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Barbecue in miniature
Photo:
Gerd Blank
"You're crazy!" My friends in Hamburg said when I told them about the little pizza oven that I want to take with me to Italy.
"You would probably also take a refrigerator with you to Greenland." Yes, I would.
But more on that elsewhere, this is about cooking and not cooling.
What my friends don't know: In addition to the pizza oven, I also have a grill, an oven for the stove and a portable hob - basically everything you need if you like cooking and trying out new recipes.
This may be a bit of an exaggeration for other campers, but for me it is part of the basic equipment.
If you want to get a picture for yourself:
Here is
an overview of the tested
products
Skotti gas grill
mini grill to
plug
together (RRP: 159 euros)
Ooni Koda 12
mobile pizza oven with gas connection (RRP: 349 euros)
Omnia
camping stove for the stove (RRP: 45 euros)
Primus Onja Stove Duo
compact stove with two
burners
and carrying strap (RRP: 170 euros)
That's how we tested
Workmanship:
Are the devices robust enough and neatly assembled?
Setup and operation:
How quickly can you get started - and what are the benefits?
Value for money
: is
it worth buying?
Skotti gas grill
When asked "Have you already grilled?" I respond with a tired smile in summer, because I grill in every season of the year, if necessary with an umbrella or with a scarf and gloves.
Gas has been firing my grill food for years, because I like it when the grill heats up quickly to the right temperature.
When I'm on the go, which is now a permanent condition, I don't always want to have a large grill with me that may have been standing around for several days.
While looking for a compact gas grill, I discovered the Skotti. This is a plug-in set with different components made of stainless steel. The set is delivered in a practical bag made of truck tarpaulin, which also serves as a base for the small grill.
The first assembly took me about a quarter of an hour, significantly longer than the 90 seconds the manufacturer speaks of. But already the second time I got faster, it now takes me about three minutes from unpacking to cheering. The grill dwarf is powered by a gas cartridge, adapters for large gas bottles are available as accessories. Buying it could be a good idea, because despite the small dimensions, a lot of gas is racing through the pipe. This is also due to the open concept. There is no cover in the standard version. In order to be able to produce enough heat, a lot of fire and therefore a lot of gas is needed.
A big disadvantage is the small grill area.
A couple of sausages fit on it, maybe a schnitzel or some vegetables.
One person can certainly be full in one go, with two people it becomes critical.
A family, on the other hand, needs a lot of time and patience with the Skotti - or they prefer to use a larger grill.
But then it can't be packed up so small.
The Skotti takes up less space in the pocket than a folder.
This is already practical in the camper, ideal for traveling or a picnic in the park.
And instead of a disposable grill with high coal consumption, only the cartridge ends up in the trash.
When it comes to cleaning, however, the manufacturer has promised a lot, because it is not that simple. After only three uses, residues have burned into the rust, which can hardly be removed with a steel brush. Even the dishwasher couldn't handle it. That doesn't bother you when grilling, but it's a shame for the look.
The Skotti Cap is now also available with a matching lid - including grill tongs as a handle.
The lid consumes significantly less gas, and it also protects against wind.
However, the lid costs another 80 euros.
This makes the grill anything but a bargain.
The small size and the excellent workmanship are decisive for me.
The grill fits in the backpack or shoulder bag when dismantled, so in summer you could also prepare your own grilled sausage in the park during your lunch break.
And after use, the grill cools down quickly and can be dismantled into its individual parts in a few simple steps.
But in the future it could stay in my pocket more and more often, because I've found another companion in the meantime ...
Ooni Koda 12
As much as I love to grill, my favorite dish is pizza.
Sure, you can cook it on a grill, but it only works really well in a pizza oven.
To be clear: I'm not talking about frozen pizza, but about homemade dough with your own toppings.
And when I'm doing so much work, the stove has to be right too.
Enter: Ooni.
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Gerd Blank
The camping bible: answers to all questions about camping
Publisher: ADAC travel guide
Number of pages: 352
Publisher: ADAC travel guide
Number of pages: 352
Buy for € 25.00
Price inquiry time
06/13/2021 5:21 p.m.
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The pizza oven looks like a miniature airplane hangar. The black surface of the part feels matted, the feet can be folded together. But the inner values are more important: The gas burner is at the very back, a pizza stone serves as the base. As soon as gas flows in, it is ignited by a piezo ignition. Now you have to wait: it takes about ten minutes for the oven to heat up to the desired temperature of around 400 degrees. If you want, you can check this with a separately available thermometer, because unfortunately the Ooni does not have one built in.
A typical southern Italian pizza is thin and the baking process only takes a few seconds. If the temperature is too low, the dough becomes too soft; if the pizza stays in the oven too long, you get a piece of coal. On my first try, I was too impatient and pushed the blank into the oven too early. The result was as far removed from a pizza as Dieter Bohlen was from good music. The ooni demands precision.
