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Camping

Our UK Camping forum has all the information you need on finding the right equipment for your tent or caravan.

Original poster

OMG I really want a cobb oven for camping this year

179 replies

poppyboo · 04/01/2011 14:18

...and I just spent £70 on a three ring burner last year and I can't even remember how much on the large gas bottle to go with it..... :(

They look so good!!!
We're a vegetarian family so camping i found it a bit limiting with just stove top, to be able to bake pizza and bread and things would be amazing.
Seriously, are they as good as they look?
Could I could a large pizza, and vegetables and potatoes all at once? Are they expensive to run (if we got one we would use it for evening meal and a one ring burner for boiling water for tea/coffee)
Or should I just stick to our burner that has only been used for one week last summer!!!!
I know it's only january but already I am dreaming about getting out in our bell tent again.... speaking of that, could we use it to cook inside our bell tent or not? We didn't use or camping stove inside last year, we cooked in front of the tent...

OP posts:
Batteryhuman · 04/01/2011 18:38

So what is the trick for lighting the cobbstone Slubber? My main objection is the cost of them though. I like to be able to light up several times a day and feel guilty "wasting" a cobbstone to cook breakfast say.

Washing up is ok. Just wash the top bits/cooking surfaces and wipe out the moat part with old newspaper and kitchen paper (when still abit warm preferably). Unless it is really gross I then just leave it til we get home and put it in the dishwasher. y cobb now has a certain grimy weathered look which only adds to its charm.

silverfrog · 04/01/2011 18:38

dh also the washer-upper here.

his preferred method is to fill with water (we do mstly use the wok bit) and a squirt of soap, to gently soak while we eat, then off he pops to swill out once we are all done. same for any spillage/drips into the moat.

very civilised, if you ask me Grin

Slubberdegullion · 04/01/2011 18:58

hmmm

maybe I am being too anal and enthusiastic with the cobb washings. I've been sending dh back if it doesn't return spotless and shiny. I have issues with putting a greasy one back into the transportation bag.

Battery I've found the best way to light the stones is to hold them aloft and at an angle of say 30 degrees. Then you insert the end of your long nosed candle lighter jobber into the central hole with the flame pointing skyward. Then you hold it there and hold it there and hold it here until FINALLY you hear the fzzzzzzzzz and then you swiftly put the alight stone back into the cobb.

Original poster
poppyboo · 04/01/2011 19:27

OMG, hello everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you so much for all your replies, it's so nice to be back here again from last spring/ summer (2010= bell tent obsession!)
I thought I might not get any replies b/c it's january!!!!!!!!! You've really cheered up my day....and persuaded me to go and check out the cobb at our local lakeland and see how big they are and if we can shoehorn one in our car or not. I always seem to find something to spend more money on with camping LOL!
so nice to see you all again here! Grin

OP posts:
DuplicitousBitch · 04/01/2011 20:06

who will be the first camper of the year?

ProfessorLaytonIsMyLoveSlave · 04/01/2011 20:07

Someone on the Lakeland site says it is "good for cooking for two (or three at a pinch)"; is that fair? There are going to be five of us come the summer (although admittedly one won't be eating until the summer after).

CaptainNancy · 05/01/2011 00:09

Oooh- I have seen Peachy's cobb in the flesh (well, metal as it were) and it is fab!

They are bigger than a trangia though Wink and The Family Peche does camp with a very large car and a little trailer thingy... though admittedly there are 6 of them...

Slubberdegullion · 05/01/2011 10:01

Professor I think it rather depends on what and how many you are cooking for. The cobbstone lasts for ages, a good 3 hours probably. I was able to cook sausages and burgers for 17 on the beach last year with some gentle heat left over for marshmallows.

It is more than big enough for a a family meal plus pudding.

DB - I dunno, who is the hardiest camper on mn? omdb must be in the running.

poppy I bought my cobb htrough the ukcs site and got a discount. Worth checking out.

sethstarofbethlehemsmum · 05/01/2011 10:53

Do I need any more kit for my Cobb? It's got the roasting rack and the standard holey plate thing.
Am not envisaging using it for all the cooking, just the roasting and bbqing type things.

Original poster
poppyboo · 05/01/2011 12:12

seth mentioned about using cobb just for roasting and bbqing things and using it for all cooking...this has made me want to know...can I use it for all my cooking? we couldn't fit camping stove and bottle and cobb in car so it is either or? (obviously we can fit single burner in for boiling water in, or kelly/storm kettle)
So does anyone do all there camping cooking solely on a cob?
I guess I need to think of the fact we vegetarian too, so we won't be roasting chickens on it and such Grin

OP posts:
Original poster
poppyboo · 05/01/2011 12:13

i missed out a word, my first sentence should have read:
seth mentioned about using cobb just for roasting and bbqing things and not using it for all cooking...this has made me want to know...can I use it for all my cooking? we couldn't fit camping stove and bottle and cobb in car so it is either or?

