Outdoor cooking?

[Borris]

Well it depends on where I’m going, length of trip and how much space I have in the van.

Cobb bbq grill/oven: in conjunction with all the Cobb pan/rack accessories and extension rings, Dutch oven, various other pans & racks.

Kellie Kettle: with cooking kit, as a kettle in it’s own right, with the Ghillie Cobb adapter to accelerate the “coals”, cooking over fire with the hobo stove.

Gas camping stoves: 2 ring (calor gas bottle) & 1 ring (cartridge canisters).

Trangia spirit burner: in the Cobb for quick, high heat.

Same here Elly,
We have a Cobb, a couple of very powerful Campingaz Super Carena R 3kw single burner stoves, a Mr D's thermal cooker, a Kelly kettle with cooking accessories and a huge Cadac Carri Chef 2. We never ever take them all but select the cooking apparatus that suits a particular trip. The only cooking device that permanently stays in our Beach is one of the single burner Campingaz stoves and 907 cylinder which lives in the boot along with every thing else we would need for an immediate trip away. Its sister lives in the boot of my wife's car.


I've always felt that one of the main joys of having a Cali is cooking outdoors.

 

[IanE]

Anyone tried producing pizza in the ridgemonkey? (from scratch I mean)

 

[bluerallye]

Longer w/e's away we take the Cadac and an Uuni pizza oven. Oven folds away nice and pits nicely in the bench seat (T4) with a box of wood pellets.

90 seconds start to finish

 

[Elly Swanson]

We like to make our own pizza dough a half spelt base, combined with homemade tomato base, some mozzarella, cured meats, olives and of course a touch of parmigiana and you're in for a heavenly meal. Sometimes a little anchovies too mmm.

Cant wait to try it on our pizza stone on the cadac.

Let us know how you get on with the pizza on your cadac’s stone, Matt. I like the idea of your pizza base being half spelt, the toppings too sound delicious.

 

[Elly Swanson]

Same here Elly,
We have a Cobb, a couple of very powerful Campingaz Super Carena R 3kw single burner stoves, a Mr D's thermal cooker, a Kelly kettle with cooking accessories and a huge Cadac Carri Chef 2. We never ever take them all but select the cooking apparatus that suits a particular trip. The only cooking device that permanently stays in our Beach is one of the single burner Campingaz stoves and 907 cylinder which lives in the boot along with every thing else we would need for an immediate trip away. Its sister lives in the boot of my wife's car.


I've always felt that one of the main joys of having a Cali is cooking outdoors.

I thought about getting a thermal cooker and may well do for my our Cali when it arrives. I do a lot of pressure cooking at home, but have never when campervanning. But now we’re changing from a Toyota Hiace to a Cali Ocean I think our campervan habits will change and we’ll be doing much more cold weather camping. For that of course you can’t beat a hearty stew and a good pudding. I like the way in a thermal cooker you can do several things at once.

How do you use your Mr D’s and what for? How many do you cook for? What size is good for you?

 

[Elly Swanson]

Anyone tried producing pizza in the ridgemonkey? (from scratch I mean)

No, but will have a go at home on the hob.

How tragic is it that I don’t have my Cali yet and have to resort to the kitchen or the garden, day dreaming about being out on the road? (Rhetorical question, you don’t need to confirm how tragic I am, lol).

Have you tried it yet, Ian E? Do you make your own pizzas anyway?

I think a thin crust would be best or use a heat diffuser under the monkey so the base doesn’t burn.

 

[Elly Swanson]

Same here Elly,
We have a Cobb, a couple of very powerful Campingaz Super Carena R 3kw single burner stoves, a Mr D's thermal cooker, a Kelly kettle with cooking accessories and a huge Cadac Carri Chef 2. We never ever take them all but select the cooking apparatus that suits a particular trip. The only cooking device that permanently stays in our Beach is one of the single burner Campingaz stoves and 907 cylinder which lives in the boot along with every thing else we would need for an immediate trip away. Its sister lives in the boot of my wife's car.


I've always felt that one of the main joys of having a Cali is cooking outdoors.

We have never had a cooker or hob in our campervan. It’ll be weird having a hob in our Cali, but handy for pub stopovers and trips out to make a cup of tea or heat some soup.

 

[Elly Swanson]

Did you use flour or oil on the stone. And did you put the flour or oil on the hot stone or cold. I did manage to cook a pizza well once but I was drunk.tried stone. Hot. Stone cold. Etc. Same results as you. Charred base. Uncooked top

Hi guys, you need a hot stone to be successful. That means making the pizza up on a pizza paddle or something that has a flat side (I use a flat baking sheet that has no sides, takes up no space in the van). I use semolina on the tray so the pizza base slides off the sheet on to the stone easily. You could use flour but make sure it’s not soggy. Semolina’s better because it’s grainy and allows a better slide.

