The 4th of July typically kicks off the official summer camping season. Living life in the great outdoors is an excellent way to create memories that will last a lifetime. And just because you’re camping, doesn’t mean you’ll have to suffer through bland meals. With the right camp stove, you can whip up the tastiest of dishes.
To prove this, we ventured out to the “Edge of the World” with our collection of camp stoves. It’s one of the best sites for overlanding, located near Flagstaff, Arizona. And yes, you read that right: we had quite the array of camp stoves to choose from to cook our meals in the great outdoors. We simmered, grilled, and baked using some of the most popular camp stoves on the market today.
Open Flame Cooking vs. Camp Stoves
Most of us grew up enjoying a meal prepared over an open flame. Unfortunately, this is not always possible due to fire restrictions in certain areas.
Of course, a good campfire sets the camping mood. It is where we gather to connect with family and friends, share stories, and feel connected with nature. Cooking over an open flame takes skill and patience to find suitable wood to burn, start the fire, control the heat, and put out the fire safely. Sometimes, the fantasy of cooking over an open flame sounds more effortless than done.
Camp stoves have evolved quite a bit over the past thirty years. Some make it as easy as cooking in your home-based oven. They are lightweight, faster to fire, easier to store, and simple to clean. Most importantly, they are safe.
An Array of Offerings
There is a wide variety of camp stoves available, ranging from lightweight examples ideal for backpackers to multi-burner models for those ready to cook for large groups or families. These include freestanding stoves and portable tabletops that would not look out of place on Chef Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares.
Nailing down the right stove is no easy task. We should know: we have six. Freestanding stoves come with legs that are sturdy and can be set up anywhere with a level surface. Portable tabletops are compact and need an adequate flat surface like a picnic table or a flat rock. Level your stove and you’re ready to cook. The difference boils down to the number of burners and the level of heat output, measured in British Thermal Units or BTUs. A burner with a higher BTU rating will produce more heat for a faster cooking time.
While a solo backpacker can handle at least 7,000 BTUs, larger groups would require a 20,000 BTU minimum output. The extra BTU output means you’ll burn through fuel faster. For this reason, it’s necessary to plan accordingly and bring the right-sized propane tank(s).
Up your cooking game for the meal of your dreams.
For melt-in-your-mouth meals in the great outdoors, prep work at home is essential. Plan your menu. Having a game plan will make less work for you, allowing greater enjoyment of your surroundings.
Day One
We used a Char-broil Grill2Go X200 http://Char-broil Grill2Go X200 grill ($199.99)grill ($199.99) on our first night to cook the perfect steak, basted in Cowboy Butter and pan-fried potatoes. The Char-broil grill was perfect for both. It had room for a medium size pan and steak. We were so impressed with our first meal that we used it the next day to cook a lunch of grilled Pollo Asado chicken butterflied drumsticks.
Pros: The Grill2Go X200 is versatile and compact, measuring 15.7 x 23.7 x 13.6 inches. It’s also easy to clean. It has a BTU rating of 8,500-9500. Its carryall bag is available for $99.99.
Cons: On the downside, some may find it is not an easy one to fire up. It took us a couple of tries before getting with the program. Even though it’s compact and weighs 20 pounds, it has a cooking area of 200 square inches. You can use a medium size pan and still have room to grill.
Day Two
On day two, we tested the Camp Chef Deluxe Outdoor Oven ($329.99). This is the “easy bake” oven of your dreams. It brings the abilities of a home oven and cooktop to your campsite. It’s not just for camping, though, as we have seen it used while tailgating, too. With it, we baked a breakfast burrito casserole, muffins, and even a pizza.
Pros: The Camp Chef Deluxe Outdoor Camping Oven with a two-burner stove top and two rack oven is as versatile as you want it to be. The Oven’s inner dimensions are 11 x 16 x 9. The oven reaches temperatures up to 400 F. Its oven power is 3,000 BTU, with the stovetop burners reaching 9,000 BTU each.
Cons: At 32 pounds, it’s a heavyweight. There is an available carrying bag for $79.99.
Also in the mix: The Jetboil Genesis Basecamp System ($399.95) has been our go-to portable stove when we cook. When we are going off-roading in our Jeep Gladiator, we configured the back of the Jeep with a fold-down shelf complete with a bamboo cutting board. It sets up a mobile kitchen with almost everything we need.
The Genesis Basecamp is part of a system that works as a standalone stove or with other Jetlink-compatible stoves and burners. This 10,000 BTU unit was our first investment. It is compact and easy to carry and is available with its carrying case.
It’s the perfect stovetop for making fajitas on a mountaintop.
Day Three
On day three of our great outdoor adventure, we fired up the Traeger Ranger Grill ($449.99) and baked a “sweet home” Chicago deep dish-style pizza. For this, the Traeger Ranger is our top pick, whether on the road or at home. It is versatile, as it’s an oven, a grill, and a smoker. Consider it the Swiss Army knife of camp stoves.
The Ranger is a portable pellet grill that allows you to show off your smoking skills in the wild. The grill’s interior has a pellet hopper with an 8-pound capacity and offers 184 square inches of cooking space. The pellets have flavors like apple, cherry, hickory, oak, and pecan. You can purchase pellets in bags of 20 or 33 pounds and prices vary from $18-$30. Simply fill the hopper with the flavored pellet of your choice. They are then fed to the firepot, igniting and burning as fuel. An internal fan helps maintain an even temperature throughout the cooking chamber.
At 32 pounds, it’s not lightweight. It measures in at 21 x 13. x 20. A cover is available for $39.99.
Pros: It’s multipurpose as you can smoke, grill, or bake. A 3-in-1.
Cons: Runs on AC power; therefore, needs a separate battery pack. The Traeger is propelled by electricity – we connect it to our Goal Zero portable station, charged via solar power.
Other options
Finally, If you need to feed an army, then the Camp Chef Mountaineer ($389.99) is the weapon of choice. The Chef Camp Mountaineer is a top-shelf stove with dual aluminum burners and 448 square inches of cooking surface. It’s large enough to fit large pans or even a skillet, and yes, it’s sturdy enough to use your cast iron collection.
If space is an issue in your rig, keep in mind the Camp Chef Mountaineer is broader, more prominent, and bulkier than other camp stoves when packed. It weighs 16 pounds and measures 25.25 x 5.25 x 13.75 inches.
Pros: durable, wind resistant, fuel-efficient, and powerful as each burner outputs 20,000 BTUs
Cons: Expensive, heavy, large
For those on a budget, the Camp Chef Everest ($189.99) offers excellent bang for your buck. The frame is sturdy, its tabletop is equipped with a windscreen and it’s powered by two burners with a 20,000 BTU each. With a 215 sq. inch cooking area, there’s plenty of room for two medium pans simultaneously. It’s a very easy-to-use, clean, and store. The Chef Camp Everest was our first camp stove purchased. Its dimensions are 25.2 x 12.7 x 5.6 inches. It weighs 12 pounds.
Choose What’s Best For You.
We love cooking outdoors. Full disclosure: my husband is a chef, so each camp stove has been thoughtfully purchased, but as our adventures evolved, we noticed a need to up our game. Of course, there were the occasional impulse buys at an Overland Expo or a splurge at our local REI.
Choosing the right camp stove depends on your needs and budget. A camp stove should be simple. It should be easy to use and versatile. And it should be fun. We cooked our meals on each camp stove mentioned above in different outdoor conditions, making a meal for two or ten. We have tested how well each of these camp stoves performed outdoors.
