| Stove |
| There are a variety of different fuel based stoves that can be used, gas or duel fuel (petrol). Due to mixed things I read and heard about to do with the access to replacement fuels and especially gas, I was torn over which type to take with us. However, the more research that was done and seeing what others generally took, a decision was reached to take gas, mainly because of how much cleaner and easier it is to use. |
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| We wanted a sturdy stove so we have opted for the Campingaz Camping Kitchen stove. We have then removed the plastic legs to reduce the height the stove takes when it is packed away. The only problem we have found is that the pan supports shake lose when bumping along and then shake about, adding to the strange noises. |
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| The stove gets strapped to the window guard on the rear door and a chequer plated shelf folds down from the back door to make the platform for the cooker to sit. |
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| BBQ |
| When we can we will use solid fuel for cooking so that we can keep the gas for the quicker requirements such as the all important kettle and as a reserve. Therefore we needed to have a BBQ, or at least a grill to cook with. Biggest problem facing the carrying a BBQ grill is the size and mess that they can be. Front Runner comes to the rescue and produces a grill that fits over the spare tire. These are pricey but we picked up a second hand one from the Billing Show. We have also adapted the base of a BBQ for the coals/wood, for when the ground can not be turned into a fire pit. |
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| Cooking Equipment (Pots and Pans) |
| It is hard to get pots that work with both open flamed fires and coals, along with gas stoves. The reason being that using gas you want light weight, thin metal to absorb the heat quickly in order to conserve fuel. Unfortunately this means they are not suitable for open flamed fires, so we will be using a cast iron, Dutch oven. We were looking at pots with fixed handles, but due to a kind donation we are using a set of 3 pots and 3 lids, which double as frying pans and all pack away into each other. |
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| Washing Up Bowls |
| Carrying a solid plastic bowl for washing was felt to be a bit excessive and a waste of essential space as they do take up a large space, no matter how big it is. Therefore we have sourced a fold-up washing up bowl by orbetiel. This bowl is the ideal size for cooking pots, plates and cups. We have found the bowl really procticle and useful that we have also opted to take a larger version for use when washing clothes and hair (though not mine!) |
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| Cutlery / Utensil Tool Roll |
| We picked up a useful tip from Paul (One Life Adventures) to make use of normal tool rolls, used for spanners and hammers, to carry our utensils. This then allows us to easily store all our spoons and spatulas in one easy place, when unrolled it also allows us to hang them up during cooking. |
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| We have taken this idea further and have produced our own cutlery sized tool roll to keep all the knives and forks, including a sharp knife for preparing sandwiches without getting out the utensil rolls |
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| Fridge |
| A complete luxury item to take on a trip but my god is it a good one to choose. No more warm beer at the end of the day, instead they are perfectly chilled if not a little too cold, but that’s just being picky. It also means that any food and meat will last longer meaning that we possibly do not need to worry about food so frequently |
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| There are a handful of different makes to go for, though cost is the major factor in which you chose as some, such as National Luna fridges are vastly more than Waeco or Engel. However they all have the ability to both refrigerate and freeze in the ambient temperatures that Africa provides. |
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| We chose the Engel MT45, 40litre fridge from MPS-4x4, who I highly recommend as the assistance and service has been brilliant, and if you bump into them at a show you may also be able to get a good deal and some extras thrown in. To try and get the fridge to work more efficiently and protect it in we have also chosen to use the Transit Bag. |
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| We have installed the fridge behind the passenger seat so that it is easy to get to from the door and the living side of the vehicle. The downside is that the height of the fridge has meant that we have had to put it length ways across the vehicle, eliminating the possibility of a centre seat. We were recommended not to bother with the any of the specialist Engel bases as they are a little excessive and simply to use the Tie Down Brackets into the wooden base that covers the foot well. |
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| Kelly Kettle |
| More of a gadget than a requirement, but will mean that we can conserve Gas when all we want is a cup of tea. The Kelly Kettle is effectively a thin metal kettle with a hole through the middle. Within this gap is where the solid fuel is burnt, heating the water from the inside of the kettle. It boils very quickly and only requires a small amount of leaves and small twigs to produce enough heat. We got our 1 pint kettle from APB Trading. |