Blush
OP posts:
DuplicitousBitch · 05/01/2011 12:34

joking aside poppyboo, look at the cadac safari chef you can do everything on it, boil water, roast chickens etc

DuplicitousBitch · 05/01/2011 12:41

although tbh we do all our tea making, pasta cooking on a 2 ring in the camper

Original poster
poppyboo · 05/01/2011 12:45

DuplicitousBitch there was so much joking i hadn't checked it out but I will, thank you for the suggestion!

Space is such an issue for us, nissan note car/two adults/two kids/bell tent...you can imagine it is a bit of a squeeze...DH doesn't want trail or roff box! We actually managed it last year though LOL

OP posts:
Slubberdegullion · 05/01/2011 12:59

Oh bums poppy. No you can't really do all your cooking on it. you cant boil water on it. I tried doing rice in the moat once, NEVER AGAIN. It is an adjunct to our burner. If I only had space for one it would be the two ring burner.

I suppose the cadac might be worth looking at then

MisSalLaneous · 05/01/2011 13:05

Re Cadac - like I said, we love ours, but do check it out in person first. I'm not sure I'd describe it as compact either. Is fab though, and if you get it, make sure you buy the non-stick liner when using the wok (frying eggs, bacon, stirfry, pancakes etc) - makes cleaning a doddle.

But really, just get a roof rack. We're now officially middle aged, but it does make for considerably friendlier packing...

Original poster
poppyboo · 05/01/2011 13:37

Slubber I want to cry Sad My dreams are dashed! LOL I will have a look at the cadac...My the Cobb looks so amazing!

MisSal, I will ask DH again about roof (or roff as I called it, my typing today...!) and see what he says.

OP posts:
silverfrog · 05/01/2011 14:08

erm, can I just add - it all depends on how "purist" you are.

the cobb is all we took with us last year, and we managed well (aside from tea/coffee - dh bought those form stalls, but we were at festivals, not proper camping!)

we used packet rice - ready cooked, just needed heating through so bunged it in with the curry to heat in the wok. I imagine you could do similar with cous cous (we are gluten free, so rice is the way forward for us).

we survived for 4 days by taking stuff that was pre-cooked and needed heating through (took some of it down frozen, to defrost overt time). and then roasts, burgers, etc.

so, cornflakes for brakfast (it's all the dds will eat), combo of sandwiches/bacon/fry up for lunch, and main meal (curry/roast/spag bol/salmon) with potatoes in the evening.

it worked for us, as the only source of cooking (although there were stalls available, we couldn't buy form them due to allergies)

TheBrandyButterflyEffect · 05/01/2011 14:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LBsmum · 05/01/2011 14:23

What a revaluation this thread is, caught it yesterday afternoon a quick google search later and I gotta have one!

Finished the thread at 3 am whilst feeding DD and went back to bed dreaming of camping and cooking roast chickens ( I am a vegetarian ).

Need a new tent too though so maybe this is not the year of The Cobb

Oh and yes probably a roof rack too, am cringing already

Slubberdegullion · 05/01/2011 14:55

Lol LB. Yes you really should get a tent first before you contemplate the Cobb.

Thing is with the Cobb it's an all or nothing thing. So when it it on you have set fire to something, fantastic if you are planning a lazy hour or two of slowly cooking something awesome,totally bloody useless if you need a quick cup of tea. I'm a ten cups of tea a day lady when camping so I NEED at least a single burner (or a Kelly kettle.......) for hot water boiling.

You could do Cobb plus trangia poppy.

SeaShellsFiringUpTheQuattro · 05/01/2011 15:05

we managed to boil a kettle on our Cobb for tea after having cooked burgers and sausages. We were using the brickets (sp?!) though, and it did take time, but last camp we did last year we didn't take the stove, which was bliss with our toddler Pottering around.

Yyy to roof box...though with 2 children and a dog now we are eying up a trailer too and turning into hillbilly lookalikes Blush

Slubberdegullion · 05/01/2011 15:28

Did you seashells?I can only get a decent simmer with mine.

Slubberdegullion · 05/01/2011 15:30

Maybe I need to try alternative fuel sources. The cobbstones are just so easy peasy to use.

SeaShellsFiringUpTheQuattro · 05/01/2011 15:37

It was a fast simmer rather than full boil, and only enough water for 2 teas but it was enough...if it wasn't the hottest week in June I would have got the stove out of the car.

We like the brickets, as we rarely need heat for hours but have stones too. Cooling brickets are good for smoking fish and toasting brioche (not at same time, natch)

It's miserable outside today: cold windy and wet: I'm definitely not going to be the first camper this year unless the spring is amazing after this hard winter!!