Following on from my camping bed thread, I'm looking for a way to cook basic one pot meals and coffee for family camping for a couple of meals per trip, nothing too involved until everyone is keen. I've got a 30yr+ old single stove I want to retire on safety grounds. I'm thinking of going cheap with something like this and then upgrade in the future, any thoughts or should I be buying something better once?
https://www.halfords.com/camping/cooking-equipment/halfords-portable-gas-stove-532534.html
I have the Halfords branded version and it's served me well for boiling a kettle and basic cooking duties. The only issue is the cannisters are great when new but as they run down they don't gas as well. They get cold as you use them and the flame dies down. They need popping out of the stove and giving a good shake to get the gas going again.
I have the Camping Gaz version of above, and my trusty Camping Gaz Party Grill CV 400, that uses the CV cartridges - that's really good, but about £100 - gas BBQ/griddle/stove, wok all in one. I also have their mini burner that clicks onto the cartridges as a back up/bike packing stove. Pots, we use old ones from home, plus just bought a ridge monkey toastie maker.
You can't go far wrong with the stove you linked to OP, and the cartridges are available everywhere.
I'll echo the issue with the cartridges and cold, they don't work as well as the CV ones, especially if it's cold outside.
Those briefcase cookers are ideal for camping (and handy when having a barbecue at home for cooking onions for the burgers and hot dogs).
We use that exact stove except Aldi branded for family camping. It will boil water for pasta for 4 but can need a lid half on to sustain a rolling boil when cooking 400g of pasta. Also fine for cooking fish fingers, bacon & eggs or simmering a curry or most easy camping meals. One gas canister with do 2 or 3 meals for 4 and several kettles of boiling water.
It is cheap, stable, no matches required and gas is cheap and easy to find.
It is slow when canisters are nearly empty and a windshield is helpful. Good simple solution.
PS I only ended up with the Camping Gaz version as Go-Outdoors and Decathlon had run out of their own make - GO has one for about £12, but hadn't stocked up in January when I needed one to make a brew on a day trip to Llanberis !
Thanks for the advice.
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/stainless-steel-non-stick-camping-cookset-500-4-people-25-items/_/R-p-174679
This pot and pan set looks good and compact
Can't go wrong with Decathlon stuff TBH.
I successfully used one of those cheap single burner gas stoves as pictured above and a 20cm deep bin stick frying pan with a lid on it, brabantia if I remember correctly.
Every main meal for 2 was cooked in the pan, meat, sauce, veg etc then a bag of microwave rice all stirred up. Omelettes, bacon grill, and breakfast stuff went in the same pan. A perfect hybrid between a frying pan and a pan.
Back up was msr stainless steel pans and a cheap alloy kettle for brews.
Future trips might be on an induction hob powered via a power bank (when I've used up my gas cartridges).
One tip, freeze a meal you all like, e.g. spaghetti or curry. You've then only got to heat the sauce and then the pasta/rice. Really quick option for one of the evenings, and it helps keep the cool box cold. We've done all sorts on our cooker. Even done a stir fry on the beach with the Party Grill, and managed to cook a pizza !
If, like us, you get into it, you end up buying a van to carry it all !
I had one of those canisters-to-the-side briefcase style cookers. It was utter garbage, I might as well have cooked over a candle and it absolutely caned through gas. Other posters here seem to have had better luck, maybe better brands than I bought, but I'd avoid like the plague. Camping is a hobby where "buy cheap, buy twice" has never held truer.
What's your use case, are you car camping with an electric hookup and a bootful of stuff two metres away, or backpacking for miles and wild camping?
Sounds like OP is starting out family camping ! Our back up burner is a Camping Gaz Twister - it sits on top of a CV cartridge, and is great for taking out for a brew, or even cooking on. The party grill is the best one we've bought !
@cougar I'm trying to get my family started on camping. I've not done much camping for 15 years so need to replace my old gear or get some more suitable. Initially I'm planning on reheating food made at home, eg sauces and rice or pasta and porridge.
If the OP is going with hookup, take a slow cooker. We often take one of those large rectangle electric griddles which are ace.
I'm trying to get my family started on camping.
So, a campsite with facilities? Weight no object?
Initially I'm planning on reheating food made at home, eg sauces and rice or pasta and porridge.
That's not a bad shout assuming it'll keep, simply because of cooking time. You're just warming through rather than using half a gas canister cooking from scratch. You probably want to avoid reheating rice though, use a pouch.
One of the best things I bought was a lightweight frying pan. Mates took the piss when I turned up with veggie sausages but soon changed their tune when I was turning out breakfast sausage butties with fried onions and black pepper.
Take some pans from home if you don't have a weight issue - two pans and a frying pan stack together quite compactly. We bought a picnic set (in a rucksack) for all the crockery (plates, cutlery) then added spares from home (e.g. bread knife, grater). I find cooking is part of the camping experience - nothing better than a bacon/sausage butty in the morning. I usually go to town a bit with the evening meals, always have one frozen meal, but I'll happily cook a full meal. We're in the process of trying to cut down on the stuff we take. I usually have a big box with all the camping bits in, emergency tape, first aid, screw anchors, tent lights, string lights, bunting, table cloth with in built pockets, you name it. The box also has the pots and pans and the kettle in.
Do a bit of research into the camp site - do you want basic, or something a bit nicer, especially if encouraging the family. E.g. a nice shower block with electrical points for hair driers etc can make a difference, as can hookup if it's cold - take a fan heater. Location can be important for the kids to do stuff. Loads of choice. We spent 10 nights on a basic campsite (two visits) but had hook up. Showers were tin shacks, but hot. We've also done sites on the side of a lake, with lovely facilities/shower etc, but it was expensive, but right by the waterside for swimming and paddle boarding.
I usually go to town a bit with the evening meals,
This is a good point in itself. If you're tying to get the family "into" camping then any luxuries you can provide for their first experience will work in your favour. You're going to score more points in an evening by taking them to them to a pub 100 yards away for a three-course meal and a pint of Old Phlegm Lovelybeer than you are washing baked beans down with a mug of lukewarm Nescafé in the rain.
Oh yeh, local pub grub. Even better, Just go once you've pitched up, not before. My wife hadn't camped until last April. We had a new tent you could stand up in, took a porta potty (now't worse than having soggy feet whilst you walk to the toilet block with a torch in the early hours), leccy hookup and a fan heater. Made the difference and she loves it now - I usually have to be near water as she loves cold water swimming. Half my garage is taken up with camping gear now, and we did 25 nights under canvas last year (I did 28).
If you get one of those flat stoves, get yourself a little folding windbreak to go with it. Alpkit sell them but you see them all over. The stove isn't super powerful but keeping even a little breeze off will help it and save gas.
Wind break. Got one myself
Well, I feel like I should buck the sensible starter stove options and say, Cobb BBQ/Oven.
Cook your sourdough bread whilst glaring in disgust at the "super noodle" family next door
*Don't buy a Cobb at this point, although they are very good. And very safe too.