CLEVER COOKING

Yes, this is the season to be sitting around the fire, cold beverage in hand. But here are some different takes on your meal preparation in camp this festive season.

ALVA BUTANE OVEN Just like home

It looks like a microwave oven but isn’t. This is the real deal: a pukka little oven, though you’re limited by the size of oven dish that fits in it. At least you won’t miss out on that chicken Veronique dish for Christmas lunch. It uses a 220 g gas cylinder that you’ll need to purchase separately.

Price R2 695 from Camp & Climb.

Drive & Camp says It comes with a handy carry bag, because while it’s not particularly heavy (9 kg), it is cumbersome to lug around on a hike.

WONDERBAG Innovative

Time magazine honoured the Wonderbag company in 2018 in its top 50 Genius Companies in the World – a massive honour for the KwaZulu-Natal operation. It was on our Christmas Wishlist in 2017, and we finally got to cook with one. The polyurethaneblend beads in the bag’s wall and lid creates a layer of insulation that allows for thermal slow cooking – for up to 12 hours after you’ve removed the pot from the heat source.

You simply start your pot of food on the stove or fire, and once it’s boiling you remove it from the heat and place it in the bag. If it’s a long drive you’re facing before you get to your camping destination, your meat will be falling off the bone by the time you get there.

Price: R160 – R455, depending on cloth design and size, from Takealot.

Drive & Camp says The Wonderbag’s clever design also means that it not only works for heating but cooling as well. Throw in a few ice bricks, and it becomes an impromptu cooler.

GECKO GRILL PIZZA Pepperoni pie, please

Nobody’s going to say no to a hot pizza made right in front of them next to the campfire, but until now your options have been limited to the possibility of a pizzeria in the nearby town, or the restaurant that opens on weekends only.

Now you can simply make your own, with exactly the toppings you want. The stainless-steel Gecko Grill is a sturdy locally made product that also has its own recipes app on Google Play – sorry, iPhone users. They even show you how to make your own pizza base.

Price R1 200 from Gecko Grill.

Drive & Camp says There’s an extra base plate you can order for R150 so you can make two pizzas simultaneously – one on each height setting.

COBB PREMIER PLUS All-in-one

Is there anything this Russian-doll lookalike can’t do? You can grill, fry, bake, smoke, boil and warm your meals in here, so the Cobb really is versatile.

It’s lightweight enough for you to chuck into the back of your vehicle and start cooking five minutes after you get to your camping destination.

Price: R2 560 from Cobb.

Drive & Camp says This version includes what the previous version didn’t: a fenced roast rack and Cobb’s Griddle+ for the ultimate Cobb experience.

COBB PREMIER GAS But wait, there’s more

If you’re a Cobb fan, but also like the idea of cooking with gas, then there’s the option of having a Cobb cooker ready to use at the touch of a button – complete with temperature control. It uses a disposable gas canister.

Price R2 570 from Cobb.

WEBER Q1200 GAS GRILL No mess no fuss

Everyone loves Weber, but your trusty kettle braai, amazing as it is, is just not portable enough for when you want to whip up a quick meal before your game drive or on the side of the trail you’re exploring.

That’s where this little guy comes in, and because it uses gas, you don’t have to clean up any ashes after your ‘braai’. There’s a removable drip tray underneath and the grille has porcelainenamelled cast iron cooking grates, so the Q1200 should be easy to clean.

Price: R5 210 from Weber.

Drive & Camp says That built-in thermometer on the lid ensures that you always know what’s going on underneath.

BRAAI BIRD DOUBLE GRID Finger lickin’ chicken

For such a plain-looking device the result sure is amazing. You get the beer bird in a single configuration as well, but because the chicken is sitting upright you can get other meat over the coals, too.

With the double, you’re free to experiment with flavours and different types of beer. Lay a big sheet of tinfoil over the chicken, or bird of your choice, so the heat is retained and the beer boils properly. It works even better if you can place a kettle braai’s lid over everything.

Price R230 from Cape Union Mart.

Drive & Camp says The manual says to leave about three quarters of beer in the tin, but we found that just over half works better. When the internal temperature of the chicken hits 75 °C, after an hour and a half or so, you’ll have really tender chicken.