The Camping Forum

[in-a-tent]

A good size stove with a grill
Score 4 out of 5
Camping Chef With Bag & Regulator. Camping with kids means we were not in a position to keep certain things small and light, you simply cannot cook for 4 people on a single burner stove. We opted for the Campinggaz Camping Chef because the price wa ...
Read the full Campingaz Camping Chef review

[Former Scout]

Untill recently this was the top of the range camping stove available from Campingaz. The obvious attraction of this cooker is the grill. This grill is a ceramic radiant burner so, in theory, although the burner area is smaller than grills on other stoves it is more efficient at radiating the heat over a wider area. In theory. Both burners and grill are opperated by "child safe" knobs - not that you would allow your children anywhere near the cooker, of course! Don't forget your matches as there is no automatic/piezo ignition.

The rated power of the stove is 2,300W for each burner (no other Campingaz burner is more powerful) and 1,100w for the grill. Don't forget that, just because it is a Campingaz product, you don't have to use Campingaz gas which is more expensive than Calor (though if you are intending to camp on the continent remember that you can't get refils for Calor).

The lower section which houses the grill is designed to collapse. This means that it packs away to a smaller size than it would otherwise do but, as a result, setting up and packing away the cooker involves more faff and on mine the "plate" on which the grill pan stands never lies flat. Also, the legs that come down have no rubberised feet; as a result it does not sit as securely on the camp kitchen - it is liable to slip. Those raised sides do not offer total protection from the wind. Finally, compared to some designs, including other Campingaz burners, its not the easiest to clean.

The performance of the burners is quite adequate - it is rated just slightly more powerful than the popular and cheap "suitcase" burners. To get significantly more power you would either have to get those big, cast iron burners or go petrol/dual fuel. But the grill was a disappointment. As I mentioned above it can be a fuss to clean, especially with splashed greased/oil. As a result I've ended up using the grill only for toast and fry my sausages instead. But don't let the publicity photos fool you: if you place two slices of bread under the grill only the inside/joining sides will toast. So you will have to turn them round before you flip them over to toast the other side and then turn them around again. Given that you can cheaply buy stove-top attachments to toast your bread I wonder whether that's the way to go.

If you see a Campingaz Camping Chef Stove and Grill on sale that does not come with a free carry bag then do that most un-English of things: barter. The bag is needed.

I said that this used to be the top of the range. Its position has, in effect, been supplanted by the Camping Chef Plus Camping Stove which has the same burners, grill and basic design but with a built-in adjustable stand. This negates the need for a separate camp kitchen, is more stable and still collapses down to a more convenient size for travel. But expect to pay an extra £35 or so.

So, should you get one? If you want power then will probably want to go petrol/dual fuel. Gas, however, is simpler and convenient. The Campingaz Camping Chef Stove and Grill is not bad; in many respects it's good. But it's not perfect and I'm amazed that Campingaz have not tweaked it more, especially by including rubberised feet and piezo ignition. The Camping Chef Plus may seem extravagently expensive but you wouldn't have to buy a separate kitchen/stand; so maybe you should consider that - but do check the height of the stand in case it's too low. Many have gone down the route of the suitcase burners. These come with their own, if not particularly robust case, have automatic ignition, are pretty-much as powerful and can be very inexpensive (this year Go Outdoors have had them on sale as low as £6).

You pays your money and you makes your choice.

[pitkin2020]

Nice info, the link in post one isn't working though.

Some good points in post 2 especially regarding the feet. The auto ignition isn't something I would like to have personally due to have kids would much rather there was no chance of ignition should they get there grubby hands on it.

[Jam_Man]

I have one of these and am very happy with it, but totally agree with comments about grill. Its pretty useless and we rarely use it a take a toaster if using an EHU anyway. If no electric is available then making toast takes far too long, one slight at a time is all you can really hope for.

[M0KAS]

and those 4 slice stove to toaster things are a complete waste, i bought one and it found its way into the bin after its first try, it didnt toast the bread, it just dried it out, and you end up with something that resembles stale hard bread. its probably better to stick the bread onto a bamboo skewer or 2 and toast it over the open flame,