So many cooking options....what to buy?

We have had a OzPig for four years now and find it great, bbqing, put the camp oven on it to cook and heating as well. So seeing we have had it for so long we will now buy a Webber Baby-Q for those time we can not use the Pig.

Hi Selena,
If you are staying powered then you have many options. I use a single hotplate plugged into power then cook on top of it in a non stick frypan or casserole both of which can also be used on gas burners or in the oven. We dont have a microwave oven as it cant be powered on 12v and dont miss it at all. (Only use it at home for reheating foods).
And of course we have 3 gas burners and 1 hotplate so can use those.

When unpowered we use the cast iron campoven over the fire to cook casseroles, bread, roasts dampers...and almost anything. We find it fantastic and wouldnt travel without it.

I cook inside the van a lot - on cooktop or in the gas oven and so long as the exhaust fan is on, and/or windows open dont find any problems with food odours.
Before we bought this van we carried a cobb oven and just loved it but you dont need it as well as an oven in the van - just more weight to carry around.
My advice is to get a couple of pieces of versatile multippurpose cookware - oven, stovetop, (microwave proof if you have one).

Each trip when we return home I take out anything which isnt used very often and leave it behind, and if theres some item I decide I really need, then it goes into the van. We are carrying less now than in previous trips.

We have the breadmaker along on this trip but have only used it a few times to make pizza dough and a loaf or two of bread which I could have done by hand.

In the end it really depends on what type of places you stay and the types of food you eat.
Also...I decide what goes inside the van and 'he' decides what goes in the boot and the car!

Happy planning and travelling,

Heather

A Hillbilly Bushking Camp Oven is much more flexible than your old cast iron model.
The shape of the lid and the many accessories available make this the first choice for camp cooking in my opinion.

I also have a Cobb cooker which is also good for economy of heat beads, but I still prefer the Hillbilly. You can roast, bake, even use the lid as a fry pan. Add the gas ring accessory when time or fire ban days excludes the use of an open fire.

Love my Hillbilly.


Bill.

Hi Selina - I purchased the small Bessemer casserole and frypan plus lid from their factory seconds sale after buying the van, to use on the cooktop and in the oven. Perfect size. I also carry the 4.5 lt cast iron camp oven which can also be used inside or on the fire for slow cooking, and now, also in the 'choofer' which my husband has just finished creating from an old 9kg gas bottle. This can be used as the fire place with a door cut out so he can sit and watch the fire, plus the camp oven sits on the top. If you consider that everything has to have two uses, it will help minimize the amount you carry with you.

Cheers - Ngaire

Hi Selina

I look at lightweight and not bulky. That to me is a basically lightweight kettle, two saucepans in different sizes, a gauze gas toaster and a lightweight baking dish which travels in the oven. All of these are used on gas only, be it in the caravan or on the portable gas stove when camping out. Long handled tongs can be used on a campground barbecue, but we don't carry heavy campfire cookware.

Motherhen

At the risk of hijacking this thread (apologies offered), the Weber Baby Q looks like a choice piece of gear.
The Aussie price appears to be around $300 for the basic unit, but Amazon US has them from $120 plus $45 roughly shipping. This would equate to about $200 AUD.
For memory, the US have "propane" as the fuel source.
Does anyone know if that is the same as our LPG, and are the fittings similar?
Cheers
Ian

Hi,

We use a CADAC Safari Chef. Small, packs away into a convenient carry bag.
5 in 1 uses, BBQ (my favourite use) bake with the lid, the lid becomes a wok, grill foods and then the bruner heats the whistling kettle.
I actually have 2. One from SA that uses the HP disposable gas canisters and another from Europe that uses the LP gas, connected to camping gaz gas bottle.
We will probably take the disposable unit for our Oz trip, for ease of storage, but depending if I get ambitious and carry a larger gas bottle, may take the LP model.

I like the cadac for its versatility.
The BBQ is a little small if entertaining, bit its fast enough and for 4 people its adequate for dinners.
We have on on our boat, for its ease of storage, lightweight and trouble free.

less than $100 for the unit.

Enjoy !