Sterno
Encyclopedia
Buffet
A buffet is a system of serving meals in which food is placed in a public area where the diners generally serve themselves. Buffets are offered at various places including hotels and many social events...
heating and in the home for fondue
Fondue
Fondue is a Swiss dish of melted cheese served in a communal pot over a spirit lamp , and eaten by dipping long-stemmed forks with bread into the cheese...
and as a chafing fuel
Chafing fuel
Chafing fuel is a generic term for various products that are used for heating food. These products often contain methanol, ethanol, or diethylene glycol, as these may be burned safely indoors...
for heating chafing dishes. Other uses are for camp stoves and as an emergency heat source.
History
The Sterno brand is owned by the Candle Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Blyth, Inc. The name comes from that of the original manufacturer: S. Sternau & Co. of Brooklyn, New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, a maker of chafing-dish
Chafing-dish
A chafing-dish is a kind of portable grate raised on a tripod, originally heated with charcoal in a brazier, and used for foods that require gentle cooking, away from the fierce heat of direct flames. The chafing dish could be used at table or provided with a cover for keeping food warm on a buffet...
es, coffee percolator
Coffee percolator
A coffee percolator is a type of pot used to brew coffee. The name stems from the word "percolate" which means to cause to pass through a permeable substance especially for extracting a soluble constituent....
s and other similar appliances. It had previously applied the name to its "Sterno-Inferno" alcohol burner. In 1918 it promoted its Sterno Stove as being a perfect gift for a soldier going overseas.
Invented around 1900, Sterno is made from ethanol
Ethanol
Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a...
, methanol
Methanol
Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits, is a chemical with the formula CH3OH . It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colorless, flammable liquid with a distinctive odor very similar to, but slightly sweeter than, ethanol...
, water and an amphoteric oxide gelling agent
Gel
A gel is a solid, jelly-like material that can have properties ranging from soft and weak to hard and tough. Gels are defined as a substantially dilute cross-linked system, which exhibits no flow when in the steady-state...
, plus a dye that gives it a characteristic pink color. Designed to be odorless, a 7 oz (198 g) can will burn for up to two hours. The methanol is added to denature the product, which essentially is intended to make it too toxic to be drinkable (see denatured alcohol for more information).
In 2007, two NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
crew chiefs were fined $100,000 for lining their fuel tanks and intake valves with Sterno. When the highly regulated NASCAR fuel was added, the Sterno would liquify giving the car an added octane boost.
Abuse
There are many instances in American culture of people drinking Sterno to become intoxicated. The earliest documented case is of notable bluesman Tommy JohnsonTommy Johnson
Tommy Johnson was an influential American delta blues musician, who recorded in the late 1920s, and was known for his eerie falsetto voice and intricate guitar playing.-Early life:...
in his song Canned Heat Blues which was recorded in 1928. The practice is said to have become popularized during the Great Depression in hobo camps, or "jungles", when the Sterno would be squeezed through cheese cloth or a sock and the resulting liquid mixed with fruit juice to make "Jungle Juice" or "Squeeze".
In an article for the Journal of the American Medical Association
Journal of the American Medical Association
The Journal of the American Medical Association is a weekly, peer-reviewed, medical journal, published by the American Medical Association. Beginning in July 2011, the editor in chief will be Howard C. Bauchner, vice chairman of pediatrics at Boston University’s School of Medicine, replacing ...
in 1961, Capt. James H. Shinaberger, MC writes about a study of 3 people who had suffered methanol poisoning as a result of drinking Sterno. One of the patients, "had been drinking Sterno for about a week and had been in the city prison for 48 hours when severe abdominal pain and vomiting occurred".
In December 1963, a rash of 31 deaths in Philadelphia's homeless population were traced to a local store that knowingly sold Sterno to people for them to consume and get drunk.
See also
- Beverage-can stoveBeverage-can stoveA beverage-can stove is a homemade, ultralight portable stove. The simple design is made entirely from aluminium cans and burns alcohol. Countless variations on the basic design exist....
- Calcium acetateCalcium acetateThe chemical compound calcium acetate is the calcium salt of acetic acid. It has the formula Ca2. Its standard name is calcium acetate, while calcium ethanoate is the systematic IUPAC name. An older name is acetate of lime...
- Hexamine fuel tabletHexamine fuel tabletA hexamine fuel tablet is a form of solid fuel in tablet form. The tablets burn smokelessly, have a high energy density, do not liquify while burning and leave no ashes. Invented in Murrhardt, Germany, in 1936, the main component is hexamine .A number of alternative names are in use, including heat...
- Portable stovePortable stoveA portable stove is a cooking stove specially designed to be portable and lightweight, as for camping or picnicking, or for use in remote locations where an easily transportable means of cooking or heating is needed...
- Canned Heat (disambiguation)Canned Heat (disambiguation)Canned Heat may refer to:*Sterno Canned Heat, fuel made from denatured and jellied alcohol, designed to be burned directly from its can**An alcoholic drink prepared from Sterno Canned Heat...