If you’ve been looking around for a camping stove you will no doubt have seen the Campingaz Party Grill on the market. The 600 is the largest and most powerful of the Party Grill family so we were delighted when Campingaz asked us if we wanted to try it out on our recent caravanning holiday to Cornwall to see what we thought of it.
Cooking options
Whether you are cooking outdoors for a large number of people, or even if there are just a few of you, then the Campingaz Party Grill 600 is a fantastically versatile choice.
There are 4 different cooking options: you can use it like a hob as one configuration supports a pan, which is particularly useful for large pans like a paella pan; there is a reversible cooking griddle/non-stick flat plate which makes cooking steaks and fried breakfasts a doddle; you can have a BBQ on it as there is a large cooking grill and finally if you pop large lid with thermometer on it makes the whole thing into an oven.
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We decided to kick off our road test of the Campingaz Party Grill 600 by cooking steaks, our favourite meal. They were absolutely delicious fried for just a few minutes each side on the griddle with the lid on.
Feeling very positive about it now we then progressed to kebabs, sausages and burgers, veggie burgers, bean and chorizo casserole and then even a spatchcock chicken in the oven configuration. We were really surprised how well it cooked the chicken and how quickly. The skin was lovely and crispy and the meat stayed moist.
Party Grill v. BBQ
We find cooking on gas is cleaner than barbecuing and it avoids the issue of hot coals needing to be safely disposed of, which makes this a convenient option for us. The grill does get extremely hot so do take care while it is cooling though. The height of the grill is comfortable to use, no more squatting down while you turn the bangers over! The push and turn Piezo ignition makes lighting the grill easy and the heat is instant so you can get on with cooking the food quicker.
Easy to use and easy to clean
Despite the fact we have a caravan with a hob, grill and oven we find that now we are opting to use the Campingaz Party Grill 600 whenever the weather is decent outside. The fully adjustable 4000 W gas stove runs on Campingaz gas cylinders, which are widely available. I can prepare salads and other bits and bobs inside the caravan and husband can cook outside so we don’t get in each other’s way! With the Campingaz Party Grill being so powerful (it can boil the kettle in 3 mins 50 seconds) food is cooked in less time and another added benefit is frying food outside the caravan avoids setting off the fire alarm!
The pan support, grids and griddles are dishwasher safe but you don’t often have a dishwasher around when you are camping so fortunately the non-stick cooking surfaces are also super easy to clean with a sponge and soapy water. There is a cleverly incorporated water compartment that collects grease and cooking juices to prevent it sticking to the stove. When you’ve finished cooking you can simply throw this dirty water away and rinse the grill off with soapy water too.
How big is it?
Fully erected the Campingaz Party Grill 600 stands about 1 metre tall and it is 52 cm at the widest point. The legs detach and fit inside the grill, as do all the other components, and then the lid locks on making it a manageable size to transport. The Campingaz Party Grill 600 comes in its own carry bag which helps keep it clean and makes it less likely to get damaged by scratches.
In total the outfit weighs 10.7 kg which is a little heavy for me but easy enough for hubby. Bear in mind the regulator, hose and gas bottle are sold separately though so that needs to accounted for when measuring the overall weight. We bought the R904 Blue Campingaz bottle which has a run time of approximately 6 hours 15 minutes. This adds an extra weight of 1.81 kg to the outfit. You could opt for the bigger R907 bottle has a run time of approximately 9 hours 30 minutes and adds 2.71 kg of weight. These two gas bottles have a safety valve that means they can be unscrewed from the Party Grill when not in use.
Our verdict
Our verdict is that the Campingaz Party Grill 600 is a brilliant piece of kit. We love cooking on it so much we’ve brought it out of the caravan to use at home too! It is so versatile with cooking options and where you can use it: campsites, festivals, the back garden or transporting to your friends house. We had a number of other campers as us about it and they were all really impressed. You’ll be the envy of the campsite with the Campingaz Party Grill 600!
Ian & Emma Phillips live in Bolton with their three children, two boys aged 8 and 6 and their little girl who is now 4. Emma also writes over at Fuelled by Latte.
This looks an amazing BBQ for all eventualities. I fancy one myself!
I agree with most of the above , however I found the water bath to be a problem. Yes it does collect the fat etc from cooking but you can’t just through it away behind because its full of fat that would eventually smell. I had to carry it full of the water to the sinks at the campsite and tipped the water down the Elsan point before cleaning. My advice is to use with ought filling the water bath but clean the base after every use. Hope that helps
It does thank you that’s a really useful tip