 

[Borris]

I thought about getting a thermal cooker and may well do for my our Cali when it arrives. I do a lot of pressure cooking at home, but have never when campervanning. But now we’re changing from a Toyota Hiace to a Cali Ocean I think our campervan habits will change and we’ll be doing much more cold weather camping. For that of course you can’t beat a hearty stew and a good pudding. I like the way in a thermal cooker you can do several things at once.

How do you use your Mr D’s and what for? How many do you cook for? What size is good for you?

We have two. One for use in the Cali and the other for home use. The latter can feed between fifteen to eighteen and was purchased for large parties. The smaller one will feed four people with ease.
The smaller one was bought specifically for use in the Cali and is very useful indeed. The beauty of these things is that you can knock up a nice meal in about twenty minutes and then leave it to cook whilst you drive to you destination. When you arrive hours later there's a hot meal ready for you and it's used next to nothing in fuel.

 

[Elly Swanson]

We have two. One for use in the Cali and the other for home use. The latter can feed between fifteen to eighteen and was purchased for large parties. The smaller one will feed four people with ease.
The smaller one was bought specifically for use in the Cali and is very useful indeed. The beauty of these things is that you can knock up a nice meal in about twenty minutes and then leave it to cook whilst you drive to you destination. When you arrive hours later there's a hot meal ready for you and it's used next to nothing in fuel.

Sounds brilliant, may be coming back to you for some advice, hints and tips if I get one, Borris.

 

[Erbster]

I thought about getting a thermal cooker and may well do for my our Cali when it arrives. I do a lot of pressure cooking at home, but have never when campervanning. But now we’re changing from a Toyota Hiace to a Cali Ocean I think our campervan habits will change and we’ll be doing much more cold weather camping. For that of course you can’t beat a hearty stew and a good pudding. I like the way in a thermal cooker you can do several things at once.

How do you use your Mr D’s and what for? How many do you cook for? What size is good for you?

We bought one for our boat. I love the way you can make two dishes at once. Ideal on the boat because it saves fuel (alcohol burner). I have used it to make fresh bread, cakes and sponge pudding as well as curries, stews and so on.

https://travellingaurora.wordpress.com/tag/origo-1500/




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[Elly Swanson]

Very interesting. I too am always trying to save on fuel. I am amazed at what people cook in these, Erbster. How do you do bread?

 

[Erbster]

Very interesting. I too am always trying to save on fuel. I am amazed at what people cook in these, Erbster. How do you do bread?

https://travellingaurora.wordpress.com/2014/07/31/boat-bread/


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[Elly Swanson]

We don't get our van until Feb/March next year but I imagine we'll carry on pretty much as we do with camping which is:


A single burner for making tea/cooking pasta etc.https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0001P08WY/?tag=vwcalifornia-21

And a Safire for stir frying, risottos, roasting and BBQing - https://www.olproshop.com/collections/safire-bbq

SAfires are great I got one from Olpro really cheap (shame they don’t do all the accessories). I was so impressed I bought 3 more for Xmas & housewarming pressies.

I also have a Cobb, with most of the pans/racks and absolutely love it. The only things I don’t need are the kettle, as I use my Kelly kettle on ot, or the lid holder. Have just bought the pizza stone and stainless steel grill plate.

I got a Cobb compact extension ring for the SAfire which allows the Cobb stuff to be used on it.

The pros for the SAfire are: much easier to clean and you can go a lot hotter without fear of melting any plastic bits.

 

[Elly Swanson]

Our kitchen extractor at home expels the smells to just under our neighbours’ bathroom window (no ineffective charcoal filters). Even so, lamb chops are so stinky that we only ever BBQ outside then bring in to eat if eating out is not an option.


Follow my blog: www.au-revoir.eu

Love lamb chops. If the smell was on the inside I’d be hungry all the time!!

 

[IanE]

No, but will have a go at home on the hob.

How tragic is it that I don’t have my Cali yet and have to resort to the kitchen or the garden, day dreaming about being out on the road? (Rhetorical question, you don’t need to confirm how tragic I am, lol).

Have you tried it yet, Ian E? Do you make your own pizzas anyway?

I think a thin crust would be best or use a heat diffuser under the monkey so the base doesn’t burn.

Not tried it yet Elly - will give it a go though. I like your ideas for success!

Ian

 

[jts46]

Love lamb chops. If the smell was on the inside I’d be hungry all the time!!

