10 Best Outdoor Cookers Reviews and Guide

How to Choose the Best Outdoor Cooker?

Be it camping, picnicking, or tailgating, having an outdoor cooker is important. It helps you to have a wonderful outdoor cooking experience. They make it easy to brew, fry, boil, and much more. You can cook and enjoy the food of your choice at any time. Apart from camping, the outdoor cooker is a great choice for family or friends’ gatherings. Instead of ordering food from outside, you can set up a BBQ in your backyard. You can add some patio furniture and create a relaxing outdoor paradise.

Quick Summary

1. Best Overall – Bayou Classic High Pressure Cooker

2. Best For Brewing – Fltom Camp Tent Stove, Portable Wood Stove

3. Best For Weekend Retreats – Concord Deluxe Banjo Single Propane Burner

4. Best For Versatility – Eastman Outdoors 90411 Portable Kahuna Burner

5. Best for Occasional Cooking – Barton 95528-V Stove Turkey Bundle

6. Best For Long Camping Trips – Concord Triple Burner Outdoor Propane Stove Cooker

7. Best For Large Crowds – GasOne Square Heavy Duty Single Burner Outdoor Stove

8. Best For Durability – Concord Double Propane Burner

9. Best For A Tight Budget – Gas One Propane Double Burner

10. Best For Long Camping Trips – KingCamp Wood Burning Stove

Top Rated Outdoor Cookers

1. Best Overall – Bayou Classic High Pressure Cooker

It is the best outdoor cooker ever produced. It is durable and performs perfectly for every outdoor event, no matter the size. It can withstand large pressure and has a high resistance to heat. As a quality product, it is 62 quarts wide. As part of its resistance to heat and strength, its burner is coated with paint that resists heat and is reinforced with Cast Aluminium.

This product was developed not just to cater for cooking events. It was also designed with the intention of good functionality, high strength, and maximum safety. To ensure its safety, it is padded with windscreen protection that functions 360 degrees. Compared to other products, it has an equilibrium advantage because of its well spread-out legs. To this effect, it can bear up pots that are over 95 quarts. Its gas feeding system is well designed. To avoid leakage and damages, this feeding system has a valve made of brass to control the flame intensity. Also, it has a hose made of stainless and a regulator with a strength of 10 psi for ensuring good BTU output. So with this product, you are all safe and good to go.

2. Best For Brewing – Fltom Camp Tent Stove, Portable Wood Stove

This outdoor cooker is an excellent source of heat and warmth in outdoor camps. It has a length, width, and height of 15.75, 9.85, and 9.85 inches respectively. It has a flat too that provides a very wide cooking space. Adding to that, it has a grill made of stainless steel and two racks as extra cooking spaces. It has a wood-burning section for multipurpose.

Because it easily conducts heat, it gets hot easily when lit with fire and produces the necessary temperature needed. Its window is made of tempered glass, so you can comfortably have a good view of the fire and monitor the fire with ease. Also, while watching the fire, you get to enjoy the warm feeling created by the heat from the burner.

As part of its sophistication, it has a proper aeration system that includes a good supply of air from beneath, well-aerated vents that maintain the heat in the stove for a long period,  and ducts for releasing burnt gases. Also, it has wide legs that can be folded and detached.

3. Best For Weekend Retreats – Concord Deluxe Banjo Single Propane Burner

It is the best pick when it comes to weekend treats. It has the shape of a tank. It is built to release over 198,000 BTU of heat, such that even the largest kettle will boil in a very short time. It is most durable for saice making, local brewing, canning, and other external events. It is heavily built to last long and serve efficiently all through. It has a 10-inch burner head and it has a very strong Cast Iron burner that is resistant to adverse weather conditions.

It has a regulator and hose of 20 psi each, a changeable burner head, and sturdy legs. It also contains a frying section for turkeys. It is made for camps and outdoors, therefore, it is mobile. Its detachable legs are 16.5 inches wide and can withstand pots of over 195 quarts. Its regulator can withstand a pressure of up to 20 psi. It also comes with a hose and a connector. With this product, you have served yourself the best weekend treat.

