what is sterno
A can of Sterno aflame. Sterno (canned heat) is a fuel made from denatured and jellied alcohol. It is designed to be burned directly from its can. Its primary uses are in the food service industry for buffet heating and in the home for fondue and as a chafing fuel for heating chafing dishes.here are many instances of people drinking Sterno to become intoxicated. Since the alcohol it contains is denatured, Sterno is poisonous. Bluesman Tommy Johnson alludes to the practice in his song Canned Heat Blues recorded in 1928.