Cadac? Are they really that good!

[Robtel]

Every time I see a post about a Cadac the person is saying how wonderful these things are. I hadn't a clue what a cadac was so I consulted my good friend "Google". According to what I could see a cadac is an upgraded BBQ. Website says it can boil, roast, grill or fry, very good, but my oven and hob in the caravan can also do that without me needing to spend another 100 quid or so. I do have a Remoska which I can and do use, saves on gas and in good weather (in France not U.K) I can sit it outside and save having the caravan oven or cooker on and making the van unbearably hot. The Cadac is gas fuelled, I thought the big attraction about BBQ food was the unique taste caused by the charcoal. Got to admit I've never been a big fan of BBQs, any I've been unfortunate enough to attend the food has either been cremated or half cooked.
So what is the big attraction about Cadacs, must be something in it judging by all the posts I've read saying how wondeful they are but without saying specifically why.

Robert

 

[Gagakev]

From what I can remember Rob a lot complaning about cleaning them afterwards. Think one poster said used it once then stuck it under there bed at home!!!!
I was looking at beginning of year and SWMBO came home from supermarket (the one that smacks there bums) with a £30.00 gas BBQ at first I was not happy but decided to give it a go and glad I did.
It does take time to cook on it, but it's near impossible to cremate the food and provided you cut/check the meat etc before serving you should be Ok. (Always cook chicken in oven first then throw it on the Bar Beeee)
By the way, why would you want to boil, roast, grill or fry, on a BBQ???

 

[Sproket]

Much more fun with this O grill 3000

Nice bit of steak & onions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJoRAxFWNmI

 

[Robtel]

By the way, why would you want to boil, roast, grill or fry, on a BBQ???

That's what the Cadac website says, guessing it's to show the item's versatility?

 

[Martin24]

Sounds like you've already decided you wouldn't have one so not much point in asking! We never have EHU and none of us like BBQ food so it is ideal for cooking outside on especially basics like spag bol, sausages and bacon etc. Perfectly easy to clean and keeps all the smells and mess outside.

 

[Robtel]

Sounds like you've already decided you wouldn't have one so not much point in asking!

No Martin, I haven't made my mind up yet. Was thinking about getting one for my jaunt to France next summer but wondering if it was worth the expenditure. Almost every post I have read about them says how great they are but not in any specific way. Being a miserable git I would hate to spend £100+ on something I would use once then stick in the shed.
The idea of cooking outside does appeal, not because I'm a fresh air freak, but because of the extra heat the convential oven or hob introduces into the caravan in hot climates. How heavy on gas consumption are they, again I'm thinking of my trip to France where I can't get gas refills. The Remoska comes in handy at these times, saves gas plus I can place it outside.

Robert

 

[Mel]

Hi. we like ours because it keeps cooking smells and spitting fat out of the van. It does not leave a charcoal grill taste, but it is quick. Next time you are on a site, you are bound to see someone using one. Why not sashay over and have a look and ask questions. Folks have done this with us and we were happy to provide a brief cookery demonstration. Gordan Ramsey, eat your heart out.

mel

 

[DomDom]

Well, we bought one, mostly to keep the Mrs happy. I was not really up for it at first but after having used it a few times I really like it.
We have most of the different bits to cook on although the most used are the griddle thing for suasages and bacon, the skottle for stir-fry and the pizza stone which is excellent.
Gas usage is not an issue for us but we do have it on the external gas BBQ point on the van. 2 bottles (6KG) saw us through a 2 week holiday in France with most of the 2nd bottle left. This included using the cooker for veggies and the gas heater for the water.
The only observation I would make is the weight. Not exactly light. Excellent build quality though so it feels solid, as if it should last for decades.
Dom

 

[Robtel]

Thanks for the comments. Still not made up my mind one way or another as yet. No great rush as I can't see the weather allowing me to cook outside this side of next spring.
Interesting point about the weight Dom. I also note that most folk who comment about them just say they have a "cadac" but don't specify which one, I see from their web site they have quite a range. One for the back burner I think (no pun intended)

Robert

 

[kenf]

i intend to get one next year (cadac that is ) but as you say rob which one ? i think going from photos etc you need to go for this model
http://www.gasproducts.co.uk/acatalog/Cadac_Carri_Chef_Deluxe_Plus.html
i think its the top of the range ?btw i emailed hamilitons and they are out of stock and wont have any more this season !!