4. Best For Versatility – Eastman Outdoors 90411 Portable Kahuna Burner

This outdoor cooker is suitable for various cooking methods and sizes. It can be used for seafood pots, cast iron pans, and fish pots. It is versatile for different cooking operations like deep frying, boiling, and many others. It releases up to 64,000 BTU of heat and burns cleanly. It saves fuel and keeps to the standards of the industry because it is designed to meet high requirements, compared to other burners. As part of its value, it has a propane regulator that can be adjusted. More so, its hose has a burner safety shut off. This we’ll designed system allows it to have stable gas and pressure flow. 

Its stand is 18 inches wide and can hold pots that weigh up to 36 Qts firmly. More so, its stand is adjustable, detachable, and portable. It is the best choice for camping, celebrations, and others. Remember that it should be strictly used outdoors.

5. Best for Occasional Cooking – Barton 95528-V Stove Turkey Bundle

Do you need a burner that will always be through for you when you occasionally need it? The Barton 95528 is your go-to product. It works fine when you use its basket for deep-frying chicken, fish, streaming seafood, boiling water, and preparing vegetables. Also, it works amazingly without its basket for boiling stew, jambalaya, and other boiling procedures. It comes with a thermometer that measures the temperature of the food and offers assistance in maintaining the flavor of the food using a marinade injector. Also, it has a clip for lifting and lowering the pot.

It is designed such that when frying turkey or chicken, your animal can be properly placed to allow equal oil dispersion and in the end, produce a perfect result. Also, as part of the user’s safety, it has a stand made of steel that prevents steam and bubbles from spilling out of the pot. Added to its exquisite design are its regulator and hose. I use propane as fuel.

6. Best for Long Camping Trips – Concord Triple Burner Outdoor Propane Stove Cooker

This outdoor burner comes with a hose that regulates gas flow under high pressure. It is a three-in-one burner that is designed with heavy-duty cast iron that is resistant to adverse weather conditions. This feature makes it serve for a very long time without failure. It has three burners that can heat up to 49,000 BTU. Also, they have their own heat control devices.

Each of these stoves is 12 inches in diameter. As a burner designed for long camps, it has removable stands that make it easy to be carried and store. These stands can hold up to three stockpots with each one weighing 60 quarts. Also, it has a manual lighting system that can easily be controlled to maximum efficiency.

7. Best for Large Crowds – GasOne Square Heavy Duty Single Burner Outdoor Stove

This outdoor cooker is a heavy-duty product that is equal to any cooking task at all. It is used for a wide range of cooking operations from fishing to camping, outdoor events, and also emergencies. It uses propane as its fuel. For its safety, it has a regulator that works within a pressure range of 0 to 20 psi. This regulator handles the flow of pressure and gas discharge. It also has an o-ring that takes care of leakages. However, it does not have an ignition system.

This well-designed burner is made of cast iron to ensure that it has a long life span. Also, its design material makes it durable and efficient for events. To ensure that it produces high heat, it has a powerful regulator for controlling its heat output. It is efficient for camping, fishing, brewing, and other outdoor services. As part of its safety, it has an attached hose to its fuel tank and an o-ring fixed on its regulator to avoid gas leakage. The o-ring can be adjusted using the right device.

8. Best for Durability – Concord Double Propane Burner

The Concord Double Burner has two stoves that operate independently.  Each of these stoves releases up to 58 MegaJoules of heat. The burner comes with a regulator that can withstand high pressure, a hose, and a connector. Also, it has removable legs for ease of mobility and storage. These stands can hold stockpots of 60 quarts each. The burner is designed with heavy-duty cast iron and is lit manually. Each stove has about 15 inches in diameter with a height of 30 inches.

9. Best For A Tight Budget – Gas One Propane Double Burner

In maintaining a tight budget, the Gas One Double Burner is your best bet. It uses Propane gas as fuel. Just as its name states, it has a pair of burners. Despite its build for a tight budget, its level of output is built to scale to a very large extent. It is used for various cooking exercises like catering, tailgating, and others. It is built with a material that ensures its long life span. Its hard and rugged frame displays its quality and worth.

It has removable legs that make it portable, convenient, and easy to store. For a steady and safe gas flow, it has a regulator made of steel that can be adjusted to pressures within 0 to 5 psi. The regulator also allows for monitoring of the propane gas to avoid leakage and unsafe conditions. More so, the burner has separate heat dials that regulate every flame to fit for functions like boiling water amd simmering meat.

