A Tommy cooker was a compact, portable, solidified alcohol fuelled stove issued to British troops (Tommies) in World War I[1]. It was notoriously ineffective and a variety of improvised alternatives were in use, but a refined version remained in use during World War II. The term also came to be applied by the late Panther and Tiger German tank crews as a derogatory nickname for the Sherman tank, which on earlier models, mainly due to a combination of obsolete armour, unprotected shells, and the highly flammable fuel, acquired an early reputation for "brewing up" when hit[2].
The British army still uses compact portable solid fuel (hexamine) stoves.