out onto the ground or in a small hole where you should then add water to your hearts content to ensure it is extinguished.

Actual burn time is generally forty-five minutes to an hour. At that point you can keep cooking but you will need to clear the build up of ash in the lower half of the combustion chamber. The ash clogs the airflow and prevents an efficient burn. Certain woods produce more ash than others so this is a general rule. You can cook for as long as you need to providing you keep an eye on the ash build up and have a good wood supply. When you first light your stove, allow ten minutes for the stove to build up heat, as once the stove gets hot, everything goes to a new level of efficiency and it’s much easier to keep it running.

This entirely depends on you. If you want the stove to stay looking nice, it’s a good idea to give it a quick rub down with a small dob of vegetable oil (something you normally have with you when camping). Just keeps it looking fresh and helps to keep surface rust at bay. If you’re really keen, and the stove is starting to look shabby after a couple of years, go out and buy a can of pot belly black and give it a paint job.