Cadac - Yes Or No? (1 Viewer)

[Babyell]

Hi this has probably been asked before and if it has I apologise!

my hubby wants a cadac carri chef as he likes all the different surfaces to cook on. My question is, is it worth getting one due to having the cooker in the kitchen area? is it just carrying extra weight for nothing? and the canisters in our van are propane (I think), I was told this runs off butane? so would we also need ton carry an extra canister?

Thanks in advance

 

[denisejoe]

We've had both but got rid of the Cadac Chef as too small even for 2 of us. We use the big Cadac every time we go away - for both breakfast and dinner most days (well certainly as often as possible!)

I wouldn't have thought the Chef would be anywhere near big enough for a family of 4.

The other option to choose would be a Beauclaire as it takes up far less space as it's the grill/burner with legs.

Denise

 

[mitzimad]

we used a small cadac for two weeks for four of us and managed fine

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[Phill D]

we have tried;
1. cadac chef... too big, too heavy, pain to clean, just the same as any grill plate.
2. cadac safari chef... too small, pain to clean, just the same as any grill plate.
3. cadac 2 cook double burner with griddle plates. just right in size, simple to pack away, pain to clean. poor heat control; just the same as any grill plate.

so we are in limbo....

i am tempted towards one of these... proper bbq, but with a bit of minor technology to help with lighting and heat control ( lotus bbq )

 

[chaser]

Trouble with cadacs, is people seem to think they are the dogs, as did we, till they have one then don't like to say they are not as good as everyone seemed to say, because they have to be good because everyone says so!
When in actual fact they are no better than the gas ring and a frying pan on your van cooker, they are NOT a barbecue in any sense of the word , just a gas hot plate.
Ok if you are camped up for a couple of days and you are gauanteed fine weather you can use it for various stuff and leave it out but if you are just camped up for a night you will spend more time setting it up and pulling it down and cleaning it than you do eating.

 

[Deleted member 29692]

Yes from us. We have a Safari Chef and use it for pretty much everything given the choice. Don't get why people say they are hard to clean, always seems simple enough to me.
@Babyell I can cook for 4 on it without too much trouble as well.

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[chrisboyo]

We lugged a cadac around for a few years then moved to a pcv and had no space for it
we now carry a small camping stove and a frying pan. After all, a cadac is just a large frying pan anyway

 

[CandC]

I too have a safari chef and think it's great for two people, with a caveat

As has been stated, you can get it out, cook your food and sit down to eat it in the same time it takes a charcoal bbq to get up to heat.

A common complaint posted on here is that it's not a real bbq: that it doesn't get hot enough or make the food taste smokey. I found that if you keep the lid on before you start cooking using the griddle plate it will get very hot very quickly and will easily sear the outside. If you want the smokey taste, put the lid back on for a bit after the initial searing.

We recently went for a weekend rally with the school pta and judging by the amount of people coming round to see what I was cooking each night it couldn't have smelled too bad the samples I gave out went down well too lol!

It was great sitting in the side door of the van, beer next to me, cooking within 5 minutes from taking the bag out from under the seat while others were still setting up their tables, getting out their gas stoves etc etc and it was a real talking point in the group.

OK, so now to the caveat. I have a small van conversion and storage, therefore is at a premium. We're going away for two weeks and I need to look carefully at how much space is left after clothes, fishing rods etc but then that would be the case with any bbq.

If I have the room, the cadac will be going!

 

[Deleted member 29692]

it doesn't get hot enough or make the food taste smokey.

That's a major plus point IMHO

I've never had a problem with getting it hot enough either.

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[CandC]

Oh and as an afterthought, I cooked more than enough for the two of us each night and probably enough for four counting the tasters I gave away to the others

 

[irnbru]

Just tried mine with the neighbour for first time last night. Was pleased with it and glad I got the stilts with it.

 

[Ethle the wondervan]

No

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[Bobndebs McKay]

Love the stilts idea, must investigate!!

I also leave the lid on for the majority of cooking time, it does have an effect.

 

[Chris]

Its great we all like different stuff isn't it?

