Our Cadac 2 Cook Review will detail exactly what you can expect from the Cadac 2 Cook – features, what it’s like to use and a final verdict
The Cadac 2 Cook Pro Deluxe QR is a top-rated camping stove, so we just had to try it for ourselves. We are always looking for ways to improve our outdoor cooking – food is such a huge part of camping. The days of only eating baked beans out of the tin are well and truly behind us!
In this Cadac 2 Cook Pro Deluxe review, we are going to be looking at the main features of this camping stove before taking it for a test drive to see how it performs, before delivering our final verdict to help you decide whether this is the camping stove for your next trip.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- So easy to move from place to place
- Can cook lots of different meals
- Easy to set up and use
- Durable
- Good value for money
Cons
- Can be a bit top-heavy when it is full of food – make sure you have a stable surface
- The lid does not lock in place
About the brand
Cadac are a company originating from South Africa – where outdoor cooking is a huge deal! They were founded way back in 1948, and have steadily built up a worldwide reputation for producing great products to help people cook outside – every type of barbecue you can imagine!
We are fascinated with their Braai range – something we will look to review in the near future.
Features & Specifications
The Cadac 2 Cook Pro Deluxe is a stylish gas barbecue – there’s no getting away from that. While how it looks may not be at the top of your list of wants for a camping stove, it certainly suggests that this is a quality product that will attract some admiring glances from other sections of the campsite!
The first thing that jumps out at you when you open the Cadac 2 Cook is just how portable it is, Measuring just 10cm x 57cm x 31cm (HWD when open), and weighing around 4 kg, this is easy to carry with you if you are moving from site to site. The unit is designed to fit nicely on a tabletop, advertised at “the ultimate table top companion” – it certainly is the right sort of size for that. It even comes with its own convenient carry bag. All this means that you can take it with you on day trips, for picnics or impromptu BBQs.
You connect the gas via the gas connection on the right hand side of the unit. It’s a ‘reverse thread’, which means you have to turn the opposite way to loosen or tighten – so fight your instinct! You are provided with a spanner to help you connect your gas bottle. Once connected to gas, all you need to do is push the piezo ignition button, turn the gas to full, and you’re good to go.
The 2 Cook Pro Deluxe QR has two independent burners (this is where it differs from its sister product, the Cadac Safari Chef 2 which only has one), below two pot stands, which gives you the flexibility to cook multiple dishes at the same time. This will allow you to cook two pot dishes, but you can use a ceramic flat plate, or a ceramic grill plate or any combination. This opens up so many doors when it comes to creating delicious meals – using direct or indirect heat and comfortably catering for a family of four.
The pan stands are 23 cm in diameter, and the ceramic flat plates are 25 cm, so you have plenty of room for your food. They all come with rubber feet on the bottom, which helps to prevent them from sliding around.
Using the Cadac 2 Cook Pro Deluxe
I can sum up what it is like to use the Cadac 2 Cook – simple. Everything about the design of this camping stove seems to be focused on making the experience as easy and stress free as possible. As someone who regularly camps with young children – that appeals to me greatly.
The set up is so simple – you will need a pressure regulator to connect it to your gas supply, but this can just be a standard EN417 connector and you can use either a butane or propane gas bottle. You can pick up a connector for less than £30 and they are pretty universal so you should only ever need to buy one for any gas connection.
Once that is connected (the only issue I had was remembering which way to turn the spanner!), all it takes is the push of a button and you are quite literally cooking on gas. From there it’s like cooking at home! You have all the power you’ll need to cook a fantastic meal. Once you set up the pot stands, the gas flame will be protected from the wind.
I loved the versatility – being able to use a grill plate for the meat, while cooking some vegetables in a pan at the same time meant that I could be a little more adventurous with my meals. The ribbed plate and flat plate are covered in a harder than normal non-stick coating. This means that it resists higher temperatures and spreads the heat more efficiently, so less gas is required to cook your food, which will save you money over time. It also provides you with perfect cooking surfaces to make whatever your heart desires!
I used it for a full cooked breakfast on the first morning of our trip, and it was a revelation. Everything was cooked perfectly, and just at the right time as well! I haven’t found another camping stove that has allowed me to cook eggs as well as this stove – it was incredible!
When it comes to cleaning, they make a big thing about how the components are dishwasher safe, but unfortunately I’d forgotten to pack my dishwasher for this trip… Fortunately, the non-stick coating means that everything is easy to clean with warm soapy water, so you won’t be holding up the queue at the washing up station – one of my many camping anxieties!
Verdict
From the first meal that I cooked, I knew that I would love the Cadac 2 Cook Deluxe Pro – it just does everything I want from a camping stove, and a bit more! Its versatility, its portability, its functionality. It is just exactly what you want from a camping stove.
The thing that I liked most was that it made everything so simple and stress free. With two young children, I just want to take the hassle out of camping trips, especially at meal times. But at the same time I want to feed them delicious and nutritious food that I know they will eat without too much persuasion! The Cadac 2 Cook enabled me to do that.
If you’re looking to spend a little bit of money on a new camping stove that will accompany you on many camping trips to come, this could be the one for you.