Update: Added a review of my first use of my Carri Chef 2
So currently I have a Coleman Campingaz 3-in-1 stove and it’s great for two people, but when you have a campsite to feed it tends to be a bit small so with Muddy Chef coming up I needed something a little bigger.
Now I’ve been looking at alternatives from the likes of Coleman and there isn’t really anything that made be say “I want that”, then I happened to come across Cadac on amazon and ZOMG! Now you might be wondering what Cadac is, well it’s basically a staple of any South African heading out into the bush and we affectionately refer to it as a skottel braai. Mine arrives later today
No morning in the African bush is complete without breakfast cooked on the skottel.
At 18inches in diameter (and a 12624 btu flame) there is plenty of space for everyones breakfast or if you’re really in the mood you can throw on the Paella pan.
Sufficed to say I’m pretty pumped to get home today and the best part of all of this, is that my dad kept all his skottel braai accessories so we’ll have nicely seasoned cook surfaces for Muddy Chef. LEKKER!
Update: Okay so this morning I gave the skottel a try and here is what I found:
Assembly time: Out of it’s bag, it took me around 5 minutes to set up and turn on then add another 5 minutes to get up to cooking temperature.
Cooking: There is a lot of space on the cook top, I cooked 1lb (340g) of bacon with 6 large eggs and as you can see there is still plenty of space for other stuff. Now mind you this is the chef’s pan and not the skottel (which is slightly larger so you’d have more cooking surface).
A neat thing with the lid is that it can double as a wind shield so you don’t have to worry about the flame getting blown out
Packing and cleaning: Took me 10 minutes to pack (mainly because I was figuring out where everything went) and cleaning the Chef’s pan was a breeze as it’s non stick. I know with the skottel pan you just need to rinse it with boiling water, wipe it down and put away. Out of the box it comes with a grill pan and Paella pan (each with it’s own carrying case so no worries about them being scratched while packed in the vehicle). The one I bought came with the following: Paella pan, grill pan and pot stand (for your coffee pot ect...)
Overall feel: Now I will admit I was worried about this, too many times you buy a new product from a manufacturer and it feels flimsy and cheap when compared to older versions from your youth. Thankfully with this that isn’t the case, it feels sturdy and at 15kg (33lbs) it’s not not exactly light for a portable braai but you’re not transporting a 6 burner Webber either. The legs are aluminium and when attached to the base make for a stable platform that doesn’t feel like it will fall over if bumped. The base itself is made from steel and is coated in a porcelain finish (the steel itself doesn’t feel thin or flimsy which is nice). The lid is also a porcelain finish with a stainless steel heat deflector (as well as a thick canvas heat shield for the handle) so when you pick it up you don’t have to worry about burning your hands.
Final Thoughts: I like it, CADAC sell a good quality product and while it’s not cheap ($180 US from Amazon with free shipping) it’s well worth the money. Granted if you are just two people it’s probably a little big, that said though if you are taking it overland with multiple vehicles you’ll find yourself cooking breakfast for everyone in the mornings (which is fine by me).
Here is the home page for the Braai if you’re curious about what else you can get for it. I know I am going to be buying more stuff for it.