Oh, wow. I guess it’s really based on the conditions. My normal survival “go-pack” that I use for day hikes and such has an alcohol stove in case I wind up in an area where a fire is prohibited and I really want a cup of coffee. I don’t cook actual meals when I’m using that level of gear, just boil water since I mostly subsist on nuts, raisins, jerky, and coffee when I’m out for two days or less. Like most stoves of this breed, it allows me to cut the flame down to a simmer level or lower, which is great since two cups of coffee are better than one, so long as they’re both hot. All of that is in my go-pack all the time so I can just grab it on the way out to a SAR mission. So, alcohol stove if I can’t have a fire.
If I can have a fire, then I use a grill made by sawing the non-flat parts off a metal bucket paint roller grid. Flat, lightweight, durable, and allows me to work with any kind of fire lay from dakota to key-hole. It collects soot, so I made a cover (my first actual sewing machine project) for it. It takes up absolutely no room in the pack, which is why I like it. The grill is always in my survival kit because it’s really light and works everywhere, forever, including over the alcohol stove.
I go heavy for truck camping, with a canvas tent and propane heater, so the standard two-burner Coleman stove is the gear I use for that event; I like to take a bunch of ingredients and do actual cooking in that situation. Solar-electric refrigerator and lighting makes that particular kit complete.
For real mountaineering, like 5-day trips deep into the wilderness or SOTA work, I take along a WhisperLite and associated fuel. Alcohol stoves don’t dump the necessary energy to melt snow and boil enough water, fast enough, for two hungry hikers to get their Mountain House in time. We use patrol camping methods, so one stove & cook gear per two people.
And for things like boiling traps and canning, I use a large propane burner on a tripod.