What do you use kindling for?

Wood, charcoal and briquettes need a push to ignite. This can be done in countless ways, as any Boy Scout can tell you, but almost without exception they are complicated and time-consuming, or less healthy and dangerous. Therefore, to start a fire for barbecue safely and quickly, special kindling is used.

Lighting cubes are available in different designs. The (cheap) white ones are based on benzene/petroleum/kerosene (chemical igniters). The more expensive (brown) cubes are paraffin-based. It takes a little longer for them to really burn, but that very minor inconvenience outweighs the benefits. They are a lot healthier, don’t smell as much and don’t spoil the taste of the food.

Lighting wicks are wood shavings soaked in (vegetable) wax. In particular, they are ideal for igniting charcoal because their flexibility allows them to be easily inserted between chunks. Like the better firelighters, they are odor- and toxin-free.