10. Best For Long Camping Trips – KingCamp Wood Burning Stove

The King Camp Wood Burning Stove is built with strong steel and resistant to elevated temperatures. These features make it a long lasting product. It has a flat surface suitable for cooking, boiling water, making coffee, preparing barbecue, and many other exercises. Despite having wood as its source of fuel, it heats very quickly. Apart from being a cooking stove, it can serve as a source of warmth both indoors and outdoors.

It has a fireproof glass door that can be used to monitor the burning wood. So whenever there is a need for replacement or anything else, it can easily be handled. As part of its environmental friendliness, the stove has an access point for clearing out the burnt wood. Also, it has a chimney vent that is 35 inches high. Among its vital parts are a detachable hot plate, two gloves, 4 sections of chimney pipe, a stove hook, and a chimney pipe adapter. Its legs and chimney are foldable for easy storage and mobility.

10 Factors to Consider Before Buying an Outdoor Cooker

If you are planning to buy an outdoor cooker, you can explore the huge variety of outdoor cookers available in the market. However, before you buy a cooker, it is important to go through the important factors. Paying attention to these factors would help you in selecting the right cooker.

#1 Size

The first and most important factor that you need to consider is the size of the cooker. The type of trip influences the choice of cooker size. There are different kinds of cookers; some are bigger as well as heavier. While few are small in size and portable. Depending on the travel mode, and comfort, you can buy the cooker that suits best your needs.

#2 Fuel Type

Based on the power source, you would find different types of cookers in the market. LPG is the most commonly used fuel. The list of the liquid fuels used in the outdoor cooking equipment includes

• Propane: It is considered as the best performing and common type of fuel. You can find these single-use green cylinders at the gas stations as well as grocery stores. For longers trips, you can use propane outdoor cookers and take the cooking equipment that operates on propane gas along with the reusable tanks.

• Butane: It is an inexpensive fuel type. This gas provides the highest boiling point. Sometimes, this fuel struggles to power butane outdoor cooking equipment.

• Isobutane: It is the fuel that is light in weight and offers decent vapor pressure. This fuel is an ideal choice for backpacking. It is an expensive type of gas.

Apart from LPG fuel, there are many other power sources like

• Wood: In the market, there are numerous cooking equipment choices that run off of biomass like twigs, wood, sticks, etc. The wood-fueled cooker is the option that reduces the fuel cost as long as you get the wood on the camping site.

• Charcoal: There is a huge variety of cooking equipment in that market that can be operated through charcoal. These charcoal cookers are affordable, however, charcoal is heavy as well as expensive. Moreover, it takes more time for cooking.

• Solar: If you do not want to invest in fuel-running equipment, you can opt for the solar. The solar cooker running on solar power is also a good option and environment-friendly also. However, change in weather can create a problem for you.

Keeping the length of the trip, weight, and price of the fuel in the mind, you can explore the options and find a suitable outdoor cooker.

#3 Number of Burners

The size of cookware is of the important factors. The style of cooking as well as the quantity of the food required influences the selection of the cooking equipment. The requirement of the number of burners depends on the size of the group for whom you are cooking the food.

• Single Burner: If you are going to cook for a smaller group of people, a single burner is the best choice. You can prepare a one-pot meal on a single burner. Moreover, these single-burner cooking equipment are lightweight and take up a small amount of space.

• Two-Burner: Two-burner cooking equipment is the most common type. These are compact and offer versatility too. You can cook two items at a time like breakfast one burner and boil water for the coffee on the other one.

• Multi-Burner: If you have a larger group of people, you might need cooking equipment with more than two burners. In the market, you can find the stoves that come with three burners.

Based on the number of people and food requirements, you can finalize the need for burners and select the right outdoor cooker.

#4 Burner Size and Power

The size, as well as the power of the burner, is also a major aspect that requires attention. The power of outdoor cooking equipment is measured in BTUs. BTU stands for British Thermal Unit. It is the amount of energy (heat) required to increase the temperature of water (1pound) by one-degree Fahrenheit.

