Hi ,WE ARE WONDERING WHICH IS THE BEST BARBEQUE TO BUY .WE MOSTLY COOK OUTSIDE THE CARAVAN AND THEREFORE USE IT A LOT , BUT HAVE NEVER SPENT MUCH ON THE BARBEQUE .OURS IS NOW COMING TO AN END AND WE NEED TO REPLACE .IS THE CADAC AS GOOD AS THEY SAY?
I used to have a Cadac Carri Chef and contrary to a lot of opinion I didn't like it! I found the heat was uneven and it was prone to blowing out in wind beyond a slight breeze. Also it was a pain to clean. The flat griddle was great for doing eggs, but this was after having the griddle replaced twice as everything stuck to the first two, there was definitely a difference in the quality of the non stick coating!
I now have a Weber Midi Q and although not cheap I know I will not be needing to replace it. It oozes quality in build and function. It has very even very controllable heat and its heavy cast iron grill can reach very high temperatures which is great for searing steak etc. Very happy.
If you are using it a lot it will be worth the expense and if its eggs you want then a small cast iron griddle set on top of the grill will do the job nicely.
Quite a while ago, we switched from taking a charcoal bbq and instead took a cheap "household-garden, non-camping" bbg(with the legs/trolley section taken off)and run it via an external bbq point.
It worked well enough but as there's onlt the two of us, it a was still a bit of a faff to be honest(setting up, cleaning etc), so we ended up leaving that in the shed as well!
As we tended to only use a griddle plate on it anyway, we now just use a non-stick griddle pan sat on either our two burner or single suitcase stoves. We've found it easier to use, versatile, cheap and easy to clean.(although it maybe not as "flash looking", when set up on site.)
Another vote for a Cadac, but if you buy the singing / dancing one there are a lot of bulky parts. Ok if you have storage space and an excellent piece of kit - a kitchen with a lid. Can bake, cook,wok,roast, fry,or use as a pizza oven - in fact anything you want to try.
We also use a bog standard gas BBQ in our UK caravan and it is great but less versatile.
But there are many alternatives to consider.
Can't fault my Cadac Safari Chef. It's compact, portable, pretty lightweight, and amazingly versatile.
In my experience it tends to take longer to cook than a charcoal or gas BBQ, but it doesn't burn everything the way other BBQs tend to.
Also loads of accessories available..............we have the roasting pan which is amazing (Cadac claim you can roast a whole chicken in it - but I have only ever done chicken portions and roast beef) Next purchase will probably be a pizza stone.
Quote: Originally posted by Rod+Ali on 09/12/2014 Next purchase will probably be a pizza stone.
Rod
You'd only need a stone to make your own. And only if a ferfectionist. I frequently heat up a bought pizza on any BBQ (even from frozen) but you need to keep the gas at a peep. On the cadac, the plate flat or inverted is fine.
Another vote for the Cadac Safari Chef great bit of kit!
Small and compact and fits In those small gaps in the car , we brought the pizza stone and used it and it a great bit of kit the next part we going to buy is the roasting pan but let's see what Santa brings .. Overall it a brilliant bit of kit if there is more then 2 or 3 of you, you may struggle as the cooking service not huge. The only problem is the we use a bit of tin foil and wrap it around the gap ( between the base and thre outer pan what hole the plates/pizza stone) so it can be used on those windy days but overall great little cooker/bbq
Quote: Originally posted by Rod+Ali on 09/12/2014 Next purchase will probably be a pizza stone.
Rod
You'd only need a stone to make your own. And only if a ferfectionist. I frequently heat up a bought pizza on any BBQ (even from frozen) but you need to keep the gas at a peep. On the cadac, the plate flat or inverted is fine.
Tried cooking a pizza on the hotplate but it burned in the middle (will try turning the gas down lower next time).
Do you put flour down before you put the pizza on ? If not try it ... Pre heat the plate on max heat then after 5min turn down to the lowest setting and then put the lid on ... That's hqt we do and it works like a treat