Leg of lamb (New Zealand) cooked on BBQ in Spain

 

[BayCatOne]

I’m thinking of getting a two burner Primus Tupike stove as a complement to the Ocean kitchen. Cooking outside is nice when the weather and mosquitoes permits... do you guys use the table as a base for cooking on or is there any risk of the surface melting or getting damaged?

Not much for grills as there’s usually one or five at your average campsite for when the need sets in.

Love cooking in the Cali though and haven’t found that smells linger and if something sticks it’s a matter of days before it’s gone if you clean the surfaces that’s closest to the cooking area.

 

[CDinFrance]

Wow, totally depends on your ‘camping’ lifestyle, and food preferences. To answer your question, yes cooking on a table is more comfortable. That being said, we tend to use our Campingaz Party BBQ more ofthen than anything, as it is also a good strong burner. Once vegetables are done steaming, we use the grill for meat or fish. If you cook more pasta or other dishes, maybe two burners are necessary, but even though we have four, we have mostly learned that one burner and good planning is very efficient.

 

[Amarillo]

I’m thinking of getting a two burner Primus Tupike stove as a complement to the Ocean kitchen. Cooking outside is nice when the weather and mosquitoes permits... do you guys use the table as a base for cooking on or is there any risk of the surface melting or getting damaged?

We are Beach users, so no option but to carry our own cooking equipment. I don't think we have ever cooked in the van, but we do sometimes eat in the van.

We make our own table from storage crates.


The setup is perfect for our needs. Food storage in the drawers one side, kitchen and dining utensils the other side. 2 x 907 bottles and a fridge in the middle. We rarely use the grill on the outwell cooker, but the Cadac is well used. When the van is packed, the kitchen table top is used as an extension to the multiflex board, making a 1.5m x 1.0m surface area which can be used as a double bed for sub 5' children if stopping overnight only.

 

[Tandt]

Wow, totally depends on your ‘camping’ lifestyle, and food preferences. To answer your question, yes cooking on a table is more comfortable. That being said, we tend to use our Campingaz Party BBQ more ofthen than anything, as it is also a good strong burner. Once vegetables are done steaming, we use the grill for meat or fish. If you cook more pasta or other dishes, maybe two burners are necessary, but even though we have four, we have mostly learned that one burner and good planning is very efficient.

We put our bbq on an old single camp kitchen shelf and I use a single ring gas cooker on the table. Often use the ridge monkey as well

 

[Tandt]

We put our bbq on an old single camp kitchen shelf and I use a single ring gas cooker on the table. Often use the ridge monkey as well

Campers are made to be used. I cook anything we want inside including curry but not fish! Open both doors and it will soon disperse

 

[BayCatOne]

We are Beach users, so no option but to carry our own cooking equipment. I don't think we have ever cooked in the van, but we do sometimes eat in the van.

We make our own table from storage crates.
View attachment 45941

The setup is perfect for our needs. Food storage in the drawers one side, kitchen and dining utensils the other side. 2 x 907 bottles and a fridge in the middle. We rarely use the grill on the outwell cooker, but the Cadac is well used. When the van is packed, the kitchen table top is used as an extension to the multiflex board, making a 1.5m x 1.0m surface area which can be used as a double bed for sub 5' children if stopping overnight only.

What Outwell version is that? I've been looking at it too as it's more then half the price of the Primus - I think I've seen you write once that you wouldn't replace it if it broke down. The Coleman camping stove is also on the table, huhu, but still leaning toward the Primus to keep things "local".

 

[Amarillo]

What Outwell version is that? I've been looking at it too as it's more then half the price of the Primus - I think I've seen you write once that you wouldn't replace it if it broke down. The Coleman camping stove is also on the table, huhu, but still leaning toward the Primus to keep things "local".

https://www.outwell.com/en-gb/ecommerce/accessories/rukutu-stove-new

Ours has been very well used and is still going strong after 2+ years. The piezo ignition still works, and the same cannot be said about the Cadac.

However, as we do not use the grill - or only very occasionally - we'd go for a double burner without the grill. Probably the Annatto or maybe Olida. The Habanaro will do toast too, so maybe that!! I don't think we'd be tempted by another brand.

 

[Elly Swanson]

It always amazes me that some people think that if you own an Ocean and don’t cook in it it must mean it’s because you don’t want to “spoil” it.

Well, that’s not always the case. We bought an Ocean as we wanted built in cupboards/storage and a fridge as well as a hob & sink for sometimes. However, my main preference is for cooking outside. Not to keep the van pristine, but several other reasons.

It would be like saying “why sit round a campfire when you could be inside your van with the diesel heater on.”

I love my Ocean and I love cooking outdoors, so what does it matter?