Second attempt: the oven has reached the desired temperature. Put some flour on the pizza board, thin dough on top and cover sparingly. I use a homemade tomato sauce with herbs, wine and onions, a little mozzarella or grated pecorino cheese. For my wife I add a couple of capers and olives. With a slight movement of my wrist, I check whether the blank is loose and can easily slide into the oven. And bang, the flatbread lies on the stone. After about 35 to 40 seconds, I take the pizza out with a pizza shovel, turn it 180 degrees - and put it in the oven for another 35 to 40 seconds.
That sounds more complicated than it is.
During a pizza evening with my Italian friends, the sequence of movements became second nature.
But I was much more pleased with the compliments of the guests than with the successful pizzas.
So my friends in Germany had unnecessarily worried about my state of mind.
Is everything okay then?
Not quite.
The pizza oven is of course not in use every day.
So the device turns out to be more of a gag than a useful kitchen device.
Since the gas supply and thus the temperature can be regulated, I could also use the oven for vegetables or prepare a small casserole in it.
But for that I need fireproof bowls, for example made of cast iron - and they are heavy.
The pizza stone no longer looks good after a short time and cleaning is not that easy.
And in order to operate the stove properly, you should also plan the accessories.
Pizza knife, thermometer, protective cover, pizza shovel: each item drives the price up quite a bit.
I would have to prepare a whole bunch of pizzas so that it might pay off at some point.
Then I'd rather go to Antonello's pizzeria here in Sardinia.
The owner speaks German and can fill the pizza as desired.
But at home things look very different again.
The oven is a perfect accessory for the outdoor kitchen on the balcony or terrace.
With a little practice, the result tastes almost as good as in an Italian restaurant, but definitely much better than frozen pizzas.
Omnia camping stove
Even when I'm on the go, I don't want to do without homemade cakes, a casserole or baked rolls.
But my old mobile home has no space for an oven.
The small Omnia camping stove helps me here.
Outwardly, the round thing with the central hole is reminiscent of a Guglhupf baking pan.
The Omnia consists of three parts: the top for the stove, the mold and a lid.
The principle is as simple as it is ingenious: when the Omnia is on the stove, the heat is conducted through the metal on the one hand and through the hole on the other.
The lid keeps the hot air in the construct, so the baked goods get heat from all sides.
I got the banana bread on the first try.
I was afraid that the baking time would be significantly different from that of a household oven, but at this point I can give the all-clear.
If you don't want to prepare complicated baked goods, you can rely on your gut feeling.
A few tips: I used a silicone insert to loosely remove the cake and make it easier to clean.
When baking, I set the stove to full heat for a few minutes to start and then reduce the heat to medium power.
For a cake that takes around 40 minutes in a normal oven, I calculate up to an hour.
After 50 minutes I take a quick look under the lid.
Heat escapes in the process, but that is no longer a problem at this point.
The size is perfect for two to four people.
I think it's a shame that the stove is only available in red.
And I find aluminum not ideal as a material for the preparation of food.
I would have liked more choice here.
There are now an incredible number of accessories for this, from the carrier bag and additional handles to muffin tins and grids for baking.
The Omnia oven is a useful, if not indispensable addition, especially for campers who enjoy cooking but do not have a fully equipped kitchen.
However, you have to deal with the fact that cakes, lasagna and casseroles are always round and have a hole in the middle.
Primus Onja Stove Duo
Actually, I don't need a stove, because I can use stoves in the small kitchenette of my classic car.
But when you're out and about with the camper in summer, it quickly warms up in it - and cooking makes it even worse.
In addition, not every dish and every ingredient is suitable for preparation without an extractor hood.
But I don't feel like having a real outdoor kitchen with a lot of equipment.
I found a possible solution with the Onja Stove from Primus.
In principle it is a simple stove with two flames.
But the Onja is more than that: It doesn't flatten out like other stoves, but rather stretches high and was designed entirely for mobile use.
If the housing is unfolded, it serves as a stand.
The two hobs are each fired by gas cartridges that are screwed into the inside.
The housing is folded up for transport, which protects the cartridges.
The supplied wooden board also fulfills several tasks.
You can separate ingredients or put hot pots on it.
If the onja is packed up, the board is placed on the hob to protect it.
The carrying strap is really practical, making it easy to take the stove with you on an excursion.
You don't need another bag for the cartridges, when folded the stove fits well behind a car seat and takes up little space even on a boat trip.
Each burner has its own regulator for the firepower. They are thin and wobbly, but easy to use. At full power, it should be able to bring a liter of water to the boil in four minutes. But as is the case with such values, they are only correct under optimal conditions. Optimal means, for example, that the cookware is as light as possible and, above all, that there is no wind.
Because as beautiful as the look of the cooker is, the elevated position of the hob makes it very sensitive to wind.
And I'm not even talking about a strong wind.
A gentle breeze is enough to significantly extend the cooking time.
In northern Germany in particular, you can count the number of wind-free days in a year on one hand.
I've built a windbreak for myself on the go, but on an excursion I don't always have the necessary material with me.
I really like the look and lots of details.
But food doesn’t warm up with beauty.
You don't always have optimal conditions.
And a stove like this is a bit too expensive for a cold kitchen.