 

[DomDom]

That's the one. It's the best value kit and you get most of the different cooking surfaces. I found a couple that I like best and I leave the rest in the garage now.
I also bought the cover so I can leave it outside when we're on a site. Saves having to clean it until we're ready to leave.

 

[JTQ]

We have the small compact one the "Safari" and ours happens to be the high pressure one; there is a low-pressure version as well.
For gas we use our Camping Gaz 907 that we carry anyway as a back up for the van. Gas usage used this way is small enough not to be an issue a refill lasting two years at a guess. These high pressure Safaris are designed for use with the disposable spin-on gas canisters but that is expensive, we use ours with an adaptor tap [Calor shop] that screws into the 907 bottle and replicates the canister thread.
We only wanted the small version; we did not need the larger size with the hassle of its bulk and weight. We ended up with specifically the high pressure one because one was available for £25 in a closing down sale. It offers great portability and can be sited as we choose so no regrets on the one we ended up with.
We don’t see it as a BBQ it’s effectively only a griddle but one that does that function very well. It is quick and pretty much hassle free and ideal for steaks, chicken breasts, sardines, trout, sausages etc were the whole cooking process is counted in minutes. I can also do kippers nicely on it which effectively means I can have them as a treat when away which otherwise would not be tolerated! We have also done long cooks like roast pork joints but we prefer these on our “proper” solid fuel BBQ. [ US Pyromid].
The Cadac’s griddle plate is “non-stick” treated and small enough to be dropped in our dumpy fire bucket so becomes a doddle to clean in the morning, a very big plus.
The whole assembly is so easy to clean and put away together with reassemble that it all gets tidied away neatly in its "carry all" after each use; another asset in our view.

 

[StevePeters]

We first came across the cadac 2 years ago in Holland all the locals were using them. They also had liners for them. Bought one when we came back got a liner from towsure, as this makes cleaning easy. we find we can just about cooking everything on the liner using the skottle, however we have just bought the paella pan and the liner works with this also. This provides a better cooking surface for somethings as it is flat. Probaly the only thing we cannot do is roast but apparantly you can get a roasting dish.

I have 2 connection pipes on for the side of the van and the other for a gas bottle for more flexibility.

 

[kenf]

We first came across the cadac 2 years ago in Holland all the locals were using them. They also had liners for them. Bought one when we came back got a liner from towsure, as this makes cleaning easy. we find we can just about cooking everything on the liner using the skottle, however we have just bought the paella pan and the liner works with this also. This provides a better cooking surface for somethings as it is flat. Probaly the only thing we cannot do is roast but apparantly you can get a roasting dish.

I have 2 connection pipes on for the side of the van and the other for a gas bottle for more flexibility.

good idea !! (2 different hoses) as i intend to use mine (when i get it) at home too !! my wife uses an electric frying pan out our back to do some of the everyday cooking so the cadac will be used instead !! she preferes to fry outside as the smell and grease sparks inside the house are messy and in a caravan would be 10 times worse !!

 

[Sproket]

I have 2 connection pipes on for the side of the van and the other for a gas bottle for more flexibility.

good idea !! (2 different hoses) as i intend to use mine (when i get it) at home too !! my wife uses an electric frying pan out our back to do some of the everyday cooking so the cadac will be used instead !! she preferes to fry outside as the smell and grease sparks inside the house are messy and in a caravan would be 10 times worse !!

Hope it's not like this one ?

If so you need to have one of these:
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