Normally, a home gas stove burner runs on 7,000 to 12,000 BTUs. Whereas the outdoor stove burners have higher BTUs. The outdoor cookers have to operate in cold and windy weather condition that influences the cooking time. Therefore, they require extra BTUs to perform in a better way. However, there are some cooking types of equipment that have higher BTUs but they cook slowly in comparison to the stove burners that have lower BTUs. All this is because of the design.

The overall design of the outdoor cooker also affects the burners’ BTUs. If they are designed well to handle the wind, the lower BTU burners can also give a good cooking experience. Along with this, the diameter of the burner is also important. The small burner would produce a small hot spot that is ideal for your small pan. While a larger burner would spread the heat evenly and give you the ultimate cooking experience.

#5 Wind Protection

As stated above, wind influences the performance of the outdoor cooker to a great extent. Even a gentle breeze is enough to affect your cooking time when you are cooking at low heat. Single burner cookers do not have wind protection. While many cooking types of equipment have two-burner come with a folding barrier of three walls. In the market, you would also find the outdoor cookers with recessed burners having surroundings of a protective sheath that limits the wind.

#6 Simmer Control

There are some food items that are prepared on low heat. Cooking the food on high heat increases the chances of scorching the food to the bottom. Some outdoor cookers come with simmer control options that allow you to control the heat according to your choice.

#7 Adjustable Legs

Generally, all types of cooking equipment are not leveled. There are many companies that manufacture outdoor cookers with adjustable legs. The adjustable legs help allow you to level out your cooking equipment according to the required height before you start cooking.

#8 Freestanding or Tabletop

Most of the camping and picnic areas do not have well-established grounds. Therefore, it becomes hard to carry the tabletop cooker. Freestanding stoves are great choices for those who do a lot of dispersed camping. It allows you to cook anywhere with ease.

#9 Burner/Grill

Most of the outdoor cookers have standard circular burners. However, in the market, you would find the grill option also. If you like griddle cooking, you can opt for a griddle option. In case you wish to use the grill occasionally, then there is a solution. You can carry a cast iron on your trip and place it on the two-burner cooker.

#10 Material

Another major factor that you need to keep in mind is material. In the market, you would find the outdoor cooker in different materials like stainless steel, aluminum, cast iron, etc. Do not forget to consider this aspect while selecting an outdoor cooker.

How to Clean and Maintain Your Outdoor Cooker?

Now, you have gone through the factors that are essential to keep in mind while buying an outdoor cooker. It is time to know that after purchasing and using the outdoor cooker, it is important to know the right way to keep it clean and long-lasting. With grilling, frying, and boiling, the outdoor cooker gets the food stains, debris as well as grease. Therefore, it becomes important to clean the cooking equipment thoroughly.

The deep cleaning of an outdoor cooker requires the cleaning of the body as well as burners. Based on the material, here are some steps that you can follow to clean your outdoor cooker.

• Step 1 – Allow your cooking equipment to cool completely.
• Step 2 – Detach the regulator as well as hose from the equipment and keep it aside.
• Step 3 – Pull off the heat controlling knobs.
• Step 4 – Remove the debris from the burner stems and push the knobs back.
• Step 5 – Wipe out the body of the equipment with hot water and a solution of mild soap.
• Step 6 – To remove the stains, you can use vinegar and a sponge.
• Step 7 – Let the vinegar sit on the stains for a few minutes and then clean the surface. If the stains are stubborn, you can use vinegar again and sprinkle some baking soda to remove those stubborn spots.
• Step 8 – Use a wire brush to get rid of the debris or rust and clean the burners.
• Step 9 – Rinse out the entire cooking equipment with a garden hose.
• Step 10 – Move the outdoor cooker upside down to drain the excess water.
• Step 11 – Allow it dry for a few hours.

Wrapping It Up

Outdoor cookers are very useful for outdoor events. They offer more efficiency and are more reliable because they produce expected and outstanding results. Apart from these, they are safe to use, portable, mobile, and easy to store. In considering outdoor cookers, the Bayou Classic High-PressureCooker would be the best for you. You can also consider the Fltom Camp Tent Stove, Portable Wood Stove as it is one of the best on the list of outdoor cookers.

Overall, safety is the top priority issue when choosing an outdoor cooker. Following the steps above, then you will find out the right outdoor cooker. Happy shopping.

Cheryl

Cheryl is the senior editor, she is an expert in home appliances, furniture, and cooking equipment.