 

[deleted-member02]

For those who want stilts ( I do )

Broken Link Removed

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[scotjimland]

NO

it's an outdoor gas grill.. great for on-site when you use your van like a caravan

but .. as @eddievanbitz said.. pretty much useless as BBQ, doesn't get hot enough or give your food that charcoal burnt taste

mine is now behind the garden shed , unloved and unwanted.

 

[Robert Clark]

Sorry @eddievanbitz
As the old saying goes it's a poor craftsman who blames his tools ...
The hot plate on a Cadac gets searingly hot, which is ideal for cooking the perfect steak.
Cooking on a Cadac is like learning to cook on an AGA
Once you've mastered it, it's a friend for life

 

[Deleted member 29692]

If I want food that's burnt on the outside, raw in the middle and tasting of charcoal I don't need to faff around with a BBQ. I just get 'er indoors to cook

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[bubble63]

NO.

it's a frying pan
Buy a gas ring and a frying pan , you will be quids in
And it will be easier to clean

 

[bubble63]

Sorry @eddievanbitz
Cooking on a Cadac is like learning to cook on an AGA
Once you've mastered it, it's a friend for life

Nope, not my experience

Cobb , probably

 

[mick noe]

well I'm very fussy on not taking crap I don't use or need but I rate my caddac. Good for steaks...ba be qu ing and piella in lid and pancakes to die for ................each to their own I suppose .Gas hob, griddle and bbq all in one result!

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[eddie]

Sorry @eddievanbitz
As the old saying goes it's a poor craftsman who blames his tools ...
The hot plate on a Cadac gets searingly hot, which is ideal for cooking the perfect steak.
Cooking on a Cadac is like learning to cook on an AGA
Once you've mastered it, it's a friend for life

I need to cook you a proper steak, not broil are you a steak LOL

I guarantee my Magma Chef is the best on the market to cook a steak

 

[Cal54]

Like my Safari chef and just stand it on an aluminium table. Cooking steaks not a problem as I can't afford them!!!

 

[RowleyBirkinQC]

Yes - when accepting the Cadac for what it is, a convenient gas bbq. We got the Grillogas for a song in a sale last winter, it's not quite as large as a Carri Chef but bigger than the Safari Chef. Perfect to store in van, easy to assemble, clean, pack away, and more than enough for the pair of us but will cater for more if necessary. The hot plate gets very hot, no problem cooking good steaks on it etc.

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[chaser]

NO

it's an outdoor gas grill.. great for on-site when you use your van like a caravan

but .. as @eddievanbitz said.. pretty much useless as BBQ, doesn't get hot enough or give your food that charcoal burnt taste

mine is now behind the garden shed , unloved and unwanted.

You want to get this on eBay, have you seen how much they go for, more than new , sometimes.

 

[eddie]

James has read this and is selling his if anyone wants to buy a second hand meat browner lol

 

[Forestboy]

No its a good birdtable but a totally useless BBQ.
Bit like the Emporers New Clothes people spend so much on a Cadac they can't admit its crap.

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[Robert Clark]

I need to cook you a proper steak, not broil are you a steak LOL

I guarantee my Magma Chef is the best on the market to cook a steak

Looking online at the Magma Chef it's only shown with a screw in gas bottle
Does it connect to a full size bottle or BBQ point?

 

[Enword]

Bought ours from Go out Doors when they had them on a special of £ 67.50, well pleased only criticism is the gas control knob when you want to just have it on low heat you dont know how low it is, so I marked a line on the knob for a reference. Usually cook for 3 but with a bit of planning can do 4

 

[eddie]

You can use a CV470 Cannister, which we do when travelling around, then we use a 6Kg propane bottle when settled on site for a few days. 100% Stainless Steel, easy to clean cook a steak on high heat, close the lid and cook a leg of lamb on low! When you've finished simply leave the bits in a bucket to soak, or, what I do, turn it on high, close the lid, open the beer and it turns everying to white ash which blows away!

For the record, we sell Cadacs and don't sell Magma grills lol

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[Mags52]

We just changed from a big Cadac to the smaller Safari because it weighed a ton - and took up a lot of space. We use the big one in the garden now and the smaller one in the MH. Outdoor gas point a must for us. Mmmm dreaming of BBQs now.