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Need help with an idea......not camping, but on the same path......kinda

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  • Need help with an idea......not camping, but on the same path......kinda

    Hi Everyone........it's been a long time, too long in fact.
    No camping for us this year due to $$ restrictions, but we'll make do.
    Hello to RDF.......haven't spoken in ages!
    Anyways.......I need an idea, not related to camping, but I thought this would be the best place to go, due to all the great inventive creative minds that lurk here...lol

    I run an outdoor hotdog cart, year round, up in the Great White North (Canada).
    My problem that I want to try and address rather than keep sidestepping, is to devise, make some sort of heated container that I could put my squeezy bottles of ketchup, BBQ, 6 mustards, Franks, etc in to keep them from freezing.
    I have no access to hydro.
    I had thought of getting a single propane burner, setting a large enough stock pot on it with about 4-5 " of water in it, and put a grate of some kind inside the pot so the bottles would sit about 1" off the bottom and not be sitting in contact with the bottom of the pot (getting TOO hot)
    My problem with this, is it would have to be about waist height, and there is potential for someone to knock it over, or knock the entire pot off the burner.
    Another idea I had was using similar to a heat exchanger.........instead of heating water, I would heat a 1/4" to 3/8" thick metal plate under something similar to a stock pot.
    I know there would be more heat wasted, but less chance of hot water spillage.....
    Keep in mind, this device should be about 16" round (or square) and fairly portable.
    I only use a Toyota Corolla so there is not a lot of space once I have condiment carrier box sitting on the front seat, cooler for pop on 1/2 of back seat and bun trays etc in trunk.
    I would have to use one of the mini propane tanks too (10 lb??)......
    Ok, now that my mouth has stopped, I'll let your brains go to work.
    Thanks guys, and gals!

    Andrew

  • #2
    Re: Need help with an idea......not camping, but on the same path......kinda

    Use an insulated cooler and put a hot/warm patio brick in the bottom. You can trim the patio brick to size

    Put a towel over the brick to separate it from the condiment bottles

    No spill. No electricity. Should work for several hours. If you have a heat source for hot water like the hot dog water, you could keep a couple of sealed jars of hot water or cans of non-carbonated ice tea in it and rotate them into the cooler as a heat source
    Last edited by Mike; 01-27-2014, 11:22 PM.

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    • #3
      Re: Need help with an idea......not camping, but on the same path......kinda

      I know when we go winter camping there are times when we just keep things inside a cooler to keep them from freezing. I don't ever remember any of my condiments or drinks freezing solid that way, so I would think that a cooler would be enough. Along the lines of what Mike said, if it gets stoopid cold, I thought about small disposable heat packs, maybe wrapped in a cloth sleeve to keep the heat directly off the plastic. It would also help if we knew about the cart itself. How do you keep the hot dogs hot when it's cold? It seems to me there's should be a way to directly use that heat to take the chill off the condiments - like a tray next to or over the heat. I know you have to be careful because you don't want to overheat things. Warm onions and warm mayonnaise don't go over too well with customers - or health inspectors.
      Last edited by MacGyver; 01-28-2014, 12:13 AM.

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      • #4
        Re: Need help with an idea......not camping, but on the same path......kinda

        The hot dogs etc are kept warm in a "chafing" tray......a small burner under a SS tray that has an insert to keep the buns and dogs out of direct contact with the water......AKA steamer trays.
        There is no room on the cart for any additional equipment, thus my thought of something similar to this....

        http://www.gasproducts.ie/acatalog/C...ling_Ring.html

        Definitely need a continuous heat supply.....heating bricks etc won't suffice......5F sometimes here......
        I perhaps could use this same idea, but instead of heating water in a pot, I could put some firebricks in a layer and heat them to act as a radiator.....

        If I was artistic, I could draw a picture.........let me see what I can do?

        Keep the responses coming guys.......someone is going to hit the nail on the head!

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        • #5
          Re: Need help with an idea......not camping, but on the same path......kinda

          Portable stoves are very prone to being blown out when using a very low flame so I don't see how you could regulate the heat well enough to not risk overheating the condiments. You'll need something with subtle heat. If you can't tap off the heat used to keep your dogs hot and the heated bricks and hand warmers don't work for you, my next thought would be to go electric. How about a couple of electric socks in the bottom of the tray? (Covered by some thin cloth so people don't see socks on the cart LOL) Or, if you can squeeze it in, an auxillary deep cycle battery running a 12 volt heating pad.

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          • #6
            Re: Need help with an idea......not camping, but on the same path......kinda

            I think a picture of your rig would help.
            “I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.”
            – E. B. White

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