Review: Fire-Maple ISLAND Is it best to buy a cooker with a heat exchanger that can also be used to steam dishes from China? ?

The role of a cooker is to safely heat food and water. Most of the time, it's used for grilling or boiling water. However, when cooking in the mountains, you need to keep in mind the time and effort required, as well as the fuel consumption. So, this time, we're reviewing the new product, ISLAND Fire-Maple .

This cooker uses a heat exchanger mechanism (also known as a "flux ring mechanism"), which significantly reduces boiling time and fuel consumption

Hmmm!? This cooker. The accordion-shaped bottom is... Jet ◯◯ !? (←in a low voice). Many of you may have noticed, but that's right. That's right! the JETBOIL , it uses a heat exchanger mechanism (also known as a "flux ring mechanism") that reduces the amount of fuel used and the time it takes to boil.

In 2001, Dwight Aspinwall and Perry Dowst of Jetboil, the American company that revolutionized the outdoor cooking industry, waived their patent rights to use only the heat exchanger mechanism they developed. Indeed, ISLAND is not the only cooker equipped with a heat exchanger, and there are a few others out there today

Fire-Maple may not be well known in Japan , but it is actually a top outdoor brand in its home country of China. This is evidenced by the fact that the brand has been recognized for its excellent products at ISPO Munich, Europe's largest outdoor equipment exhibition, and has won three awards since 2013. Now, let's take a look at the contents of the ISLAND

ISLAND set contents

• Cooker

As mentioned at the beginning, this is a deep cooker that uses a heat exchanger mechanism. It is made of aluminum, which has high thermal conductivity. The internal scale is marked in 250ml increments up to 1L, but if you're just boiling water, it seems like you can add an additional 300ml beyond 1L. The handle is a type that locks in place when you try to open it left or right

• Included accessories

Tritan (resin tableware) x 2, lid x 1, steamer x 1, foldable resin spork (PP spork) x 2, canister support, cutting board, stuff pouch

ISLAND has not undergone compliance testing under Japan's Food Sanitation Law, it has already been certified by the US Food and Drug Administration and the German Food Sanitation Control Law inspection safety standards, so you can rest assured.

The cooker and its accessories are quite comprehensive

This is the storage stage before putting it into the stuff pouch. The OD can fits inside the cooker, and the solo burner fits inside the steamer at the bottom

This is a staff pouch that can store a cutting board. Instructions for storing it when putting it away are included

Even Chinese

First, we tested the capabilities of a cooker that uses a heat exchanger mechanism. We used a SOTO Amicus stove, which fits snugly into the heat exchanger mechanism

Let's boil some water. We'll compare it with two other cookers, one made of titanium and one made of aluminum, and the main feature of this article, the Fire-Maple Island . We poured 200ml of water into the cooker, kept the heat level with the valve knob turned halfway, and measured the time it took for the water to boil without the lid on. While wind and other factors may have had an effect, the boiling results are shown below. The test environment was a barbecue area at a seaside park in early September.

• Titanium EVERNEW Titanium Mug Pot 500 approx. 1 minute 43 seconds
• Aluminum SOTO Amil Cooker : 1 minute 11 seconds
• FIRE-maple ISLAND approx. 41 seconds

Titanium is lightweight and non-stick, but it's a material that doesn't circulate heat well, so it took a while to boil. Even with aluminum, a common material for cooktops, it took more than a minute. The ISLAND is also made of aluminum, but this is likely thanks to its heat exchanger mechanism. At about 41 seconds, it took an exceptionally short time to boil. Even though it's a Chinese cooktop, its functionality is genuine

It takes less than a minute to heat the water for a cup of coffee (200ml)

Traditional Chinese steamed cooking! Super time-saving cooking using a steamer

This is a steamer that fits over a cooker. In the winter, I would definitely like to steam Chinese buns

Next up is cooking. Just as noteworthy as the heat exchanger mechanism is the steamer that can be used to steam food on the ISLAND The Fire-Maple . How does steaming come out, an ancient Chinese cooking method?

I cut vegetables to fit in the steamer and steamed them. The potatoes took about 13 minutes, and the broccoli took about 2.5 minutes. The shumai (4 pieces) only needed about 2 minutes to heat

It took about 13 minutes to steam the potatoes. Perhaps potatoes are a food that takes a long time to cook. However, the inside was piping hot

Broccoli takes about 2.5 minutes, which is pretty quick and tender

I defrosted some frozen shumai and steamed them. About 2 minutes was enough

A good combination is to use the steamer to steam food while using the hot water in the cooker to heat rice, soup, or other ready-made meals. This not only saves fuel, but also saves time thanks to the heat exchanger. The steamer presses down on the cooker from above, so it's fine even if the ready-made meals stick out a little

Place the ingredients in the steamer and the rice packet and instant risotto sauce in the cooker

All that's left is the risotto sauce, which takes a long time to make..

This is what it looks like when arranged. By using the steamer, we were able to cook two meals at once! This cuts down on both time and fuel consumption

The stuff pouch was also very useful as it could hold various items. However, since the hot water in the cooker turns into steam and reduces, you need to be careful not to burn it empty and be careful of the hot steam coming out of the hole in the steamer lid

Clean up is easy and hassle-free! Storage instructions are also clearly explained

The storage instructions are laser printed on the side of the cooker. Just store it according to the diagram!

The staff pouch also has more detailed storage instructions!

Unlike grilled food, steaming prevents food from burning or getting oily, making it easy to maintain. In the field, wiping it down with a tissue seems to be no problem.
Storage instructions are laser-printed on the side of the cooker, and instructions are also included in the staff pouch that holds the cutting board.
You can calmly pack away the steamer, Tritan, sporks, canister support, and more, while looking at the diagram. When storing, fold the cooker handle to secure it in place, eliminating the worry of items falling out. Simply wrap it in the staff pouch and tighten the string, and you're ready to go.

Summary: Don't underestimate it. The attention to detail in the performance exceeds expectations

The ISLAND is on the crowdfunding site Campfire (funding now closed). It's not exactly cheap, but it's certainly of a comparable, if not even higher, quality, and shouldn't be dismissed as just another Chinese cooktop.

Using a steamer saves you time, effort, and fuel. It's also easy to clean. The storage instructions are written on the side of the cooker, which is a nice touch. the Orange (it's only 3,000 yen on Amazon).

Personally, I think the spork, Tritan, and cutting board could have been omitted (though some people already have them). This would have led to even more cost savings. On the other hand, it would have been even more convenient if there had been a small cooker that could double as a lid (even if it was sold separately). Also, I think a breathable nylon mesh material for the stuffing pouch would have been better. A truly capable Chinese cooker. For now, we'll have to wait and see how sales develop

Fire-maple official website