Is It Actually Ok To Cook On Your Mr. Buddy Heater?

It's ice fishing time in Minnesota and Wisconsin! Lakes are freezing up and there's enough ice in most places to safely walk out and go ice fishing. Many anglers are already sharing pictures of their success on early ice.

We all like to make ice fishing as comfortable as possible. We've come a long way from sitting on a bucket out on the lake in the freezing wind. Now with shelters and little portable heaters, we can make it pretty comfortable.

Many people warm food on Mr. Buddy Heaters

What about getting a hot meal on the ice? Nothing warms you up better than some good warm grub on the lake. The question is, how do you heat it up? Can I just use the heater I brought with me? Why not?

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I've seen videos of people making all sorts of things above their Mr. Buddy Heaters. They are one of the best-selling and most reliable heaters out there. They use 1 lb propane tanks, or you can get the hose adapter to go to a 20 lb tank. (I prefer 1 lb cylinders to save space in my sled).

Read More: Refilling Your 1 Lb Propane Tanks Could Land You In Prison

A popular thing people make out on the ice is hot dogs or brats on the Mr. Buddy. I'd suggest if you are doing this you get the precooked ones so all you have to do is heat it up.

I was searching the internet for some third-party attachments for Mr. Buddy for cooking when I found a note from the manufacturer.

Mr. Heater Manufacturer Says Its Dangerous

According to EGI, the company that makes the Mr. Heater brands, they don't want you to use it for cooking.

WARNING LANGUAGE WARNING! This product is NEVER to be used for the cooking or warming of foods as doing so can interfere with the safety systems of the heater, which may result in a fire, explosion, the production of deadly carbon monoxide, and personal injury or death to you or others. NEVER use hand-made or third party accessories or attachments with this heater; this is extremely dangerous and may result in personal injury or death to you or others

You will void your warranty.

They go even further to say that they will not honor the 1-year warranty if you were misusing the heater, including warming food on it. It apparently is a big enough issue that it needs to be in writing.

They offer an alternative to misusing your Mr. Buddy. They have a Buddy Flex Cooker that can attach to a Buddy Flex Heater

Many people will still use them to heat up food. Some suggest covering the grate with aluminum foil if you're cooking to keep from getting grease on the heater.

Personally, I'll probably still use mine to heat up some hot dogs, but I'll be extra careful not to let any spill. My heater is well out of the warranty period, so I'm not worried about that.