Sterno
2
8.1
- noun
- /ˈstɜrnəʊ/
- NSFW
:
Sterno
- Yeah, Sterno, you know those little cans they put at the buffet to keep food warm.
- Sterno can
Examples
-
A woman in lavender sequins handed out Sterno-heated pretzels, and a man wobbling on stilts saluted them.
Fiction book (2002) -
For the camping trip, they packed several cans of Sterno for cooking and heating food.
-
Watch the Sterno, will you?
-
Excuse me, back to the Sterno.
Blog text (14) -
I think I'm gonna go change the Sterno under the vegan lasagne.
-
Harlan Boyd set his juice can down carefully on the sterno stove.
Fiction book (1997) -
Greer goes through shelves of supplies, finding a stack of sterno cans and warming candles.
Fiction book (2002) -
Standing behind a folding table, he wore a white apron and stirred a pot that was heated from beneath by Sterno.
Fiction book (1999) -
At the outdoor picnic, we used Sterno to keep the dishes warm.
-
He carefully placed the pot on the Sterno stove to heat the soup.
How Flammable
Surface Forms
Etymology
Sterno began as a brand name for a canned, jelly-like alcohol fuel used to keep food warm. Because the brand was so common at events, Sterno came to mean any small can of 'food heater', a bit like saying Kleenex for any tissue.